Old-school methods of survey still help: Archaeologist

Despite technological advancements, the best method to explore hidden treasures of history is village-to-village survey, a noted archaeologist said on Wednesday.

Technologies like aerial survey and mapping can only provide support, but even today the best method to explore hidden treasures of history is through village-to-village surveys, said Tejas Garge, director of the Maharashtra government's archaeology department.

Garge was speaking at a seminar on 'New Dimensions in the History of Marathwada' at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University here in central Maharashtra.

Ancient sites are not found by accident, Garge said, adding 70 to 80 per cent such spots are found as a result of extensive scientific survey.

"We have technology with us today. It helps, but it is only a support. The actual exploration of such sites and historical happenings is only possible when we conduct a village-to-village survey," Garge said.

Speaking about the world famous Ajanta and Ellora caves situated in Marathwada's Aurangabad district, Garge said many aspects of these sites needed to be studied further.

Aspects such as how much manpower was engaged in carving the sculptures, funds used to build the caves and the place where workers were housed still need to be studied, Garge said.

Marathwada is rich in sites that indicate the presence of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cultures, he said.

"We have spotted 27 habitat mounts along the Girija river in a survey, of which eight belong to Satvahana and two to Vakataka periods," Garge added.