Dholavira, the Harappan-era archaeological site located in Kutch district of Gujarat, was inscribed on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, making it the first site of Indus Valley Civilisation in India to be included on this much coveted list.
The decision taken at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee comes days after the Kakatiya Rudreshwara temple in Telangana, popularly called the Ramappa Temple, was inscribed on the list.
After Champaner, Rani ki Vav and the walled city area of Ahm-edabad, Dholavira is the fourth site from Gujarat to be awarded the tag.
An official release from UNESCO described Dholavira as an ancient city, which is one of the most remarkable and well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the third to mid-second millennium BCE.
Discovered in 1968, UNESCO said in a release, the site is set apart by its unique characteristics, such as its water management system, multi-layered defensive mechanisms, extensive use of stone in construction and special burial structures.
Located on Great Rann of Kutch (GRK) in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district, Dholavira is around 210 kilometres east of district headquarters Bhuj. Spread over 22 hectares, the Harappan-era bastion is the fifth largest archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating back to around 3000 BC and is believed to have been occupied till 1500 BC. It draws its name from present-day village Dholavira on the semi-arid island on the Indo-Pakistan border.
Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy said that Dholavira was the 40th site from India to be included on the UNESCO world heritage list and 10th to make to the list since 2014.
Locally known as Kotda Timba (the fort mound), the expansive site was discovered in the 1960s by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi who served as the director general of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) between 1987 and 1990. The site was excavated under the supervision of archaeologist Ravindra Singh Bisht of the ASI in the 1990s.
The fortified area is divided into three main parts — the citadel, the middle town and the lower town, with the citadel having elaborate fortification structures. Excavation has revealed that the city houses, constructed using sandy limestones, were connected to an extensive network of sewage.
The city also had tanks to store rainwater or fresh water harvested from other sources. Remains of copper smelters have also been found along with memorials having hemispherical structures though no mortal remains of humans have been recovered. Red earthenware, ornamental beads made of semi-precious stones and microlithic tools were also found during the excavation.
Mohenjo-Daro, the largest Harappan-era archaeological site located in present-day Pakistan is the other Indus Valley Civilisation site inscribed on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
He added that Dholavira was an explained example of town planning done with mathematical precision, nice architecture and a cascading series water reservoirs right around the built-up area although well within the outer fortification.
Dholavira also featured in the Khusbhu Gujarat Ki campaign of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL).