Ten Mystery Cities of
Historical India
India is a land of long and complex history with a large
share of its own lost cities. Many of its historic sites have been abandoned
and lost, while some have been subjected to early modern occupations and
reconstructions. Here are ten such mysterious historically lost cities of India
before the Current Era.
1. Bimbetka caves,
Bhimedka caves are located in central India in Madhya
Pradesh. These cave shelters are especially noted for the prehistoric evidence
preserved in the caves, and stone age paintings dated to be the earliest in the
world, for which reason, this site is included in the UNESCO list of world
Heritage sites (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/925).
The paintings in the caves are dated to about 50000 years ago and represent the
first civilizational cultural activity in India. However, lost to the outside
world, information about these caves was brought into light through a series of
excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India in the 19th
century. Initially, these caves were attributed to be Buddhist meditation
shelters akin to the others found in Northern India. However, further
excavations have shown prehistoric occupations dating between Upper Paleolithic
to the late Mesolithic period.
2. Saraswati River
The lost river of India currently said to have flown in
Northwest India and its traces are left under Gaggar-Hakra river in Northwern Gujarat-Rajastan.
More than 1000 cities have existed in in its course, including the well known
and excavated city of Kalibangan. However, the largest city in its riverine
valley is Dholavira, which is surrounded by large water tanks to contain and
preserve flood waters of the river. Recent stellite explorations mapped the
geographical extent of the river along which path archaeologists under the
guidance of Dr. Bisht of Archaeological Survey of India have conducted excavations here. It is
postulated that the river dried up due to an earthquake four thousand years
ago, that blocked the supply to the river from the Himalayas (http://www.ancientindia.co.uk/staff/resources/background/bg9/bg9pdf.pdf
and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2073159.stm).
Earthquakes are still frequent in this region and changing the course of rivers
is also not an unusual occurrence.
3. Indus Cities:
Several Indus cities are found in the area stretching from
Baluchistan to Northwest of India upto Maharashtra are several cities
identified as forming part of Indus valley civilization, since the core of this
culture is concentrated on the banks of Indus river. Wellknown cities such as Mohenjodaro,
Harappa, Kalibangan, Lothal and Dholavira were excavated extensively, while
less known cities such as ---- are excavated sparsely. However, questions still remain concerning
the residents, their political, religious and social systems.
4. Bethamcherla caves:
Bethamcherla caves are located in Kurnool district of Andhra
Pradesh. Prehistoric hand axe using upper Palaeolithic culture up to the upper
Mesolithic period is noted to have inhabited these caves. This is a unique cave
site with characteristic prehistoric implements, tools, and cultural remains
such as paintings. However, this site is also known to have used bone tools,
which is unique in Indian prehistory. These caves have been explored by
renowned archaeologists and anthropologists including Foote, and Newbold etc.,
during the 1850. However, owing to the perishable nature of the bone tools used
by the early residents of these caves, their life style could not be deduced.
However, several of the caves in this area also contain rock paintings on the
cave walls, which are recently explored and lead to further understanding of
the cultural life of the prehistoric residents of the caves.
5. Megalithic Cities:
A number of Megalithic cities have been abandoned and lost.
However, archaeological explorations and excavations have brought in to light a
number of such cities in ruins.
A
variety of Megalithic monuments are as such explored and excavated in India,
from Northwest India (Rajasthan), Northeast India (Assam) South India (Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu), and Central India (Maharashtra and
Madhya Pradesh). A recent discovery of more than a thousand free standing
Megaliths in Hire Bekegal Near Vijayanagara in Karnataka was appreciated for
its appearance, since a free standing tall granite slabs looks like a forest of
stone. Menhirs are also common across
South India. A large Menhir as tall as a three-story building stands near the
entrance of University of Hyderabad in Hyderabad. Megalithic culture thrived
across India contemporaneous with the Neolithic culture. It is difficult to
know if Megalithic people were cattle herders or nomadic hunter gathers, who
marked the burials of their ancestors (Megaliths). Their classification as
herders was most favored by historians, since this may have allowed them a
semi-nomadic life style which was necessary for any large groups of people,
since large groups cannot survive by hunting, gathering alone. Hence the
Megalithic people might have lived a semi-nomadic pastoralist life with herding
as major occupation with some farming. Usage of iron, pottery, and artistic
styles indicate a sophisticated life of abundance. They might have traded with
Neolithic farmers who were their neighbors. The Megalithic cultures survives
until 500 B.C.E., and there does not seem to be a violent ending to the culture
as Megalithic settlements continued into later phases, but only the
construction of such monuments stopped which indicates a transformation of
culture around this period.
6. Hastinapur:
The present capital of India, Delhi is said to have been the
place where the ancient capital city of Hastinapur is noted to exist by
Archeologists such as B.B.Lal. Hastinapur was described extensively in the
Mahabharata as the capital of Kurus and it also served as the Pandava capital
after the Kurukshetra war. Excavations are impossible to conduct in this area
since later occupations and constructions completely obliterate the earlier
levels of construction.
7. Dvaraka:
Dvaraka, is an important historical city associated with
Krishna, a major deity of Hinduism. References to Dvaraka abound in Classical
Sanskrit texts including the Mahabharata and the puranas. The city exister
before 3000 B.C.E., and have been submerged under the Indian Ocean due to
Geographical changes that took place in Northwestern India between 3000-2000
B.C.E. However, any physical evidence of the city is only meager and discovered
as a result of the under water explorations and excavations by the Archeological
survey of India.
8. Pataliputra:
Pataliputra is known as the capital city of Mauryas,
especially associated with its eminent rulers Chandragupta and Ashoka.
Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta lived in India
for a number of years has praised Pataliputra as the best city in the world
compared to other cities of that time such as Susa, and Persepolis. This city
was a major metropolis during the 600-100 B.C.E India.
9. Puram or Kapatapuram
The second literary council (Sangam) is said to have taken
place in this city, which was later drowned by the raising ocean in the East
Cast of India near Madurai. A landmass known by the name ‘Lemuria,’ still
submerged under the Indian Ocean contains this city. Descriptions of thes city
abound in Tamil literature although no excavations have been carried out in
this region.
10. Purushapura/ Peshawar
Kanishka’s capital city in the northwestern India, now part
of Pakistan, created in 1947. The city is praised as the greatest city of
Buddhist monuments, stupas, viharas and Chaitya by Buddhist pilgrims including
Xuanzang and Faxian who visited India during the early part of the first
millennium. However, none of the stupas or graves of the kings (now known as
Shahji ki Dheri) are lost and the remaining ruins are used by local residents
for their own construction.
All these ten cities discussed above have been noted for
their contribution to culture, literature and arts. These cities thrived with
bustling activity and creativity. Left only in ruins they still serve as
evidence of great human achievement and inspire those that learn about them.
