ITANAGAR, May 13 (PTI): The remains of a settlement which dates back to the 13th century have been discovered inside a jungle of Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said here on Thursday.
The settlement covering more than 20 acres has been discovered in the jungles of Ramghat under Tarasso circle during an excavation by the archaeology section of the state directorate of research.
A 226-metre-long rampart made of stone blocks, burnt bricks and stone boulders along with a gate was found there.
Symbols resembling bow and arrow and trident were inscribed on the stone blocks, archaeologist Pura Koji and assistant Tadu Ringku of the department said.
A broken Shivalinga, sealing ball and potsherds were also found at the settlement where stone pillars were in use.
Stone blocks of different shapes and sizes and 31 burnt bricks have been used to build the fortification, Koji said.
Archaeological exploration in and around nearby Vyas Kund under Tarasso circle was also conducted and remains of a stone staircase were discovered.
Koji said that further intensive fieldwork and investigations are needed in the jungles of the Ramghat and Vyas Kund areas to unearth more ancient remains.
The research team also conducted archaeological exploration and excavation at Balijan circle in the same district and unearthed remains of some structures which also seem to be part of an ancient settlement, he said.
A path made of bricks and a flake tool which could belong to the Palaeolithic era (Old Stone Age) were found there.
The land of Papum Pare is mostly mountainous with Himalayan ranges. It has lush green forests, deep river valleys and beautiful plateaus. Nyishi community people, believed to belong to Tibetan-Mongoloid stocks, are the inhabitants of the district.
