DHOLAVIRA- A TALE OF RISE AND FALL

 Dholavira, a famous site of Indus Valley Civilization has made it to the UNESCO’s World Heritage site making it the first site of Indus Valley Civilization in India to be included in the list. Now, it shares the same prestige as Mohenjodaro of the same civilization that is currently located in Pakistan.

The city is locally known as Kotda Tibba meaning the fort mound was discovered in 1960s by Jagat Pati Joshi. Dholavira is located in the Great Rann of Kutch (GRK), Dholavira.  The Harappan-era acropolis is the fifth largest archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilization, 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.

What makes the city unique?

The city was divided into three parts- the citadel, the middle town and the larger town. The citadel in Harappan era represents a centralized authority having elaborate fortification. The walls of the middle town and the larger town were constructed using sandy limestones and were connected to an extensive network of sewage.

The city had efficient water management system tanks to store rainwater or fresh water harvested from other sources and multi-layered defensive mechanism.  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 micro-lithic tools were also found during the excavation.

 Two multi-purpose grounds were also found which was not found so far in any Harappan era site-one of them the great multi-purpose ground which was used for social gatherings, festivals, sports, races and other cultural programs. Evidence was found that after all festivities, the area was used for trading. Dholavira people used to manufacture copperware and products of shell and sell them as far away as Mesopotamia which establishes it as a manufacturing and commercial hub.

 Dholavira was a perfect example of town planning done with mathematical precision, nice architecture and cascading series water reservoirs.

But how it declined?

As Dholavira was economically involved with Mesopotamia, its decline also coincided with the collapse of Mesopotamia.

 After the fall of Mesopotamia, people of Harappa who were dependent on the trade suffered a 

great loss of market which affected their manufacturing, local mining, marketing and export businesses.

Due to climate change and rivers like Saraswati drying up, Dholavira faced a severe drought which led to migration of people towards Gangetic valley or further towards down south.

Dholavira provide an insight into the rise and fall of Indus Valley Civilization which went through the stage of infancy, adolescence, maturity and decline to how it became a totally ruinous settlement.

 

With the inclusion into the list of World Heritage site, the city will once again see its rise but this time in new era with new developments. This would help in better conservation and preservation of the area and would also promote tourism at the site as it continues to inspire the civilization of the modern world and bring a new perspective into the society.