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Lying on the northern bank of the lost Saraswati, the
ancient site at Banawali is spread over an area of about 400 sq. m with a
height of about 9 to 10 m above the surrounding ground level. Banawali is
a Pre Harappan and Harappan site. The mound in Banawali, 15kms from
Fatehabad, reveals a fortified town (2500 BC - 1700 BC ).
Its inhabitants lived in brick houses and used clay pottery, beads of
semi-precious stones and bangles, worshipping a mother goddess set in
terracotta. At Banawali, evidence of ploughed fields has been found. Large
quantity of barley and evidence of growing of sesame and mustard have also
been found. The use of wooden plough for ploughing the fields was
prevalent. A fire altar has also been found here.
The excavations at this site have yielded the remains of pre,
intermediate and post-Harappan cultures of the Period I
pre-Harappan/Kalibangan Culture. During this sub-period, it was an open
settlement having no circumvallation.
The entire settlement was planned and constructed afresh. The
fortification of the previous period was externally chiselled or partially
sliced away from the outside in order to add another massive wall against
it. This walled area of the preceding period was made into a citadel while
the lower town was laid out towards the east, north and west and brought
in a general fortification.
Period II belonged to the mature Harappans, who almost meticulously
maintained the bilocular layout of settlement. The streets were laid out
in a rather radial or semi-radial system. The elaborate gate-complex was
provided with flanking bastions and a broad passageway.
The Antique Finds
Among the antiquities, terracotta female figurines along with usual male
and animal figurines of the Indus types, and animal figurines, seals and
sealings, weights, pieces of gold ornaments, beads of lapis lazuli, etched
carnelian, faience, steatite, clay and copper etc., were excavated, the
most important being a complete clay model of a plough.
By and large, pottery has shown strong genetic relationship with two
distinct ceramics, i.e. the Kalibangan pottery and the Bara pottery. In
addition, there is a third category of pottery, which is in red ware of
coarse fabric and thin wall. Smaller finds are very few and exclude all
classical Indus items except the clay nodules of different shapes while
the triangular terracotta cakes are, however, absent. Most valued
antiquity of the period is a black terracotta object of which only three
fragments were found. It appears to be some sort of a cult object
associated with serpent worship.
How To Get There
Air: The nearest airport is at Delhi.
Rail: The nearest rail junction is at Bhattu.
Road: Banawali has bus station of its own.