Dholavira

Dholavira – An epitome of the Harappan civilisation

When it comes to ancient civilisations three names prominently appear; Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. The Mayan, the Inca, and the Chinese civilisations also have a distinct identity. Which one came first and which is the newest is a question for the historians who have been out on the jury and the matter may continue to baffle endlessly as new research throws up more confusion than clarity.

A Circular construction (like the Bungas nowadays)

Two things are certain, however. One, that the Sumerians belonged to the oldest era (4500 BCE – 1900 BCE) of which records are available. That makes Mesopotamia the oldest human civilisation on the earth. Two, The Egyptian (3500 – 1500) and the Indus civilisations might have had the same period of influence in different parts of the world. Or there’s an overlapping period with the Egyptians coming first.

The excavations at Harappa – a town in the fertile region of West Punjab (now in Pakistan), is said to be the precursor to the finding of the Indus Valley civilisation that extended well into the Gangetic plains of north India ranging from 3000 BCE to 1800 BCE.

The Citadel

Dholavira (Gujarat, India) belonged to the Harappan civilisation and it was a bustling metropolis at that time. After Harappa, geological excavations at Mohenjodaro brought out the traces of a similar civilisation thriving in the catchment or vicinity of river Indus which upon later exploration was found extending to a wider area. This was the Indus Valley civilisation.

Town planning was the strong point of the Indus Valley civilisation. Dholavira shows the high points of town planning and architecture. It was a fortified city as seen from the main enclosure- the citadel, and well made gates on all sides. The town was planned with segments like middle town, lower town, stadium, and water reservoirs.

There are two remarkable points about Dholavira; water conservation, and use of stone in construction. Dholavira always faced a scarcity of sweet water. Therefore, rainwater harvesting and tapping of seasonal streams of water were of utmost necessity. Huge rock cut reservoirs around the citadel point towards efficient purification and storage of potable water. Big earthen pots were a common sight at the entrance of houses and elsewhere in public places including streets and squares (samples abound in the museum at site).

Earthen water pots displayed in the museum

While Harappa and other major sites of the Indus Valley show almost exclusive use of mud bricks in construction, Dholavira has stone construction.

I was told that some inscriptions of the Harappan script excavated from the site have been kept inside a locked room at the site itself. Harappan script is said to be among the oldest in the world.

Some years ago I visited Lothal, another Harappan site and a contemporary of Dholavira. Lothal used to be a seaport in the gulf of Khambat, Gujarat. There they had used mud bricks. Incidentally, both Lothal and Mohenjodaro mean the same in different dialects– the mound of dead bodies.

How I reached Dholavira:

The Southern Water Reservoir

Dholavira is a village located on the Khadir Bet in the Kutch lake. A Bet is a raised high ground that doesn’t get inundated even in the worst of flooding or raised surrounding water levels. There are many such Bets in the Kutch area starting from the Little Rann of Kutch to the Greater (White) Rann. Bets are suitable for permanent habitation.

After doing the LRK, one fine morning I caught a Bhuj bound bus from Halvad town and got down in Samkhiali (85 km). From the Samkhiali bus stand, I caught another bus to Rapar (45 km).

The bus service from Rapar to Dholavira is rather limited. However, minibusses ply this 100 km (one way) route. They call it ‘Luxury’. I had this luxury ride and reached Dholavira in the afternoon.

Nagjibhai Parmar – the Dholavira guide was waiting for me. He can be reached at 9909772594. His email ID is dholaviraguide@gmail.com and has a webpage too.

Copper Rings

I stayed in the tourism department franchised Dholavira Resort being run by the village headman, but won’t recommend it to anyone. The place is not worth the money they charge. Look for a homestay instead

The Kutch Fossil Park

Tree Fossil

At a distance of 10 kilometres from Dholavira village lies a fossil park where they found and have preserved a few tree fossils. These wood fossils are said to be 180 million years old and belong to the Jurrasic period.

Another wood fossil

Last year, I visited a tree fossil park called Salkhan Fossil Park, some 12 km from Robertsganj in UP. The tree fossils there belong to a much older period of 1400 million years. The fossils are considered to be the world’s oldest plant fossils.

Some Photos