Hastinapura excavations and the Painted Grey Ware horizon

Record summary

B. B. Lal's excavations at Hastinapura documented Painted Grey Ware levels, later occupation and evidence of flooding or alluvial disturbance. Because Hastinapura is a major place in the Mahabharata tradition, the site became central to attempts to compare epic geography with archaeological chronology. The excavations do not demonstrate that the epic narrative records the excavated settlement, but they provide a concrete sequence for discussing settlement expansion, iron use and riverine hazards in the upper Ganges region. Dating, stratigraphic interpretation and the historical value of epic traditions remain debated.