DHOLAVIRA
Part
of the excavated site
Dholavira
is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch
District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken
its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of
it. This village is 165 km (103 mi) from Radhanpur. Also known locally
as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley
Civilization/Harappan city. Dholavira’s location is on the
Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and
most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus
Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest
of cities of its time. It is located on Khadir bet island in the
Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The
47 ha (120 acres) quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams,
the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was thought
to be occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100
BCE, and that it was briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450
BCE, however recent research suggests the beginning of occupation
around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800
BCE (early part of Late Harappan period).
The
site was discovered in 1967-68 by J. P. Joshi, of the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI), and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan
sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI, which
opined that "Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality
of Indus Valley Civilisation." The other major Harappan sites
discovered so far are Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi,
Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.
Chronology
of Dholavira :
Layout
of Dholavira
Ravindra Singh Bisht, the director of the Dholavira excavations,
has defined the following seven stages of occupation at the site
:
Stages |
Particulars |
Stage
I |
2650
- 2550 BCE : Early Harappan - Mature Harappan Transition
A |
Stage
II |
2550
- 2500 BCE : Early Harappan - Mature Harappan Transition
B |
Stage
III |
2500
- 2200 BCE : Mature Harappan A |
Stage
IV |
2200
- 2000 BCE : Mature Harappan B |
Stage
V |
2000
- 1900 BCE : Mature Harappan C |
--- |
1900
- 1850 BCE : Period of desertion |
Stage
VI |
1850
- 1750 BCE : Posturban Harappan A |
--- |
1750
- 1650 BCE : Period of desertion |
Stage
VII |
1650
- 1450 BCE : Posturban Harappan B |
Recent
C14 datings and stylistic comparisons with Amri II-B period pottery
shows the first two phases should be termed Pre-Harappan Dholaviran
Culture and re-dated as follows: Stage I (c. 3500-3200 BCE), and
Stage II (c. 3200-2600 BCE).
Excavations
:
Excavation was initiated in 1989 by the ASI under the direction
of Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005.
The excavation brought to light the urban planning and architecture,
and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as, animal bones,
gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels.
Archaeologists believe [vague] that Dholavira was an important centre
of trade between settlements in south Gujarat, Sindh and Punjab
and Western Asia.
Architecture
and material culture :
Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of
Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread
over 22 ha (54 acres). The area measures 771.1 m (2,530 ft) in length,
and 616.85 m (2,023.8 ft) in width. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro,
the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting
of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the
lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been furnished
with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system,
wells, and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most thoroughly
fortified and complex area in the city, of which it appropriates
the major portion of the southwestern zone. The towering "castle"
stands is defended by double ramparts. Next to this stands a place
called the 'bailey' where important officials lived. The city within
the general fortifications accounts for 48 ha (120 acres). There
are extensive structure-bearing areas which are outside yet integral
to the fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, another settlement
has been found. The most striking feature of the city is that all
of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation,
are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including
Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of
brick. Dholavira is flanked by two storm water channels; the Mansar
in the north, and the Manhar in the south.
Reservoirs
:
One
of the water reservoirs, with steps, at Dholavira
Bisht, who retired as the Joint Director-General of the ASI, said,
"The kind of efficient system of Harappans of Dholavira, developed
for conservation, harvesting and storage of water speaks eloquently
about their advanced hydraulic engineering, given the state of technology
in the third millennium BCE." One of the unique features of
Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels
and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world, built
completely of stone. The city had massive reservoirs, three of which
are exposed. They were used for storing fresh water brought by rains
or to store water diverted from two nearby rivulets. This clearly
came in response to the desert climate and conditions of Kutch,
where several years may pass without rainfall. A seasonal stream
which runs in a north-south direction near the site was dammed at
several points to collect water. In 1998, another reservoir was
discovered in the site.
The
inhabitants of Dholavira created sixteen or more reservoirs of varying
size during Stage III. Some of these took advantage of the slope
of the ground within the large settlement, a drop of 13 metres (43
ft) from northeast to northwest. Other reservoirs were excavated,
some into living rock. Recent work has revealed two large reservoirs,
one to the east of the castle and one to its south, near the Annexe.
The
reservoirs are cut through stone vertically, and are about 7 m (23
ft) deep and 79 m (259 ft) long. They skirt the city, while the
citadel and bath are centrally located on raised ground. There is
also a large well with a stone-cut trough connecting it to a drain
meant for conducting water to a storage tank. The bathing tank had
steps descending inwards.
