MULTAN: For the first time ever, archaeological exploration at Mound Dillu Roy, a Buddhist-era site in Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan district, is likely to begin next month under an ongoing Rs17.323 million project.
The work has resumed to complete the remaining portion of the 6,400 feet long boundary wall to protect the site, Archaeology Department Multan in-charge Ghulam Muhammad told APP.
Almost a 5,000 feet long boundary wall has already been built, he added.
Officials would acquire metal detectors and other tools to be used by the archaeologists to select points for exploration and discover antiquities as well as traces of ancient civilizations.
“The site is located exactly on the borderline of Rajanpur and DG Khan districts. A major part of around 480 kanals falls within DG Khan and only three kanals in the Jampur tehsil of Rajanpur.”
Ghulam said the site was notified as protected in February 1964 and a study carried out on the site as well as ancient objects recovered so far revealed it was occupied by the Buddhists in the Scytho-Parthian period dating back to 1st century B.C. to 2nd century A.D.
“It lies 2.5 miles north-west of Jampur and consists of two mounds, roughly 100-150 feet apart. The larger one measuring 1460x800x15 feet marks the site of the city and the smaller one about 380 feet north-south and 950 feet east-west has been identified as the remains of a fort.”
“Both the mounds were dug by local farmers, following which the historic plan of houses and streets was exposed. The mud brick walls have escaped complete destruction while some of the walls with traces of mud plaster stand as high as 12 feet,” he said, adding that at certain places, a complete plan of rooms was traceable; which varied from 5×5 feet to 15-10 feet.
The specimen of bottlenecked sprinklers with curved flange and a conical knob at the top are quite similar in all respects to the types recovered from the Scytho-Parthian levels of Banbhore, Taxila and Pitalkora (India).
A fragment of a plaque of red sand, depicting a lady in a high-head dress and wearing earrings, and a sculpture in white limestone appears to be of a “Buddhisattva” wearing dhoti and holding a kamandali, said the official.
All the antiquities discovered from Mound Dillu Roy have been placed in the store of the Harappa Museum.
