Dholavira: Fifth largest Harappan site

-

Dholavira|Rahul Zota via Wikimedia Common


The archeological site of Dholavira in the Bhachau taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat is one of the two largest  Harappan settlements in India. Rakhigarhi in Haryana is the other one. 

Locally known as Kotada timba, meaning a large fort, Dholavira was first explored by ASI’s J P Joshi. However, it was excavated extensively by RS Bisht in the 1990s. 

This Indus Valley Civilization site had three divisions – christened as ‘citadel’ or ‘acropolis’, “middle town” and “lower town” with elaborate gate complex on its fortifications.  

Like other Harappan sites, the script written by the inhabitants of Dholavira remains indecipherable. The characters of the script found at Dholavira are huge.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sanskrit Books and Authors in Ancient India

-
  Books Authors Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Recognition of Shakuntala) Kalidasa Aihole Prasasti Ravikirti Amarakosha   Amarasimha   Arthashastra Kautilya Ashtadhyayi   Panini Bhattikavya Bhatti Brihat Samhita   Varahamihira Buddhacharita   Asvaghosa   Charaka Samhita ( Compendium of Charaka ) Charaka Devichandraguptam   Vishakhadatta Gita Govinda  ( Song of the Cowherd) Jayadeva Gatha Saptashati Hala Lilavati   Bhaskara II   Hammira Mahakavya   Nayachandra Suri Janakiharana   ( Janaki's abduction) Kumaradasa   Kama Sutra Vatsyayana Kathasaritsagara (Ocean of the Streams of Stories )
Read more

Fatuhat-i-Alamgiri by Ishwar Das Nagar

-
Ishwar Das Nagar was the most remarkable Hindu historiographer during the reign of the sixth and last most notable Mughal monarch Aurangzeb.  He was the author of the Fatuhat-i-Alamgiri, t he only literary work that was composed under the patronage of Aurangzeb who was otherwise opposed to the encouragement of arts and letters.  The Fatawa-i-Alamgiri has been described as "the greatest digest of Muslim law made in India".
Read more

Turkan-i-Chahalgani, the Group of Forty

-
Amir-i-Chahalgani, known variously as Turkan-i-Chahalgani and Chalisa (The Forty), was a group of 40 faithful slaves which came into existence with the task of protecting Shamsuddin Iltutmish, the third Slave Sultan of Delhi Sultanate. The idea to form the group was taken by him when he came to realize that Turkish nobles cannot be trusted and could be a threat to his rule. With the passage of time the group went on to become very influential and powerful. Though Iltutmish succeeded in keeping the group under control, after his rule they became notorious and intrigued against nearly all his successors.  The Forty acquired domination on the affairs of the state so much so that no ruler could defy them. Without their support it was utterly out of questions for the rulers to win the battle for succession. The members of this Turkish nobility used to appropriate all the offices of the state to themselves. Some of the rulers of the Slave dynasty after Iltutmish were murdered by these slaves
Read more