🇮🇳 India · Hydraulic works
Kallanai Grand Anicut
Sangam Period, Early Historic to Colonial · Tamil Chola (Sangam)
2nd century Chola granite anicut (329 m, 150 CE) on Kaveri River, oldest functional dam in world irrigating one million acres.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Besnagar
Mauryan–Sunga–Satavahana–Gupta 600 BCE–500 CE · Magadhan → Sunga → Satavahana → Gupta
Ancient Vesanagara city mound at Betwa-Bes confluence — Sunga–Satavahana twin capital of Vidisha (600 BCE–500 CE).
🇮🇳 India · Hydraulic works
Dholavira Reservoirs — Harappan Urban Hydraulics
Harappan (Early to Late Harappan 3000–1800 BCE) · Harappan (Indus Valley Civilization Kotada Timba)
Harappan desert city 16 rock-cut reservoirs and dam-fed canals 3000–1800 BCE on Kutch island.
🇮🇳 India · Hydraulic works
Dholavira Rock-Cut Reservoirs – Rann of Kutch
Early to Mature Harappan to Late Harappan · Harappan (Sindhu–Sarasvati)
16 Harappan rock-cut reservoirs (2600–1900 BCE) — 250,000 m³ desert catchment, Dholavira.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Gilund
Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic 3000–1700 BCE (Early/Mature/Late) · Ahar-Banas (Mewar Chalcolithic) → contact Harappan
Largest Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic settlement (c.3000–1700 BCE) on the Banas River floodplain in Rajsamand, Mewar — twin mounds (Modiya Magari, 14 ha and western mound 4 ha) excavated 1999–2005 by V.S.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Tripuri
Chalcolithic → NBPW 600 BCE → Gupta 350–550 CE → Kalachuri 850–1300 CE · Kalachuri-Chedi
Narmada capital Tripuri at Tewar — 16 m Chalcolithic to Kalachuri–Chedi temple city (Haihayas, 1042 inscr.).
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Adam
Vidarbha Iron Age 800–300 BCE → Maurya 300–187 → Satavahana 187 BCE–220 CE → Vakataka 250–300 CE · Vidarbha megalithic–Iron (Black-and-red) → Satavahana
Vidarbha Iron Age iron-smelting town (800 BCE–300 CE) near Nagpur — earliest tuyere smelting and Indo-Roman rouletted ware with 22 coin hoards.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Bhirrana
Hakra Wares (7500–6000 BCE) → Early Harappan (3300–2600) → Mature Harappan (2600–1900) · Hakra / Early Harappan / Indus Valley
Earliest known Harappan settlement (c.7500–2600 BCE) on the Ghaggar-Hakra (Sarasvati) paleochannel in Fatehabad, Haryana — 3.5 ha mound with 8 m cultural deposit spanning Hakra Wares (Period IA)…
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Eran
Chalcolithic 1200–600 BCE → Sunga 200 BCE → Gupta 4–6 c. CE · Chalcolithic → Sunga → Gupta (Vakataka-Hunas)
Gupta temple city Airikina on Bina river (600 BCE–600 CE) — home to 2.66 m Varaha boar (510 CE) and earliest Sati inscription.
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Vidisha (Besnagar) and Heliodorus Pillar
Maurya 3 c. BCE → Sunga 187–78 BCE → Gupta 4–6 c. CE · Maurya → Sunga → Indo-Greek → Gupta (Malwa)
Ancient Vidisha (Besnagar) capital with Heliodorus Garuda column (113 BCE) — first Indo-Greek Krishna inscription 6.5 m monolith.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient village
Nevasa
Lower Paleolithic 400 Ka → Chalcolithic Jorwe 1400–1000 BCE → Megalithic → Satavahana → Medieval · Soan Acheulian → Jorwe Chalcolithic (Deccan) → Satavahana
Deccan textbook sequence on Pravara (400 Ka handaxes → 1400 BCE Jorwe village) — 130-house Chalcolithic with urn child burials.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Pauni
Vidarbha Megalithic 1100–300 BCE → Maurya 300–187 → Sunga–Satavahana 187 BCE–250 CE → Vakataka 250–500 CE · Vidarbha Megalithic → Mauryan → Satavahana → Vakataka (Vidarbha Early Historic)
Vidarbha fortress-city Padmavati on Wainganga (1100 BCE–300 CE) — 4 km rampart with two Satavahana stupas (38 m) and megalithic-to-Mauryan continuity.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Ter
Maurya 300–187 BCE → Satavahana 187 BCE–230 CE → Vakataka 250–400 CE · Satavahana (Periplus Tagara)
Periplus Tagara emporium (300 BCE–400 CE) on Terna — 50+ Roman amphorae and Ter ivory lady with Roman hair, 40 ha rampart.
