Excavations at Vadnagar in Mehsana district have revealed a climatic record spanning 2,800 years. Based on this, a study linked the invasions to periods when India experienced robust agriculture due to a stronger monsoon, while Central Asia faced severe droughts.
Ahmedabad: The past two millennia recorded seven invasions from
Central Asia
into India, a phenomenon attributed in part to climatic conditions. Central Asia was reeling from a long, dry spell, while India was a fertile land with a flourishing economy sustained by a good and regular monsoon.
A study by researchers from IIT Kharagpur,
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI),
Physical Research Laboratory
(PRL),
Jawaharlal Nehru University
, and
Deccan College
, among others, delved into the influence of climate on these invasions.
Published in the Quaternary Science Reviews journal, the study uncovered insights from archaeological excavations at Vadnagar in Mehsana district, the hometown of PM
Narendra Modi
. By examining small molluscs and shells, the team identified an unbroken climatic record spanning 2,800 years.
This historical town within fortifications has been extensively excavated and predates the advent of Jainism and Buddhism in India, with evidence of human activity dating back to the 8th century BCE or around 2,800 years ago. This era is considered crucial, potentially linking post-Harappan settlements to Mahajanpads like Gandhar, Kosala, and Avanti.
Lead author Prof
Anindya Sarkar
said the influence of these climatic conditions on Vadnagar's cultural deposits, including artefacts reflecting
Greco-Bactrian
to Saka and Indo-Sassanian influences. The study linked these invasions to periods when the Indian subcontinent experienced robust agriculture due to a stronger monsoon, while Central Asia faced severe droughts, making it uninhabitable.
Examining oxygen isotopes in freshwater mollusc shells from Vadnagar, the team correlated their growth patterns to the adjacent
Sharmishtha
lake. This research highlighted that big invasions coincided with prosperous monsoons in India, contrasting with droughts in Central Asia. "The inference is strengthened by the fact that no major invasion happened when India was facing famine and droughts," Sarkar said.
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