At forty-two locations across the nation, ancient history, including Sindhu-Saraswati Civilization and Mahabharata-Era Sites, will be examined this year. Permission to do this has been granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Self-digging at Sindhu-Saraswati Civilization and Mahabharata-Era Sites will be done by the ASI in 17 states: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka, and West Bengal.

Universities at twelve locations and states in thirteen locations have received permission to excavate. Important locations like Rakhi Garhi in Haryana, Purana Qila in Delhi, Tilwara in Baghpat and Rath in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, and Tezpur Deur in Bihar will all see excavations conducted by the ASI.

ASI's Expanding Research in Uttar Pradesh and Beyond

ASI conducts excavations at various places in the country every year to find evidence of history buried in the ground. This time permission has been given for Rakhigarhi in Haryana. It is one of the largest excavation sites related to Harappa. It has been dug here several times in the past. This is the important excavation site from where it has been proved that the Aryans did not come from outside but were residents here.

Sindhu-Saraswati Civilization
Image Source: Wikipedia

Permission has also been granted this time for Tilwara Sakin, located at a distance of 10 km from Sinauli in Baghpat, which has emerged as a digging site related to the Mahabharata period. Here the ASI hopes to find evidence related to ancient history. Similarly, this time around Moidam at Charaideo in Assam will also be dug. It has been declared a World Heritage Site this year.

The ASI is also conducting excavations at the Champaran Buddha Stupa in Bihar. Indraprastha, the Pandava capital, will also be the subject of excavations this time around in order to uncover information about the Purana Qila of Delhi.It will be dug here for the sixth time since independence in order to make this finding.

In addition, the ASI has granted authority to the state archaeology departments as well as to a number of national universities.Tamil Nadu leads the States category in the number of digging permits issued this year, with eight.

The Old Fort in Delhi, Rakhi Garhi in Haryana, Tilwara Sakin in Uttar Pradesh, Kachwa in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, Tezpur Deur in Champaran, Bihar, Buddha Stupa in Baragaon, Jammu and Kashmir, Karti-Vadre in Assam, Cultichera in Assam, Group of Fort Moidum in Assam, Nachna Kuthera in Madhya Pradesh, Stone Circle in Wardha, Maharashtra, Velagati, Kamleshwar Temple Group in Tamil Nadu, Amur Iron Age Burial Site in Karnataka, Brahmagiri in Kerala, Reserve Wires in Kerala, Habitation Mound in Kodumbalur, West Bengal, Bhadishwar in Birbhum, and Lothal in Gujarat are among the 17 sites that the ASI will be excavating. There are eight sites in Tamil Nadu, one in Assam, two each in Telangana and Maharashtra.

The permission has been granted for two sites in Tamil Nadu, three in Kerala and one each in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

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