Practicing Success
In 1951-52, the archaeologist B.B. Lal conducted excavations in a village named Hastinapura in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). The question arose whether this village was the same as the Hastinapura mentioned in the epic. Although the similarity in names could be coincidental, the site's location in the Upper Ganga doab, where the Kuru kingdom was situated, hints that it might have been the capital of the Kurus as described in the text. |
What were soakage jars and brick drains used for during the third phase of excavation? |
Storing food and water Crafting pottery and ceramics Draining out refuse water Ritual offerings to deities |
Draining out refuse water |
For the third phase (c. sixth-third centuries BCE), Lal observed that houses were constructed using both mud bricks and burnt bricks. Soakage jars and brick drains were utilized for draining refuse water, while terracotta ring wells may have functioned as both wells and drainage pits. |