Bhubaneswar, May 25 -- A major archaeological excavation at Purunagarh revealed an uninterrupted record of human habitation spanning from prehistoric times to the early medieval period. It is located in Sambalpur's Rairakhol subdivision on the banks of the Kerandi river, a tributary of the Mahanadi.

Undertaken by the School of History at Gangadhar Meher University (GMU), the project uncovered evidence of a thriving early civilisation and an ancient urban centre closely tied to traditional metallurgical practices, as reported by The New Indian Express.

The primary objective of the excavation, which commenced on May 10 under excavation director and GMU History department head Atul Kumar Pradhan, is to establish the cultural sequence of th...