Indraprastha: The Earliest Delhi Going Back to the Mahabharata Times

Contents: 1. Introductory. 2. Indraprastha in Inscriptions. 3. Asokan Rock Edict. 4. Indraprastha in Literature. 5. The Excavations. 6. Historicity of the Mahabharata. 7. Seeing is Believing. Bibliography. Index.   

In Delhi, as one moves southwards from the Pragati Maidan, along the Mathura Road, one sees on the left the fortification walls of Purana Qila. These were built by Humayun/Sher Shah along the periphery of a 10-metre high mound. In the revenue records the site is mentioned as Indrapat and local tradition identifies it with Indraprastha of the Mahabharata times.

Keen to find out the truth, in 1954-55 the author laid out a trench in the southern part of the mound and found shards of the Painted Grey Ware which is the characteristic ceramic industry met with at all the sites associated with the Mahabharata story. This discovery was confirmed by subsequent excavations as well. These excavations revealed that from the Mahabharata times (circa 1000 bce), the site continued to be occupied up to the British times —a span of 3000 years. Thus, Indraprastha is the earliest and longest-lived city of Delhi.

The book presents this glorious panorama.