GPR Survey for Archaeological Structures in Banka and Patna Districts

• 15 Apr 2022

Why in News?

• Recently, Deepak Anand, Director of Archaeological Directorate said that in the GPR survey being conducted by the Government of Bihar, the GPR survey in Bhadariya village of Amarpur block of Banka is almost complete, while the survey will start soon in Patna district.

Key Points

• Director Anand pointed out that ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire. Pataliputra was the land of knowledge, which has been related to astronomers and scholars like Aryabhata, Vatsyayana and Chanakya.
• Regarding the Mandar mountain in Banka, he said that there are many references in Hindu mythology, such as this hill was used in the churning of the ocean.
• It is worth mentioning that the archaeological importance of Bhadariya village of Banka came to the fore recently when villagers found some ancient bricks and structures made of bricks. According to preliminary studies, the remains found here are 2600 years old.
• Recently, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also visited the discovered archaeological site on the banks of river Chanan and announced to develop the place located in Bhadariya village as a tourist destination.
• GPR is a geophysical method that uses a radar pulse to image the upper surface. This non-destructive method uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band (UHF/VHF frequencies) of the radio spectrum and detects reflected signals from subsurface structures.
• This technique helps in the identification of archaeological sites and their structure, thereby assisting in the interpretation of ancient settlements and man-made structures before possible excavations.