Archaeo-astronomical research project also seeks to fill gaps between Vedic period and Harappa civilisation

In a first, a team of four from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) has undertaken an archaeo-astronomical project that will study India’s ancient Indus Valley Civilisation sites from a purely astronomical perspective.

Having just visited Dholavira in Kutch, Gujarat, to see if there were any indications of the use of astronomy by earlier civilizations, the team will also try to fill in the gaps between the Vedic period and the Harappan civilization.

Dholavira is the third largest archaeological site in India, and the fifth largest in the subcontinent.

“We are exploring possible astronomical roots in these areas. For example, astronomy would be required in order to calculate the farming and cultivation routines, and this would require detailed and continuous observations,” says professor Mayank Vahia, who is a professor in the department of astronomy and astrophysics at TIFR.

The research project is funded by the Tata Trust and the Centre for Basic Sciences (CBS). Having been launched in January 2006, the project is a collaborative effort with the University of Washington, Seattle; Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai; and the Indus Research Centre in Chennai.

Vahia says that most people are not aware of the subtleties of the astronomical system, and, if tapped into, it can open a completely new window to the prehistoric world, tracing ancestors by using astronomy as a window. “Some of the streets have been aligned in certain ways so as to suggest that some astronomical calculations may have been used for the geographical layout,” says Vahia, also pointing out that the Harappan culture was one of the most advanced at the time.

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