Dholavira, an ancient metropolitan city, and locally known as Kotada Timba Prachin Mahanagar Dholavira, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is located on the Khadir island in the Kutch district of Gujarat, which is surrounded by water in the monsoon season. The site was occupied from about 2900 BCE for about a millennium, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, briefly abandoned and then reoccupied, finally by villagers among its ruins, until about 1450. Auckland Berlin Chicago Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg London Los Angeles Madrid Melbourne Metropolis Katowice Moscow Mumbai New York City Osaka Paris Santiago de Chile São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto Warsaw A metropolis (in Greek μήτηρ, mÄ“tÄ“r = mother and πόλις, pólis = city/town) is a major city... Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro. ... Kutch (Kuchchh) District, State of Gujarat Kutch (also spelled Cutch, Kachh, Kachch and even Kachchh) is a district of Gujarat state in western India. ... Gujarāt (GujarātÄ«: , IPA: ,  ) is the most industrialized state in the Republic of India with 19. ...

Excavation

The ancient site at Dholavira (23.88° N 70.22° E), is flanked by two storm water channels; the Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south. The site, discovered in 1960s, is the fifth largest Harappan site in the Indian subcontinent, and has been under excavation almost continuously since 1990 by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Indus Valley Civilization existed along the Indus River and the Vedic Sarasvati River in present-day Pakistan. ... Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency under the Department of Culture that is responsible about archaeological studies and preservation of cultural monuments. ...

Six such urban centers have been discovered: Harappa, Mohenjo Daro, Ganeriwala in Pakistan, and Rakhigarhi, Dholavira and Lothal in India. Conception of ancient Harappas Mound E Gateway [1] Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal. ... Structure dubbed the great bath in the excavated Mohenjo-daro ruins. ... An Indus Valley Civilization site of an urban center in the Punjab near border to India which was discovered in 1970’s. ... Rakhigarhi, or Rakhi Garhi, is a village in Hissar district in the northwest Indian state of Haryana, around 150 kilometers from Delhi. ... Ancient Lothal as envisaged by the Archaeological Survey of India. ...

The excavations of the site were initiated in 1989 by the Archaeological Survey of India under the direction of Dr. R. S. Bisht. The excavation brought to light the sophisticated urban planning and architecture, and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as seals, beads, animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments and vessels linked to Mesopotamia. Archaeologists believe that Dholavira was an important centre of trade between settlements in south Gujarat, Sindh and Punjab and Western Asia. Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... Gujarāt (GujarātÄ«: , IPA: ,  ) is the most industrialized state in the Republic of India with 19. ... Sindh (SindhÄ«: سنڌ, UrdÅ«: سندھ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis, and Muhajirs and various other groups. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of the five Rivers) (c. ...

City

Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over 100 hectares. The area measures 771.10 metres in length, and 616.85 metres in width. Like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (Pakistan), the city is composed to a pre-existing geometrical plan, of three divisions - the citadel, the middle town and the lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been further furnished with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most carefully guarded as well as impressive and imposing complex in the city of which it appropriates the major portion of the southwestern zone. The towering "castle" stands majestically in fair insulation and defended by double ramparts. The city within the general fortification accounts for 48 hectares. There are extensive structure-bearing areas though outside yet intimately integral to the fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, yet 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 out of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-Daro, are almost exclusivly built out of brick. Ancient Lothal as envisaged by the Archaeological Survey of India. ... Conception of ancient Harappas Mound E Gateway [1] Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal. ... Mohenjo-daro (literally, mound of the dead), like Harappa, was a city of the Indus Valley civilization. ... This article is about a type of fortification. ...

Temple

There is nothing resembling a temple structure.

Reservoirs

Dholavira Sophisticated Water Reservoir

One of the unique features of Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world and completely built out of stone, of which three are exposed. They were used for storing the fresh water brought by rains or to store the water diverted from a nearby rivulet. This probably came in wake of the desert climate and conditions of Kutch, where several years may pass without rainfall. Image File history File links Dholavira1. ... Image File history File links Dholavira1. ...

Burial system

The variety of burial styles suggests a diverse population. A "signboard" inlaid with large symbols in the untranslated Indus script was discovered near one of the entrances to the citadel.

Historical sign board

One of the most significant discoveries at Dholavira was made in one of the side rooms of the northern gateway of the city. The Harappans had arranged and set pieces of gypsum (a kind of mineral) to form ten large letters on a big wooden board. At some point of time the board fell down flat on its face. The wood decayed, but the arrangement of the letters survived. It is still not known what the sign says as the system of writing or script of the Harappans has not yet been deciphered.

Language and calligraphy

Indus Valley Seals. The first one shows a Swastika, a prominent symbol in Hinduism.

It is not known for sure what language the Harappan people spoke, and their script cannot yet be read. Still, a few things are known about their system of writing. The Harappan script seems to have had about 400 basic signs, with many variations. The signs probably 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 were probably used in trade and also for official administrative work. So the Harappans seem to have used writing mainly for these sorts of things. A lot of inscribed material was found at Mohenjo Daro. Image File history File links Triseal. ... Image File history File links Triseal. ... The swastika (from Sanskrit , from su well, and asti being, thus good fortune or well-being) is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing () or right-facing () direction. ... Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed earthenware on a delicate pale buff body. ... Structure dubbed the great bath in the excavated Mohenjo-daro ruins. ...

How to reach Dholavira

• By Air - Nearest airport Bhuj, Kutch District, Gujarat, India. Approximately 300 km away. Connected by flights from Mumbai.
• By Rail - Samakhyali (160 km) on the Palanpur-Gandhidham BG line.
• By Road - from Ahmedabad

Road are good till Rapar town; from there the road to Dholavira is two lanes. The best time to visit is November to March. Kutch (Kuchchh) District, State of Gujarat Kutch (also spelled Cutch, Kachh, Kachch, and Kachchh) is a district of Gujarat state in western India. ... Ahmedabad (Gujarati: , Hindi: ) or is the largest city in the state of Gujarat and the seventh largest urban agglomeration in India, with a population of almost 70 lakhs (7. ... Rapar is a city and a municipality in Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. ...

External links

• http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/WesternIndia/Gujarat/Dholavira/Dholavira.htm City of exquisite planning, monumental structures, aesthetic architecture and amazing water management system
• http://pubweb.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp/indus/english/2_4_03.html. Computer Graphics reconstruction of Dholavira.
• Description of Dholavira
• Dholavira, Gujarat
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanbag/sets/1445794/ The Best Photos on Flickers : Dholavira : Created by Sunil Shanbag.
• "Dholavira excavations throw light on Harappan civilisation", United News of India 1997
• Nisid Hajari, "India's Salt Lake Cities," in Time Magazine 1 September 1997
• http://www.googlegroups.com/group/dholavira More information on Dholavira, the Ancient Metropolitan City. Also in Indian Gujarati Language GIF Mode File the visit dated Tuesday, 25th April, 2006.

• World Heritage Site, All Tentative Sites, Here is an overview of all Tentative list, last updated June, 2006.
• World Heritage, Tentative Lists, State : India.
• Dholavira: a Harappan City, Disstt, Kachchh, Gujarat, India, India (Asia and the Pacific), Date of Submission: 03/07/1998 , Submission prepared by : Archaeological Survey of India, Coordinates: 23°53'10" N, 70°11'03" E, Ref.: 1090