The Ganga-Yamuna Doab is not a late Harappan outpost — it was an independent, parallel civilisation dating to 2500 BCE. This archaeology-focused talk by a senior excavator challenges the long-held assumption that OCP (Ochre Coloured Pottery) culture in the Doab was merely a derivative of the Harappan civilisation.

The speaker presents field evidence from sites like Sonali, Ahichhatra, Kaushambi, Bhita, and Hastinapur, showing a chronological continuum from 2600 BCE onwards running parallel to the Saraswati civilisation. He demonstrates that unique weaponry from this region — including chariot reconstructions validated at ₹2 lakh using ancient technology — is absent from Harappan sites, marking a distinct cultural signature. The talk bridges literary evidence from the Vedas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata with stratigraphic findings, revealing how the fertile Doab’s timber, minerals, and agricultural wealth supported a sophisticated, self-sustaining civilisation that connected the Saraswati basin with the Ganga plains.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Manjul is a senior archaeologist and Joint Director General (Archaeology) with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He is best known for leading the excavations at Rakhigarhi, a major Harappan site, and Sanauli in Uttar Pradesh, where he discovered the earliest known chariot burials in the Indian subcontinent, dating to around 2000 BCE. His groundbreaking work at Sanauli suggests the presence of a warrior culture contemporaneous with the Harappans, offering new insights into early Vedic society.