Agroha to be developed as archaeological site: Manohar Lal Khattar

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Hisar, March 3

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Department of Archaeology and Museums, Haryana, to develop Agroha town of Hisar as a archaeological site of tourist interest. The MoU was inked in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi today.

Khattar announced the setting up of a chair in the name of Maharaja Agrasen at Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha at Hisar. The CM added that a statue of the king would also be installed on the premises of Hisar airport.

Khattar claimed that Agroha was one of the habitations that had developed during ancient times along the Saraswati. He said the remains of the ancient city of Agroha were buried under a mound.

The site was excavated from 1978 to 1981 and was declared as “Centrally protected monument of national importance”. It was an early historical site covering the stages of history from 4th century BCE to the 14th century CE, he said, adding that buried in these significant ruins were evidences of the capital of the Agroha state, which was the called capital of Maharaja Agrasen, the famous king of the Agrawal community.

Khattar said Agroha was an important centre of trade and commerce in the ancient times. The archaeological site of Agroha is located about 1.5 km from the present town of the same name in Hisar.

He added that the Agroha mound dates back to the 4th century BCE and it was here that stone sculptures, terracotta seals, iron and copper tools, shells and coins of the Janapada were discovered, among other notable remains.

Excavations have yielded five cultural periods ranging from approximately the fourth century to the fourteenth century CE. “Excavations have also revealed a Buddhist stupa and a Hindu temple. A hoard of coins, including 4 Indo-Greek, one punch-mark and 51 other coins from Agrodaka, has been found at the site. Silver and bronze coins belonging to different periods have also been found,” Khattar said.

He added: “These coins belong to Roman, Kushan, Yaudheya and Gupta empires. The language used in these is Prakrit. About seven thousand artefacts have been recovered during excavation. Apart from numerous stone sculptures, iron and copper tools and beads of semi-precious stones have also been found.”

The CM said important archaeological and historical sites found around Agroha gave a distinct importance to the place. The famous Rakhigarhi site was located just one hour away from the site, and other Harappan sites like Bhirdana, Kunal, Banawali, etc., have also been found near it.

Agroha itself holds the significance of being a fort and has in its vicinity the historical sites dating back to the times of Prithviraj and Firoz Shah, the CM said. He directed the concerned officials to start GPR Survey followed by a site excavation in first phase of the project.

Khattar also launched a special bus service for Agroha and Rakhigarhi from Delhi and Chandigarh.