ABSTRACT
From the Ganga Plain to the Eastern and Western Deccan: A Field Study of the Ancient Routes
Dilip K. Chakrabarti, Rakesh Tiwari and R. N. Singh
Based on field-studies conducted between 1999 and 2002, this paper outlines the routes which linked Andhra (eastern Deccan) and Maharashtra (western Deccan) with the Ganga-Yamuna plain from south Bihar to the Kanpur-Etawah-Agra sector of Uttar Pradesh. Two major alignments, each with a number of interrelated sectors, have emerged: one across the Son through the Sarguja and Chhattisgarh plains and the other through the Malwa plain and other parts of modern Madhya Pradesh. The major jumping-off point for the journey across the Son was Varanasi whereas the principal starting points of the latter were Varanasi, Prayag and Kausambi, and Jajmau/Musanagar, Ekachakra and Bateshwar in the area between Kanpur and Agra. The importance of the Betwa valley has also been emphasized in this context. What has emerged is a clear pattern of interrelated lines of movement linking some of the most famous ancient cities of India.