Researchers have found pieces of pottery and building material under a Mazar on the edge of New Town and East Kolkata Westland. The artefacts found are possibly 2,000 years old, said experts. The archaeological mound that has Mazar atop is only 20 KM away from the city in Kochpukur mouza of Bamanghata gram panchayat in Bhangar II Block of South 24 Parganas and spread over 1-acre land.
Times of India report suggested that the researchers believe it is the first substantial archaeological site in the oldest deltaic plain. They think that the site could provide a crucial link between North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas archaeological sites, including Clive House in Dum Dum, Chandraketugarh in the moribund delta and others within the mangrove marsh.
The discovery of the location took place after a teacher named Moumita Saha read about Kochpukur in the book ‘Lavan Hrader Upakatha’ by Bhupesh Kumar Pramanick. Saha visited the place in mid-2020 and talked in detail to local fishermen and farmers to learn about the local history. Saha, who is a researcher at Deshkal, a group of researchers, visited the place along with Punarbasu Chaudhuri, who is an assistant professor at Calcutta University’s environmental science department, at the end of 2021. They came to look for rare trees and medicinal plants when they found the artefacts.
Chaudhuri said, “During a field visit, we came across the mound and a Mazar atop it known as ‘Baba Madar Shaheber Kabarsthan’. We were asked to take our shoes off to visit the shrine, and I felt something prick my feet. When I stopped to see what these broken materials were, we got hold of the artefacts. They were scattered all over the place and had grooves and paddle marks. The striations caught my eye, and I collected them for an expert opinion.” The mound has indications that a village or a village market existed at the place.
