VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, Nov 27: The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has received permission to dig a mound in Obra village in the Pathalgada block of Chatra district. This is the place where several incidents have been reported of ancient relics and structures being found.
The team will start their work in a month and collect information about the civilisation that existed here in ancient times. An archaeologist from ASI’s Patna branch Dr Rajendra Dahuri has confirmed this development. “Obra is a megalithic site situated three km away from Pathalgada block headquarter,” he said.
Three months ago, when a team of archaeologists from Patna and Ranchi visited this site, they found a pair of rings. The team has given the view that the rings were of the chalcolithic or copper age. A few years ago, a copper bell was also found here. So far, the team has also found many ancient relics scattered around this mound. It came to their knowledge that removing the upper surface of this mound will help them check the large number of structures buried underneath.
Dahuri said that his team will dig the mound to take out the structures and other relics and to get details about this place and its importance in ancient times. Sources said the ASI will also go for carbon dating to know the exact period of the civilisation that existed.
Meanwhile, as per locals Chatra was an important place and had people following three religions including Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. They said such excavation will bring this fact out establishing this district as one of the tourist places.
Earlier ASI has taken up excavation work in Itkhori of Chatra and Bahoranpur of Hazaribag and has recovered many ancient structures and idols from the places.
