NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has stepped up its efforts for protection and conservation of the ancient structural remains that were revealed during excavation at Purana Quila around seven decades ago; held for the first time after the independence.
Officials, aware of the development, said National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) had been given the task for conservation and safeguarding the excavated portion of the fort complex, which was led by renowned archelogist BB Lal in 1953.
“Besides, creating facilities for visitors, the NBCC will place a shed to cover the pits and information panels at the site.
"The agency has been given the go ahead for its in-setu preservation and it will submit the designs for approval after which the work may begin,” said an official.
The NBCC, a state-owned real estate developer, has been working with the ASI in Delhi for quite some time.
Some historians and archaeologists believe that the site of 16th Purana Quila, built by the second Mughal emperor and later modified by Sher Shah Suri, is associated with Indraprastha; the capital of Pandavas from the Mahabharata.
During the two rounds of excavation in 1953-54 and 1969-973 by Lal, who was the directorgeneral (DG) of ASI, sickles, parers, terracotta toys, kilnburnt bricks, and painted grey bowls and dishes dating to 1200- 800 BCE were found from its campus.
The traces of continuous human habitation for about 2,500 years, from 300 BC to 19th century and other objects related to the third century BC — Mauryan period — were recovered. The excavators also stumbled across the ruins of residential dwellings built during the Rajput era and a fortification wall about 30 metres long.
Fresh digging took place in 2018, which was supervised by Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, who is now posted as superintending archaeologist at Agra Circle. “If any structural remnants, unearthed during the excavation, remain exposed to the new environment for long, the moisture locked in the artefacts evaporates quickly, which causes damage to them.
Hence, those structures and antiquities need to be treated scientifically to prolong the life span,” another ASI official emphasising the need for conservation of excavation sites at Purana Quila.