| Alternative names | Chalcolithic period in the lower Ganga valley |
|---|---|
| Geographical range | Ajay Valley: modern-day West Bengal, India. |
| Period | Chalcolithic |
| Dates | 1600–7500 BC |
| Type site | Pandu Rajar Dhibi |
| Major sites | Mahisdal, Mangalkot, Dihar, Baneshwardanga and Tamluk |
| Preceded by | Early agricultural communities in Bengal |
| Followed by | Northern Black Polished Ware culture |
| History of South Asia |
|---|
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The Pandu culture is an archaeological culture from the chalcolithic period of India, spanning around 1600 BC to 750 BC. The type site is Pandu Rajar Dhibi, where black and red ware and tools made from bone and copper were found alongside remains of human body. It extends from the foothills of the Chota Nagpur Plateau to the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly river basin, covering a considerable part of southwestern or Rarh and coastal regions of modern-day West Bengal; from Birbhum in the north to Purba Medinipur in the south.
Most of the Pandu settlements were small-scale, mainly concentrated in the Ajay, Damodar and Rupnarayan, Hooghly river valleys. Major settlements during the peak phase of this Chalcolithic culture (1000 BC) include Pandu Rajar Dhibi, Mahisdal, Mangalkot, Bharatpur, Dihar, Baneshwardanga, Pakhanna and Tamluk. These were contemporary with the later Harappan and Vedic period.[1][2]
The Pandu culture was extensively dependent on agriculture. The presence of rice provides evidence of the beginning of rice cultivation and agriculture in eastern India and Bengal. From the late phase of Chalcolithic, iron began to be used. Clay floors, reed and clay structural remains, and pit-stocks have been documented from various settlements. Structural remains in the form of mud-rammed floor, reed impressed clay chunks, and pit-silos are recorded at several sites indicating wattle-and-daub structure.[3]
These cultural settlements were weakened and destroyed when the Second Urbanization began, and new settlements and trade centers emerged in the delta region.
- ^ Datta 2007, pp. 41–42.
- ^ Kumar, Dr. Dilip. "Chalcolithic Culture of Pandu Rajar Dhibi" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Rag et al. 2013, pp. 334–335.