� Its area corresponds to districts of Etah, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad that make up South Pancala of Drupad. Kaimganj tehsil, district Farrukhabad,is the area of Kampil-Rudain, where Kampilya flourished. Drupad Kila is a mound near town of Kampil in district Farrukhabad UP excavated in collaboration with the Pancala Research Institute, Kanpur. Vast site of ruins about 5 km west from Kampil village that is 45 km north-west of Fatehgarh. Big fortified town, walls measuring 780 mm x660 mm excavated 1997, 1998. Unbaked bricks typical of first post-Harappan fortifications. Baked brick walls for defence start from Maurya age. Avg. width about 350 cm with maximum about 500 cm built with baked bricks on lower mud structure. Town with surface of 50 ha dated to end of 1st millennium BC. About 10 times bigger than most important towns. Ahicchatra is 180 ha, Sravasti 160 ha, Kausambi 160 ha, Mathura 295 ha. Drupad Kila as important as Atranjikhera but not mentioned in ancient literature. Regular shape, suggesting precise planning in accordance with canonical directions: rectangle with major axis east to west and the northern side next to right bank of river. Only Sisupalgarh, Bhubanesvar district (Kalinganagar or Tosali) of similar period has regular planimetry but different orientation. Drupad Kila is dated between 6th century BC and 1st century AD. Dimensions and orientation of Drupad Kila coincide exactly with Dholavira, a mature Harappan town, (the maps overlap) demonstrating a continuity of urban models from Harappans till Kushana times following shift of habitation from Sarasvati towards Doab. Another evidence against old Aryan invasion theory. Rectangular pool with steps called Draupadi Kund on eastern side of mound that has ancient course of Ganges with ghats nearby. From this she emerged on a lotus with a lingam in hand. Pottery a hereditary occupation here. In village Manikpur Ruplal Kumar is a well off landowner who does not make pottery anymore. Descendant of Kaddhi Kumar who gave hospitality to Pandavas. Svayamvara competiton was held on shores of a little pond called Vedutala half km north of Donpura village, surrounded by a grove linked to course of Ganges flowing 6 km north east. Donpura from rishi Dhaumya, guru of Pandavas, who had his ashrama here. These villagers call themselves Kshatriyas, add to their name Shakya with suffix Singh. Perhaps of tribal origin as surrounding villages term them Sudra or Vaishya^�confusion regarding their caste origin. Between Manikpur and Jhinjauta a little pond called Dharmatal, Dharmashala or Dharmahuta surrounded by row of bricks and an islet with ashes and burnt seeds of ancient sacrifices. This is where Drupad performed yajna. Jhinjauta claimed to be corrupt form of yajnahotra. Figure of Yudhishthira as Dharmaraja also linked here, identifying it with Dharmakupa where he and Dharma talked.400 metres away east-south-east a small mound like pre-buddhist stupa supposed to be samadhi of one of 5 survivors of Bharata war, waiting for end of kali yuga. In Rudain pilgrimage and mela is held on amavasya consecrated to funeral rites of pindadana on shores of pond celebrated as superior in benefits to Gaya because Pandvas did this here on amavasya falling on Monday that happened once a year in Dvapara in sacred pond called Sardhipaktal. Original name of Rudain was Rudraprayag, where blood of the fish shot by Arjuna squirted up right from Vedutala.
Area has multi-ethnic well integrated communities organised in confederations of villages and tribes with an administration based on assembly system. Prosperous situation of south Panchala favoured appearance of seers and leaders in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist literatures. Even today the integration of multi ethnic communities is evident with integration of tribes in villages and acceptance of democratic rules. A model of human sciences for peaceful coexistence, preservation of tradition, open attitude to external cultural data, denoting great human potentiality.
Late PGW period corresponding to period of Janapada in middle of Iron Age. Also red ware, fine grey ware. Some NBP ware. No separate deposite of BRW below PGW layer, so not 1st period of Iron Age, nor late Iron Age. Terracotta figurines found belong between 2nd c.BC and 1st c. AD. Human presence not before 7th c. BC. Tradition dates is much further back. Kampilya birthplace of 13th tirthankara vimalanatha. Grand route from Taxila to Vaishali split at Panipat into 2 branches: southern one went thru Kampilya, complementing waterway (Ganges). Panchala kingdom was 10th of the 16 janapadas in times of Buddha and Mahavira, and Sankisha, a town on the west edge of the district, became a holy Buddhist place. Coins found from 2nd c. BC to 3rd c. AD show Mitra was suffixed to names of Panchala kings who were defeated by Kushanas during Kanishka^�s reign and became vassals. Kanauj became an important town in time of Hiuen Tsang 643 AD with hundreds of Buddhist monasteries, 200 Hindu temples. It developed more under king Bhoja, Pratihara kingdom, 836-85. Became in 1268 Rajput stronghold against Balban. �
ERRORS
P. 66: Pancala is not mentioned in Rig Veda. Their archaic name could be Krivi, a Rig Vedic tribe linked to Kuru, probably from Sindhu and Chenab rivers moving east, crossing Yamuna to Panchala located in Brahmarshidesha of Aryavarta, i.e. Bareilly, Badaun, Farrukhabad etc.
In Harivamsa I.31. Mudgala is one of Vahyashva's five sons after whom the territory was named Panchala. One of the descendants is Divodasa of Kashi, whose twin sister is Ahalya. �
P.72: From Draupadi Kund Draupadi emerged as a young girl seated on a lotus with a miraculous lingam in her hand.
Draupadi emerges from the yajna-vedi, sacrificial altar, without any lotus or lingam in hand.
P.76: In Donpura lives Rampal who is possessed by the goddess Kali or the god Pottu, i.e. Mahishasura's divinities who possess this oracle are particularly important for Mahabharata myth. A hypostasis of Shiva is the celestial husband of the goddess Kali who descends on earth in form of Draupadi and Mahishasura.
There is no such myth linking Draupadi as an avatara of Kali nor of Mahishasura in the epic. Kali does not get any mention in Vyasa.
P. 77: The pond of Dharmatal lying between Manikpur and Jhinjauta is also connected (to) the figure of Yudhishthira as Dharmaraja, the motive of the cult of corpses because Dharmaraja is another name of god Yama's proximity of the abode of Dhaumya to the lake allows an identification of Dharmatal with the mythical Dharmakupa on on whose shores a talk between Yudhishthira and Dhaumya would have been set.
This is an obvious mistake confusing the episode in the Vana Parva, where Yudhishthira answers the questions put by Dharma-as-stork with his four brothers lying dead, with Dhaumya.