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Deorkothar Katra Stupa Complex
Mauryan Ashoka 3rd c BCE → Sunga 1st c BCE–2nd c CE · Mauryan–Sunga Buddhist (Ashokan–Sunga complex)
Deorkothar Katra Stupa Complex — Ashokan–Sunga Buddhist establishment (3rd c BCE possible Ashoka, 1st c BCE inscribed pillar) with 4 stupas, 30.5-m brick stupa-1 with stone vedika rail similar to…
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Ahicchatra
Mahajanapada 600 BCE → Gupta 4th–6th c CE · Northern Panchala Mahajanapada → Mauryan → Gupta
Ahicchatra — capital of Northern Panchala Mahajanapada (c.600 BCE–1100 CE) near Ramnagar, Bareilly district, excavated 1940s–60s by ASI (V.K. Sinha).
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Kaundinyapura
Maurya 300 BCE → Sunga 187 BCE → Satavahana 50 BCE–230 CE → Vakataka 250–400 CE · Vidarbha Early Historic (Satavahana–Vakataka) with Mahabharata memory
Mahabharata Kundina trading city on Wardha (300 BCE–400 CE) — 1.5 km wall with Satavahana–Roman trade and carbonized rice.
🇮🇳 India · Rock-cut
Junnar
Maurya → Satavahana 230 BCE–220 CE → Vakataka 250–400 CE · Satavahana Early Buddhist (Hinayana) → Brahmanical
200+ Satavahana rock-cut caves on Nanaghat pass (300 BCE–400 CE) — Naganika Brahmi inscription of Vedic rites.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Hastinapura
PGW 1100–600 BCE (Kuru) → NBPW 600–300 BCE → Historic · Kuru Mahajanapada (PGW culture) → NBPW Early Historic
Hastinapura — capital of Kuru Mahajanapada (c.1100–600 BCE, PGW 1100–600 BCE, NBPW 600–300 BCE) at Hastinapur, Meerut district, excavated 1950–52 by B.B. Lal (ASI).
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Pauni Wainganga Fortified Settlement
Mauryan 3rd c BCE → Satavahana 1st c BCE–2nd c CE · Mauryan→ Satavahana Deccan — Wainganga basin
Pauni Wainganga Fortified Settlement — Mauryan–Satavahana fortified city (3rd c BCE–2nd c CE) on Wainganga River at Pauni, excavated 1969–70 by S.B. Deo and later Bhilai–Nagpur University.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Jhusi (Pratishthana)
Neolithic I (7000–4000) → Chalcolithic II (2500–1200) → NBPW III (600 BCE–300 CE) → Gupta IV · Vindhyan–Gangetic Neolithic → Gangetic Chalcolithic → Kuru-Panchala NBPW
Massive Neolithic–Early Historic mound (c.7000 BCE–1200 CE) on the Ganga's east bank opposite Prayagraj Sangam — 4 ha mound with 16 m cultural deposit excavated 1995–2003 by Allahabad University (G.R.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Kaundinyapura Wardha Settlement
Early Historic 3rd c BCE–4th c CE Early Historic Deccan · Vidarbha Early Historic — Satavahana trading city (Kundina literary)
Kaundinyapura Wardha Settlement — Early Historic trading city (3rd c BCE–4th c CE) on Wardha River at Kaundinyapura, identified with Mahabharata Kundina (Vidarbha capital of Bhishmaka, Rukmini…
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Maheshwar Narmada Ghat Settlement
Chalcolithic 1600 BCE → Early Historic 6th c BCE → Paramara 10th c → Holkar 1760s · Malwa → Mahishmati Mahabharata → Paramara–Holkar
Maheshwar Narmada Ghat Settlement — ancient Mahishmati (Mahabharata, Kalidasa) on Narmada ghat 2 km north of Navdatoli, excavated with Navdatoli 1952–57 showing Early Historic Mart 6th c BCE → Gupta…
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Paithan (Ancient Pratishthana)
Satavahana 2nd c BCE–2nd c CE → Vakataka → Yadava · Satavahana Deccan urban (Godavari)
Paithan (ancient Pratishthana) — Satavahana capital (2nd c BCE–2nd c CE) on Godavari 56 km south Aurangabad, excavated 1970s by Allchin and 1990s Sontheimer.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Kausambi (Ancient Kosambi)
Mahajanapada 600 BCE → Mauryan → Gupta 4th c CE · Vatsa Janapada → Mauryan → Sunga–Gupta (Middle Ganga)
Kausambi (Kosambi) — capital of Vatsa Mahajanapada (c.600 BCE–300 CE) on Yamuna 56 km SW Prayagraj, excavated 1949–56 by G.R. Sharma (Allahabad University).