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.

Kot Diji: An Important Harappan Site

The important pre-Harappan and Harappan civilization site of Kot Diji is located on the left bank of the Indus River at the foot of the Rohri Hills of Khairpur district in the Sindh province of Pakistan . 

The excavations at Kot Diji were undertaken by F. A. Khan and G.S. Ghurye of the Pakistan Department of Archaeology between 1955 and 1957.

The Harappan culture at Kot Diji had typical features- a well regulated town –plan with lanes, houses with stone foundations and mud brick walls. The roofs were covered with reed mats as discovered by plastered mud impression.

Storage jars, built on the mud floors, and large unbaked cooking brick-lined ovens were also found. A broken steatite seal, a few inscribed potsherds, beads of terracotta, semi-precious and etched carnelian and other beads, copper / bronze objects, bangles, arrowheads, metal tools and weapons (a blade axe, chisels and arrow heads), terracotta bull, bird and five figurines of the Mother Goddesses were also discovered.

The Indus pottery with original bright red surface and compact texture has the intersecting circles, papal leaf, peacocks, sun symbol, antelope, incised patters etc.