First archaeological experiential museum in country set to be ready by next Feb in Vadnagar

A bridge is expected to link the museum with the actual excavation site that will be covered with a permanent shed along the fort wall, which has been restored.

Pankaj Sharma, director at the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, said: “A permanent shed will cover the excavation site – estimated to be over 3,000 sq m. It has been carefully planned to avoid structural columns within the excavation site. It will be a direct link from the museum and lake to the excavation site.”

“The museum will be divided into nine galleries, each depicting a different time period in Vadnagar, aspects like its old water management system as well as why people lived there for 2,700 years despite calamities like earthquake. Important crafts from the area and language spoken would depict intangible and tangible heritage. Also, Vadnagar as the city will be shown in one of the galleries. A futuristic gallery too is being planned,” he added.

The project, a collaboration between the Union and Gujarat governments, had started last November. It is a combination of two components – one showing the visible excavated archaeological remains in situ and the second showcasing the art and craft, culture, architecture and various aspects of town planning with the help of the use of technology.

“The town survived for over 2,700 years. While in other towns, people shift or settle elsewhere, people continued (to live) in Vadnagar for so many years,” said Y S Rawat, Officer on Special Duty (Archaeology and Museums).

Formerly heading Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and member of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation committees, Rawat is one of the officials who had worked the longest on Vadnagar.

Vadnagar is surrounded by the remains of a fortification wall, a series of gates that mark the entry and exit points of the town. The primary entry and exit points to the town are marked by gateways – elaborate single-storey stone structures with arched entrances through which the roads pass.

While during excavation, the state archaeological department has recovered over 20,000 objects, the ASI has found another 40,000 to 45,000 objects, including shells, bangles, pottery and terracotta artefacts, officials said.

“Around 15-20 per cent of these items will be on display while remaining will be used for research. Several universities, including Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, are doing research on Vadnagar’s old water management system, ceramics, metals and glass beads recovered during excavation… Banaras Hindu University is studying why this emerged as a trade corridor,” Sharma said.

Several archaeological sites were reported in Vadnagar and a few were excavated. Between 1953 and 1954, Vadnagar was excavated for the first time. After 40 years, excavation was again taken up by the state Directorate of Archaeology and Museum between 2006 and 2012. The objective was to find a Buddhist settlement in Vadnagar.

It was only in 2014 that the ASI took up excavation in Vadnagar. From 2016-17 to 2022, it carried out excavation work at Ghaskol, Darbarghad and Badi Garbano Sheri areas to find help set up an experiential museum at Vadnagar.