DHOLAVIRA

DHOLAVIRA

TOPIC: Art & Culture

Context- Dholavira, a Harappan city situated on the island of Khadir, near the India­ Pakistan International Border, came into limelight after UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site on July 27, 2021.

Concept-

About Dholavira:

• It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist JagatPati Joshi.
• After Mohen-jo-Daro, Ganweriwala and Harappa in Pakistan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana of India, Dholavira is the fifth largest metropolis of Indus Valley Civilization (IVC).
• The ancient city of Dholavira is an archaeological site at Kachchh District, in the state of Gujarat, which dates from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE.
• Dholavira’s location is on the Tropic of Cancer.
• It is located on Khadirbet island in the Kachchh Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kachchh.

Distinct Features of the Dholavira Site:

• Artifacts that were found here include terracotta pottery, beads, gold and copper ornaments, seals, fish hooks, animal figurines, tools, urns, and some imported vessels.
• Cascading series of water reservoirs.
• Outer fortification.
• Two multi-purpose grounds, one of which was used for festivities and other as a marketplace.
• Nine gates with unique designs.
• Funerary architecture featuring tumulus — hemispherical structures like the Buddhist Stupas.
• Multi-layered defensive mechanisms, extensive use of stone in construction and special burial structures.
• It was also a hub of manufacturing jewellery made of shells and semi-precious stones, like agate and used to export timber.
• Unlike graves at other IVC sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira.