New Delhi: The Indus Valley Civilisation was one of the most important civilisations to flourish in the ancient world. Dholavira, an archaeological site in Gujarat’s Kutch District contains ruins of a city of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. The place has been repeatedly affected by earthquakes, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BCE.
The ancient city of Dholavira is the southern centre of the Harappan Civilization. Notably, in Southeast Asia, it was one of the best-preserved urban settlements from the period. In this article, we will learn more about Dholavira.
Dholavira: The ancient site of the Indus Valley Civilisation
Dholavira is a Harappan city and one of the few well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE. It is the sixth largest Harappan site discovered to date and people lived there for more than 1,500 years.
Dholavira witnessed the rise and fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation and shows the many achievements of the bygone civilisation when it comes to urban planning, water management, construction techniques, social governance, manufacturing and trading. With extremely rich artefacts, Dholavira depicts a vivid picture of a regional centre with its distinct characteristics, that also contribute significantly to the existing knowledge of Harappan Civilization as a whole.
Dholavira was a fortified city which comprised a heavily fortified castle and ceremonial ground and also houses and streets of different quality. The place had an advanced water management system amid the harsh environment. Bead processing workshops and several artefacts like copper, shell, stone, jewellery of semi-precious stones, terracotta, gold, ivory and other materials have been found there, showing the artistic and technological achievements of the place. It had trade relations with other Harappan cities and with the Mesopotamian cities and the Oman peninsula.
When was the place discovered?
In the early 1960s, a resident of Dholavira village named Shambhudan Gadhvi discovered the site and made efforts to bring it to the attention of the government. It was officially discovered in 1967-68 by J. P. Joshi, of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Since 1990, the site has been under excavation as the ASI opined that Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to our understanding of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Dholavira, an archaeological site in Gujarat’s Kutch District contains ruins of a city of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. The place has been repeatedly affected by earthquakes, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BCE. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
