3,000-year old ancient site found near Dhauli hill in Odisha!

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Pipili, June 6:

A five member team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recovered ancient artefacts reportedly dating back to around 3,000 years while conducting excavations near Suabarai village in Poparanga gram panchayat under Pipili block in Odisha’s Puri district.

Suabarai is located on the south of River Daya and is very close to the remains of the Sisupalgarh fort of the 3rd century B.C. and Dhauli hill, where the famous is Kalinga war between Emperor Ashoka and the Kalingan army  believed to have been fought in 261 B.C.

The site,  a large mound of sizable height that stands amid green paddy fields,  may have been an ancient human settlement which may have been buried in course of time.

The ASI took interest in the site after local people unearthed two stone sculptures from under a neem tree while digging a pit in April, 2013.

Archaeologists from the ASI have begun excavations here on June 2 and in the first three days of excavation the team has unearthed some colour potsherds, indicating the existence of a human settlement once upon a time here.

The team has also stumbled upon some broken pieces of ancient stone wares. The ASI officials at the site were reluctant to give details of the findings in view of ‘security and secrecy’ of the operation.

According to sources, the five member ASI team will continue with its excavations for at least a week.

It may be recalled here that researchers from the Anthropology department of the Utkal University had in March last year unearthed two human skeletons belonging to the Chalcolithic age from a village called Banga  under Delanga block in Puri district.