BHU Study of 1950s Rajghat Artefacts Sheds New Light on Ancient Kashi

Gist The Banaras Hindu University BHU is documenting and analysing over 10,000 archaeological artefacts excavated from Rajghat in Varanasi between 1957 and 1969 . This systematic documentation, coupled with modern scientific techniques like DNA analysis on a previously untouched human skeleton, is unlocking new data about the ancestry, administration, and daily life of ancient Kashi. For UPSC aspirants, Rajghat offers critical archaeological evidence of how early Iron Age settlements in the Gangetic valley evolved into complex, urbanised Mahajanapadas. Background The Mahajanapadas: During the later Vedic period, ancient India was divided into territorial kingdoms or political units called Janapadas . By the 6th century BCE , the most powerful among these consolidated into 16 large kingdoms known as Mahajanapadas , which are heavily referenced in early Buddhist and Jain texts . Significance of Rajghat: Located at the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Varana , Rajghat is identified archaeologically as the capital and primary urban centre of the Kashi Janapada . Urban vs. Religious Centers: While nearby Sarnath evolved predominantly as a Buddhist pilgrimage site, Rajghat served as the political and…