ASI Discovers 2000-Year-Old Mauryan Platform In Meerut; Could Lead To 'Lost' Ashoka Pillar Site

The recently created Meerut circle of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered remains identified as a Mauryan-period brick platform dating back to over 2000 years ago. What is more interesting is that the remains were lying unnoticed in the midst of the bustling city of Meerut.

Moreover, this structure reportedly also holds the key to the ‘lost’ site of Ashoka Pillar from 3^rd century BCE.

“A large part of the structure is in the form of a 30m by 35m platform at Vikas Puri. The ancient site is undoubtedly one from the Mauryan period because the bricks are typical of the era,” Brajsundar Gadnayak, superintending archeologist of the Meerut circle of ASI, was quoted by the Times of India.

Gadnayak added that they have also found the ceramics and pottery belonging to those times.

Furthermore, an ancient canal route that connects to the Kali river has also been found out.

These developments have reinvigorated hopes of historians could trace the pillar that was installed by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka at Meerut in the 3^rd century BCE.

“The Gazetteer (of 1904) mentions the reinstallation of Meerut’s pillar at the Delhi Ridge but we have not been able to find the original site here,” historian Dr KK Sharma was further quoted in the report.