DHOLAVIRA:

WORLDS FIRST SIGNBOARD

THE ANCIENT CITY OF DHOLAVIRA : At the height of our civilization, our technological development, our social and material complexity, all signs point to progress, we often think. And yet, all is not as it seems and once in a while it occurs to us to look into the past to discover our future.

Dholavira is among the two most notable excavations of the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization, which existed about 4500 years ago. Another site Lothal is easier to reach, but has shown signs of a pale education. Dholavira gives you that opportunity to observe how while being surrounded by the great desert of Kutch in a severe environment, the Harappan civilization displays a unique understanding of the mind. Here we can find the earliest and the best in the world Planned water conservation system.

Dholavira, locally known as Kotda (meaning a large fort), is one of the islands in the great desert of Kutch. Located in the north-western corner of the Khadir Island, the city is spread over 100 hectares of semi-arid land. During the month when the rest of the desert is submerged by the monsoon, two water channels culvert near Dholavira: Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The journey to Dholavira is beautiful, taking you to the great desert salty plains, where you can find wildlife like chinkara gazelle, nilgai (blue bull, Asia’s largest antelope), flamingo and other bird life. The site was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the 19th century, but has only been systematically excavated since 1990. The artifacts excavated include carvings, beads, gold and copper ornaments, seals, fish hooks, animal carcasses, equipment, furnaces and some import ships that indicate trade links with land far from Mesopotamia. Ten large stone inscriptions carved in the Indus Valley script have also been found, along with the world’s first signboard. These are the most important discoveries about the culture of the Indus Valley, but they are vague. Remains show an impressive castle, sun-dried bricks and stone masonry with beautiful decorative structures, and with remarkable town planning, along the center and the lower town. With a well-built underground drainage system for cleaning, streamlined roads from the city lead straight out. There is a huge stadium with a complex structure and seating arrangements.

Dholavira has one of the oldest excavated water conservation systems in the world. Satellite images show an underground reservoir and a skillfully constructed rainwater harvesting system extending from the walls, without which mankind would not have flourished in the sparse desert rains. Dholavira is one of the two largest Harappan destinations in India, and the fifth largest in the subcontinent. Like Lothal, it passed from all the stages of Harappan culture about 2900 BC to 1500 BC, while some others only saw the early or late phases. The excavations showed a decline of culture in the seventh phase, after which there were signs of a temporary desert at the site. The settlers finally returned to the Harappan phase, brought about changes in their pottery, influenced by cultures found in Sindh, South Rajasthan and other parts in Gujarat, but they did not return to enrich the area. Their homes, for example, were built in completely new forms that were circular (bhungas), and the physical icons were surprisingly simplified. Perhaps the final stage of a powerful culture was awakening to its future, and slowly preparing itself for the end.

The excavation, also telling the story of the stages of culture, notes evidences from development to maturity. The findings hint at a strange part of history with more questions arising than answers. It seems that in Dholavira, after a peak of development, culture was abandoned.

It has been found that after this, the settlers returned with a significant de-urbanized culture. There are indications that they chose to voluntarily simplify their lives rather than ride the fall of their once glorious culture. Here, on the ruins, you will have the opportunity to witness progress and culture, and to ask the question if anything is really permanent.

DHOLAVIRA IS ONE OF THE TWO LARGEST HARAPPAN SITES IN INDIA, AND 5TH LARGEST IN THE SUBCONTINENT.