Megalithic Sites in Uttar Pradesh and Their Comparative Study with South Indian Counterparts

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Megalithic Sites in Uttar Pradesh and their comparative study with South-Indian Counterparts represents substantially the thesis which was approved for the award of the Ph.D. degree of the Patna University to Dr. Neetesh Saxena in the year 2013. The work is a result of hard labour in collecting material from the sites of megalithic culture. The work is divided into following chapters (1) Introduction (2) Geological Backdrop of the Eastern Uttar Pradesh (3) Megalithic Sites in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (4) Socio- economic Condition of the Megalithic people (5) Comparative study of the Megalithic Cultures of Eastern Uttar Pradesh with South Indian Counterparts with a brilliant conclusion at the end. List of plates containing megalithic grave and grave-goods throw welcome light on the material culture of the relevant period which make the work an interesting study. The present work is a humble attempt to provide a complete emerging picture of the megalithic culture of eastern Uttar Pradesh and deal with various aspects such as economic condition, settlement pattern, cultural assemblages, ceramic and antiquities with the help of report of excavation and explorations field survey work done earlier.

Dr. Neetesh Saxena graduated with science in the year 2000 from Yuvraj Dutt College, Lakhimpur- Kheri (UP) under Chhatrapati Sahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, previously named as Kanpur University. He did his MA in History from the same University in 2002. He completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Archaeology and Museology from Lucknow University in 2004. He has the distinction of working as Research Associate in Under Water Archaeology Wing of Archaeological Survey of India in December 2004.

He started his career as Assistant Archaeologist in Excavation Branch, Patna of Archaeological Survey of India, and then worked in the Archaeological Museum, Sarnath (UP). Since January 2022, he is posted as Assistant Superintending Archaeologist at the Cooch Behar Palace Museum (West Bengal). During his career as an archaeologist he has been associated with Excavations at Ahirwa-Raja- Rampur (Kannuj), Rajdhani-Tila (Maharajganj), Baror (Sriganganagar, Rajasthan: 2005-06), Juaferdih (Nalanda, Bihar: 2006-07), Bangarh (Dinajpur, West Bengal: 2006-07); Begampur and Daman-khanda (Nalanda, Bihar: 2007-08); Ghorakatora (Nalanda, Bihar: 2007-08, 2008-09); Lathiya and Sakradih (Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh: 2009-10); Kolhua (Muzafferpur, Bihar: 2006-07); Maner (Patna, Bihar: 2012-13). Besides, various excavations he also conducted many explorations in the districts of Nalanda (also in and around Rajgir), Nawada, Gaya, Darbhanga, Jamui, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Patna and Ghazipur.

He has been associated with many important projects as 'Foot Print of Budhha (2008) and Uttarapath (2016). He has successfully completed the Leadership Training Program-III for museum professionals in 2014 organized by Ministry of Culture at National Museum (New Delhi); Salarjung Museum (Hyerdabad); and The British Museum, London. His articles have been published in several Journals of repute including Purattatva and Pragdhara.

The subject matter of this book is megalith which is structural manifestation of a specific segment of pre-historic culture when the people cremated their departed souls in a particular manner with regional variations exhibited in form and lay out. A large number of such monuments have been noticed through systematic explorations and excavations by different organizations/institutions which have attracted the attention of numerous scholars regarding their origin, chronology, authorship and various other aspects. South India is very rich in these edifices and they have been well studied as well, but there is a dearth of systematic work on such archaeological sites of eastern Uttar Pradesh which have also yielded evidences of megalithic culture. Study of these megaliths is bound to supplement analysis of the society and economy of eastern Uttar Pradesh during contemporary period. The present work is a humble attempt to present before scholars a comprehensive and comparative study of the megalithic society & economy of eastern Uttar Pradesh and south India.

The book is largely based upon my Ph.D. thesis entitled "Megalithic Sites of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and their Comparative Study with South Indian Counterparts" which was an attempt to provide a complete emerging picture of megalithic culture of eastern Uttar Pradesh region on the basis of various aspects such as economic condition, settlement pattern, cultural assemblages, ceramics and antiquities.

The megaliths are reported from various countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. Of these the western European megaliths are the oldest and were built during Neolithic and bronze ages, dated between 4000BCE to 1100BCE. They are mostly sepulchral monuments or the memorials. Evidence afforded that the idea of some sort of existence after death was ingrained in the psyche of the early humans. The skeletal remains of Neanderthal Man and associated stone tools belonging to typical Mousterian Palaeolithic era had been discovered from a wide area in Europe and Africa. A complete skeleton was discovered, at La Chapple- aux-Saints in south-western France. Remains of red ochre had been observed on the bones. Thereby, indicating life after death, as red ochre paint is blood-like. The species become extinct at the end of the Middle Palaeolithic period.

The Times of India, Lucknow Edition, dated the 11th September, 2015 published the latest discovery concerning the humans. The scientists have discovered a new species in the human family tree. Fossilized bones of fifteen individuals including infants and elderly were traced. The new species has been named Homo-Naledi as it was found in Rising Star Cave near Johannes Berg, South Africa. This species, believed to have lived some 2.5 million to 2.8 million year ago. "The finding indicates that Naledi may have been capable of ritual behaviour, earlier thought to the limited to humans."