{"id":5918,"date":"2020-01-27T19:39:11","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T14:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?p=5918"},"modified":"2025-01-28T15:47:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T10:17:31","slug":"nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nagardhan_excavations_Key_findings_about_Vakataka_dynasty\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"amp-wp-cdd8ca0\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-amp-original-style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevant_For_Mains_GS_paper_IV\"><\/span><span class=\"amp-wp-ead8d03\" style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>(Relevant For Mains G.S paper IV)<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >What's Inside this Blog!<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Nagardhan_excavations_Key_findings_about_Vakataka_dynasty\" title=\"Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty\">Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Relevant_For_Mains_GS_paper_IV\" title=\"(Relevant For Mains G.S paper IV)\">(Relevant For Mains G.S paper IV)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#What_is_the_excavated_site\" title=\"What is the excavated site?\">What is the excavated site?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Why_is_the_excavation_important\" title=\"Why is the excavation important?\">Why is the excavation important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#What_is_the_significance_of_these_finds\" title=\"What is the significance of these finds?\">What is the significance of these finds?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Why_are_the_findings_on_Queen_Prabhavatigupta_significant\" title=\"Why are the findings on Queen Prabhavatigupta significant?\">Why are the findings on Queen Prabhavatigupta significant?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Why_is_the_sign_of_Vaishnava_affiliation_important\" title=\"Why is the sign of Vaishnava affiliation important?\">Why is the sign of Vaishnava affiliation important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/nagardhan-excavations-key-finding-about-vakataka-dynasty\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion:\">Conclusion:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25740 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12.jpg\" alt=\"Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty by Vikash Ranjan sir at Triumph IAS, UPSC Sociology\u00a0Optional\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/women-employment-in-india-12-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Recent archaeological excavations at<span style=\"color: #333333;\"><mark> Nagardhan in Ramtek taluka, near Nagpur,<\/mark><\/span> have provided concrete evidence on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty that ruled parts of Central and South India between the third and fifth centuries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">After a 1,500 year-old sealing was excavated for the first time, a new study in Numismatic Digest has tried to understand the Vakataka rule under Queen Prabhavatigupta.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_excavated_site\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>What is the excavated site?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><mark><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Nagardhan is a large village in Nagpur district, about 6 km south of Ramtek taluka headquarters.<\/span><\/mark><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Archaeological remains were found on a surface spread over a 1 km \u00d7 1.5 km area. The researchers excavated the site during 2015-2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">A Koteshwar temple dating back to the 15th-16th centuries stands on the banks of a stream.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The existing village sits on top of the ancient habitation. The Nagardhan Fort stands south of present-day Nagardhan village.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">This was constructed during the Gond Raja period and later renovated and re-used by the Bhosales of Nagpur during the late 18th and 19th centuries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The area surrounding the fort is under cultivation and has archaeological remains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_the_excavation_important\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Why is the excavation important?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Very little was known about the Vakatakas, the Shaivite rulers of Central India between the third and fifth centuries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">All that was known about the dynasty, believed to hail from the Vidarbha region, was largely through some literature and copperplates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">There were assumptions that the excavated site of Nagardhan is the same as Nandhivardhan, the capital city of the eastern branch of the Vakatakas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">It was after archaeological evidence from here that Nagardhan was understood to have served as a capital of the Vakataka kingdom.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_significance_of_these_finds\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>What is the significance of these finds?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"background-color: #333333; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><mark>It is the first time clay sealings have been excavated from Nagardhan. The oval-shaped sealing belongs to the period when Prabhavatigupta was the queen of the Vakataka dynasty.<\/mark><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">It bears her name in the Brahmi script, along with the depiction of a conch.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The 6.40-gram sealing, which is 1,500 years old, measures 35.71 mm by 24.20 mm, with a thickness of 9.50mm. The presence of the conch, scholars say, is a sign of the Vaishnava affiliation that the Guptas held.