Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raman Suri has termed the ongoing archaeological excavation at Jehanpora in Baramulla a landmark effort that could significantly deepen understanding of Kashmir’s ancient heritage and its historical links with the wider Indian subcontinent and Central Asia.
He welcomed the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir Archives, Archaeology and Museums Department, in collaboration with the University of Kashmir’s Centre for Central Asian Studies, and said such scientific excavations should be encouraged at other historically significant sites across Jammu Kashmir. Suri also called for proper documentation, conservation and public presentation of whatever is recovered from Jehanpora so that the findings are preserved for future generations and eventually become part of the region’s cultural and tourism narrative.
We must allow archaeology to speak through evidence. The buried remains of Jehanpora could give us chapters of Kashmir’s history that have been missing for nearly two millennia. Every artefact recovered, every structure identified and every scientific date established will add another piece to that historical puzzle,” Suri added.
Suri said the excavation assumes exceptional importance as the site is believed to contain the remains of a nearly 2,000-year-old settlement. The second phase of excavation, being undertaken over an area of around 10 acres, is expected to continue for nearly 100 days and could bring to light structures, artefacts and other material evidence that may help historians reconstruct an important but relatively unexplored chapter of Kashmir’s past.
He said the preliminary findings have already generated considerable interest. Archaeologists have reportedly discovered ancient structural remains, pottery fragments, copper objects and other archaeological material. These discoveries indicate that the mounds at Jehanpora are not merely natural formations but could be remnants of a much larger ancient Buddhist complex.
“Every layer of soil at Jehanpora has the potential to tell a story that has remained buried for centuries. The excavation is not merely about discovering old structures; it is about recovering evidence from which the history, culture, economy, education and external contacts of ancient Kashmir can be reconstructed,” Suri said.
He pointed out that scientific investigation, including carbon dating and other modern archaeological techniques, can help establish the age of the remains with greater precision. The material recovered from the site can potentially reveal the period in which the settlement flourished, the nature of Buddhist institutions that existed there, architectural traditions, pottery and technological practices, and the cultural and commercial connections of Kashmir with other regions.
Suri said particularly significant is the possibility that the Jehanpora settlement may throw light on Kashmir’s role in the ancient Buddhist network connecting the region with Gandhara, Central Asia and other parts of the subcontinent. He said the excavation should therefore be viewed as an exercise in evidence-based history writing, rather than simply an archaeological project.