2,500-year-old ‘yagya kund’ found during excavation in Rajasthan’s Braj region

Jaipur, May 2 – The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found a 2,500-year-old ‘yagya kund’, along with metal tools and coins among other ancient articles during the excavation of a mound in Bahaj village of Deeg Tehsil in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur division.

This excavation is being done in Deeg after 50 years, as earlier, it was done in Mathura. It is done at two different places on the mound of Bahaj village under the supervision of officials of the Archeology Department in Rajasthan’s Braj region.

Evidence of religious rituals like Yagya being performed thousands of years ago has also been found in the excavations. The soil taken out from the Havan Kund is kept separate, considered to be of special significance.

Vinay Gupta, Superintendent of Archeology with Jaipur Division, said: “After a long gap of 50 years, excavation work has been started on a large scale in Braj area. The evidence found during the excavation is very unique. Such evidence was not found in the earlier excavations. The work will continue for some more time and there is a possibility of finding other evidence including some remains.”

During the excavation, tools made from bones and ancient baked clay sculptures from the Mauryan period have also been found.

A pair of statues of Ashwani Kumar, also known as twin Hindu gods associated with medicine, health, dawn, and the sciences, have been found which belong to the Sunga period. The names of Ashwini Kumar in Mahabharata are Dstra and Nasatya.

Till now, no evidence of the twin gods has been found in India before 700 BC. However, for the first time, this evidence from 200 BC has been found in Bahaj village, said officials. Idol plates of Ashwani Kumar of Sunga period and tools made from bones and fragments of pottery believed to be from Mahabharata period have also been found.

Excavation has been going on for four months at a mound in Bahaj village by the ASI’s Survey Board, Jaipur. Even before the excavation, the team of the Archeology Department, after investigating the mound, confirmed that there are remains of ancient times here and requested to carry out excavation to discover human civilisation, following which the Government of India approved the budget and gave permission for excavation.

Pits contain sacrificial soil, which is natural sandy soil, along with offering of miniature pots in different shapes, sometime containing copper coins wrapped in cloth, and also copper and iron objects have been discovered.

Superintendent of Archeology, Jaipur Division had identified the mound of Bahaj village during his PhD research. A survey was conducted a few months ago by a team of Jaipur division. After the survey, the proposal for excavation was sent to the Director General of ASI and the excavation started from January 10, 2024. Since then, the excavation is in progress.

All the remains found during the excavation have been sent to the Jaipur Archeology Department. Efforts are also being made by the Department to display the important remains by making a gallery in Nand Bhawan of Deeg Museum.