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The sealing was traced on top of a mega wall that researchers now think could have been part of a royal structure at the capital city of the kingdom. So far, no archaeological evidence had emerged about the types of houses or palatial structures of the Vakataka people or rulers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The copperplate issued by Queen Prabhavatigupta starts with a genealogy of the Guptas, mentioning the Queen\u2019s grandfather Samudragupta and her father Chandragupta II.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">These are strong indicators of Vaishnava signatures on the royal seals of the Vakatakas, reiterate that Queen Prabhavatigupta was indeed a powerful woman ruler.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Since the Vakataka people traded with Iran and beyond through the Mediterranean Sea, scholars suggest that these sealings could have been used as an official royal permission issued from the capital city. Besides, these were used on documents that sought mandatory royal permissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_are_the_findings_on_Queen_Prabhavatigupta_significant\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Why are the findings on Queen Prabhavatigupta significant?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The Vakataka rulers were known to have forged several matrimonial alliances with other dynasties of their times.<\/span> One of the key alliances was with Prabhavatigupta of the mighty Gupta dynasty, which was then ruling north India. The Guptas, researchers say, were way more powerful than the Vakatakas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">After marrying Vakataka king Rudrasena II, Prabhavatigupta enjoyed the position of Chief Queen. When she took over the Vakataka kingdom, after the sudden demise of Rudrasena II, her stature as a woman Vakataka ruler rose significantly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">This is evident from the fact that the sealings were introduced and issued during her period as a ruler, that too from the capital city of Nagardhan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Scholars say Queen Prabhavatigupta was among a handful of women rulers in India to have reigned over any kingdom during ancient times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Also, there had been no evidence so far of any successor female ruler within the Vakataka dynasty, the researchers suggest.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_the_sign_of_Vaishnava_affiliation_important\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Why is the sign of Vaishnava affiliation important?<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><mark>The Vakataka rulers followed the Shaiva sect of Hinduism while the Guptas were staunch Vaishnavites.<\/mark><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Excavators say that many religious structures indicating affinity to the Vaishnava sect, and found in Ramtek, were built during the reign of Queen Prabhavatigupta. While she was married into a family that belonged to the Shaiva sect, the queen\u2019s powers allowed her to choose a deity of worship, that is, Lord Vishnu.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The researchers believe that the practice of worshipping Narasimha in Maharashtra emerged from Ramtek, and that Queen Prabhavatigupta had a pivotal role in propagation of Vaishnava practices in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Some of the temples identified as Keval Narasihma, Rudra Narasimha and the one dedicated to Varaha could be traced to Ramtek, and showcase strong affinity to the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">None of these religious structures was, however, present here until the Queen took the throne. Queen Prabhavatigupta ruled for about 10 years until her son Pravarasena II succeeded.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">What else has been excavated from Nagardhan so far?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Earlier results from the excavations here had traced evidence in the form of ceramics, ear studs of glass, antiquities, bowls and pots, a votive shrine and tank, an iron chisel, a stone depicting a deer, and terracotta bangles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Some terracotta objects even depicted images of gods, animals and humans, along with amulets, scotches, wheels, skin rubbers and spindle whorls.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">An intact idol of Lord Ganesha, which had no ornaments adorned, too was found from the site.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #333333; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">This confirmed that the elephant god was a commonly worshipped deity in those times. On the means of living of the Vakataka people, researchers found animal rearing to be one of the main occupations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Remains of seven species of domestic animals \u2014 cattle, goat, sheep, pig, cat, horse and fowl \u2014 were traced in an earlier study by the team.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nagardhan excavations: Key findings about Vakataka dynasty (Relevant For Mains G.S paper IV) Recent archaeological excavations at Nagardhan in Ramtek<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[7375,11119,11114,11117,11118,5136,11112,11115,11113,11120,11116],"class_list":["post-5918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-studies-i","tag-ancient-india","tag-ancient-trade-practices","tag-archaeological-findings","tag-historical-discoveries","tag-indian-archaeology","tag-indian-history","tag-nagardhan-excavations","tag-queen-prabhavatigupta","tag-vakataka-dynasty","tag-vakataka-religion","tag-vakataka-rule"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5918"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25741,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5918\/revisions\/25741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}