Painted Grey Ware (PGW) Culture
A Link between the Later Vedic Age and Proto-Urban Settlements
Introduction to PGW Culture
| Feature | Details |
| Time Period | 1200 BCE – 600 BCE (Later Vedic Age) |
| Type | Archaeological culture; post-Harappan, pre-urban |
| Pottery Character | Thin grey pottery with black geometric designs |
| Society | Rural-based, agrarian-pastoral society |
| Significance | Linked to Mahabharata sites, transitional to early cities |
🧠 PGW culture helps us understand the transition from Vedic rural settlements to proto-urban towns like Hastinapur and Kaushambi.
Geographical Spread
| Region Covered | Key Concentration Areas |
| From Bahawalpur (Pakistan) to Kaushambi (U.P.) | Indo-Gangetic Divide, Sutlej Basin, Upper Ganga Plains |
| Also found in | Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, parts of Bihar and MP |
✅ Spread closely aligns with the Rig Vedic geography – Saraswati, Ghaggar, and Yamuna regions.
Major Sites of PGW Culture
| State | Sites |
| Uttar Pradesh | Hastinapur, Ahichhatra, Kaushambi, Mathura, Shravasti |
| Haryana | Bhagwanpura |
| Punjab | Ropar, recently excavated sites |
| Rajasthan | Noh |
| Bihar | Vaishali |
| Jammu | Manda |
| Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain |
🧾 Sites like Hastinapur, Kurukshetra, and Ahichhatra are also referenced in the Mahabharata.
PGW and Iron Use
| Phase | Iron Usage | Region |
| Early PGW | No association with iron | Ghaggar-Hakra basin, NW India |
| Later PGW | Use of iron tools and weapons | Ganga-Yamuna Doab |
🔍 Iron objects included arrowheads, blades, lances, domestic tools—early signs of metal weaponry and agriculture.
Lifestyle and Occupations
| Aspect | Description |
| Economy | Primarily agriculture + cattle rearing |
| Crops | Wheat, barley, and rice (in later phase) |
| Animals | Cows and horses were domesticated |
| Housing | Mud brick and wattle-daub houses; some baked bricks at Bhagwanpura |
| Diet | Grains + meat; evidence of cattle and horse bones |
| Trade | No coins; barter system; semi-precious stones indicate long-distance trade |
| Tools | Made of copper, bone, iron, and glass |
🏠 Bhagwanpura yielded a 13-roomed mud house — possibly for a chief or extended family.
🏙️ Hastinapur and Kaushambi represent proto-urbanism — beginning of town-like structures.
PGW Pottery – Features
| Feature | Description |
| Material | Well-levigated clay; made on potter’s wheel |
| Appearance | Ash-grey to uniform grey surface |
| Decoration | Black painted geometric patterns, including swastikas |
| Type | Mostly tableware – bowls and dishes |
| Significance | Symbol of status, not used for storage or cooking |
Recent Excavations
| Site | Findings |
| Bhagwanpura | Dated ~1600–1000 BCE → pre-iron PGW |
| No iron or cereals, but cattle and horse bones + Late Harappan pottery | |
| Punjab sites | Similar stratigraphy as Rigvedic geography |
🧭 Strong archaeological correlation between Late Harappan + early PGW phases suggests cultural continuity, not abrupt change.
📚 Key UPSC Points to Remember
| Topic | PGW Culture Insight |
| Mahabharata Connection | Sites like Hastinapur, Kurukshetra are both PGW and epic-linked |
| Iron Use | Gradual – begins after 1000 BCE in Doab region |
| Urbanization | PGW marks shift from village to proto-urban centres |
| Cultural Identity | Not definitively Aryan or non-Aryan; avoid over-ethnicising it |
| Continuity | Late Harappan → PGW → NBPW (Northern Black Polished Ware) |
🧩 Conclusion
Painted Grey Ware culture serves as a bridge between Vedic tradition and early urban society. Its material culture supports the literary traditions of later Vedic texts, and its settlements lay the groundwork for early cities of the Mahajanapada era.