In
October 2014, excavation began on a rectangular stepwell which measured
73.4 m (241 ft) long, 29.3 m (96 ft) wide, and 10 m (33 ft) deep,
making it three times bigger than the Great Bath of Mohenjedaro.
Seal
making :
Some of the seals found at Dholavira, belonging to Stage III, contained
animal only figures, without any type of script. It is suggested
[by whom?] that these type of seals represent early conventions
of Indus seal making.
Other
structures and objects :
East
gate
A huge circular structure on the site is believed to be a grave
or memorial, although it contained no skeletons or other human remains.
The structure consists of ten radial mud-brick walls built in the
shape of a spoked wheel. A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with
phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found
in the passageway of the eastern gate. Many funerary structures
have been found (although all but one were devoid of skeletons),
as well as pottery pieces, terra cotta seals, bangles, rings, beads,
and intaglio engravings.
Hemispherical
constructions :
Seven hemispherical constructions were found at Dholavira, of which
two were excavated in detail, which were constructed over large
rock cut chambers. Having a circular plan, these were big hemispherical
elevated mud brick constructions. One of the excavated structures
was designed in the form of a spoked wheel. The other was also designed
in same fashion, but as a wheel without spokes.
Although
they contained burial goods of pottery, no skeletons were found
except for one grave, where a skeleton and a copper mirror were
found. A necklace of steatite beads strung to a copper wire with
hooks at both ends, a gold bangle, gold and other beads were also
found in one of the hemispherical structures.
These
hemispherical structures bear similarity to early Buddhist stups.
The Archaeological Survey of India, which conducted the excavation,
opines that "the kind of design that is of spoked wheel and
unspoked wheel also remind one of the Sararata-chakra-citi and sapradhi-rata-chakra-citi
mentioned in the Satapath Brahman and Sulba-sutras".
Findings
:
North
gate
Painted Indus black-on-red-ware pottery, square stamp seals, seals
without Indus script, a huge signboard measuring about 3 m (9.8
ft) in length, containing ten letters of Indus script. One poorly
preserved seated male figure made of stone has also been found,
comparable to high quality two stone sculptures found at Harappa.
Large black-slipped jars with pointed base were also found at this
site. A giant bronze hammer, a big chisel, a bronze hand-held mirror,
a gold wire, gold ear stud, gold globules with holes, copper celts
and bangles, shell bangles, phallus-like symbols of stone, square
seals with Indus inscription and signs, a circular seal, humped
animals, pottery with painted motifs, goblets, dish-on-stand, perforated
jars, Terracotta tumblers in good shape, architectural members made
of ballast stones, grinding stones, mortars, etc., were also found
at this site. Stone weights of different measures were also found.
Coastal
route :
It is suggested that a coastal route existed linking Lothal and
Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor on the Makran coast.
Language
and script :
The Harrapans spoke an unknown language and their script has not
yet been deciphered. It is believed to have had about 400 basic
signs, with many variations. The signs may have stood both for words
and for syllables. The direction of the writing was generally from
right to left. Most of the inscriptions are found on seals (mostly
made out of stone) and sealings (pieces of clay on which the seal
was pressed down to leave its impression). Some inscriptions are
also found on copper tablets, bronze implements, and small objects
made of terracotta, stone and faience. The seals may have been used
in trade and also for official administrative work. A lot of inscribed
material was found at Mohenjo-daro and other Indus Valley Civilisation
sites.
Sign
board :
Ten
Indus characters from the northern gate of Dholavira, dubbed the
Dholavira Signboard
The most significant discoveries at Dholavira was made in one of
the side rooms of the northern gateway of the city, and is generally
known as the Dholavira Signboard. The Harappans had arranged and
set pieces of the mineral gypsum to form ten large symbols or letters
on a big wooden board. At some point, the board fell flat on its
face. The wood decayed, but the arrangement of the letters survived.
The letters of the signboard are comparable to large bricks that
were used in nearby walls. Each sign is about 37 cm (15 in) high
and the board on which letters were inscribed was about 3 m (9.8
ft) long. The inscription is one of the longest in the Indus script,
with one symbol appearing four times, and this and its large size
and public nature make it a key piece of evidence cited by scholars
arguing that the Indus script represents full literacy. A four sign
inscription with large letters on sandstone is also found at this
site, considered first of such inscription on sandstone at any of
Harappan sites.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Dholavira