In a significant discovery, archaeologists have stumbled upon an ancient rain water harvesting site having 13 rock-cut reservoirs, in central Maharashtra, which they say is the largest one in the country.
The site is unique as the harvesting area, a hill in this case, has been carved in circular and pyramidal shape, with steep natural ridges retouched to maintain security and isolation.
Located at Lohgarh-Nandra village, in Phulambri tehsil of this district, the site is 38 km north-west of the city, on the old trade route between Aurangabad and Ajanta caves, which are famous all over the world for paintings and architecture.
It was discovered in one of the four hillocks on the Lohgarh hills, which have rich archaeological evidence, in the form of rock-cut structures.
The dome-shaped top portion of the hill has been levelled to acquire the desired slope, followed by a flat even surface, so that rain water spills in this direction to enter the rock-cut reservoirs, Rahul Bhosle, assistant director, department of archaeology, Aurangabad division, said.
These reservoirs, of unequal size and shape, and sub-divided into many more, have been excavated over the hill in a circular fashion, Bhosle said.
The reservoirs were the first to be built along with the caves on the other hills and are tentatively bracketed to the period around 7th century AD, Bhosle said.
