Dholavira
is a relatively recent discovery. This
Indus city has been excavated by the Archaeological
Survey of India since 1989. Habitation
at the site began well before 3000 B.C.
and continued for more than a millennium.
This long history provides important information
about the formative stage of the Indus
Civilization and its subsequent decline.
The city's unique stone architecture is
partly responsible for the remarkable
preservation of its "Citadel",
"Middle Town" and "Lower
Town," all surrounded by gigantic
water reservoirs that were cut into the
bedrock. Application is currently being
made to UNESCO to register and protect
Dholavira as a World Heritage site. The
remains of Dholavira, a major city of
the Harappan civilization, was discovered
in 1967-68 by J. Joshi. Though hundreds
of Harappan sites have been identified
in Gujarat, Dholavira is among the five
biggest known to us in the Indian subcontinent.
"The excavation at Dholavira brought
to light a remarkable city of exquisite
planning, monumental structures, aesthetic
architecture and amazing water management
system." Indeed, to the casual visitor,
the most notable feature of this metropolis
of the 3rd millennium BCE is its water
management acumen. Sixteen reservoirs
of various sizes have been identified,
of which five have been excavated fairly
well. |