ASI goes deep to dig Dwarka's past

New Delhi: History of the pilgrim city of Dwarka is set to be unfolded with the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) all set to launch excavation inside the sea near the city on the tip of the Gujarat peninsula.

ASI, for the first time, is launching the project for conducting excavation under water at the site, Supertending Archeologist (Underwater Archeology Wing, ASI) Alok Tripathy said.

"Dwarka is a historical place. For the first time, we are starting excavation inside the sea near the city which is expected to reveal the history of the place," he says.

According to a legend, Lord Krishna established Dwarka as his capital after he left Mathura. The small city at the wastern tip is one of the seven holy cities in the country.

"We do not want to speculate anything about the possible findings from the site. Our excavation will be a thorough exercise to explore the archeology of Dwarka," he says.

Earlier ASI had conducted excavation on the shore and found different types of remains. The upcoming project is likely to provide more details on the nature, character and significance of these remains, he says.

"ASI had conducted excavation in 1979-80 and found various types of remains. We hope there may be more such remains inside the water which will provide a solid base for studying the historicity of the place," Tripathy says.

The excavation will be carried out inside 500 metres from the shore. Indian Navy will be associated with the project as its ships and other equipments will be used during

the project, he says.

Apart from ASI, various other agencies like Deccan College and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) had conducted excavation on the shore and inside water also, he

says.

"Deccan College had excavated the site in 1963. NIO had worked at the site for a longer period over 20 year from 1981," he says.

On the basis of the excavation by these agencies, there are reports that Dwarka was built on four former cities and that the city was a large port dating back to 15th century BC.

A 250 kg anchor was discovered at the site indicating that a 120-ton ship may have used this port, reports say.

"We do not want to comment on what has been found from the place by other agencies. Our work will be an independent project and we will make comment after we complete thorough excavation," he says.