Abstract
Mathura is well known as a great archaeological site and art centre, but due to lack of detailed information about the various find-spots and the corresponding archaeological landscape, sometimes it is difficult to form a complete idea of the subject. The present article intends to identify all the find-spots based on my intensive field work in and around the Mathura city. A similar study can also be pursued for the entire area of the Braj region but the article is limited here to the ancient city only. The earliest settlement of Mathura is situated on the banks of river Yamuna and that has now taken the form of lofty mounds. It dates back to the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) period and has continued till the recent times. The first extension of the city occurs during the Northern Black Painted Ware (NBPW) times which, in some part, coincides with the Mauryan period. During the succeeding centuries a large number of sites come into existence outside the fortification of the ancient city and these have provided a great number of sculptures and related material. Most of the times, the scholar’s viewpoint about Mathura is derived based on these findings. The article talks about the relationship of these findings with the overall archaeological scenario of the city and the relationship various peripheral sites enjoy in ration to the urban town. A lot of emphasis is given to the nature of these sites and then the article attempts to form a proper idea of the ancient landscape of ancient Mathura and also about its relationship with art workshops.
Published Version
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