How 3,000-yr-old Vadnagar could debunk India’s ‘dark age’ theory

Famous for being Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthplace, this town in Gujarat's Mehsana district now stands poised for national recognition because of the historical enigmas it could resolve. The question looming over them—where did the first settlers of Vadnagar come from? Vadnagar: A few kilometres from the fortified city of Vadnagar, batches of ancient pottery shards dry in the sun after being washed. A team of researchers from Deccan College and archaeologists hunch over their laptops, studying photos of artefacts unearthed from 'Site 31' of the Vadnagar Project. The story traces back to 1952, when eminent archaeologist SR Rao, who…