Harappan City Dholavira Gets World Heritage Tag, What You Need To Know

An Archaeological Survey of India note says excavations at Dholavira revealed seven cultural stages documenting rise and fall of Indus Civilization.

Dholavira in Gujarat, which got the tag of a UNESCO World Heritage Site today, is a Harappan-era city sprawled over 100 hectares on Khadir, one of the islands in the Rann of Kutch. Absolutely delighted by this news.Dholavira was an important urban centre and is one of our most important linkages with our past. It is a must visit, especially for those interested in history, culture and archaeology. https://t.co/XkLK6NlmXxpic.twitter.com/4Jo6a3YVro One of the five largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, Dholavira is located about 250 km from Bhuj. It has two seasonal streams, Mansar and Manhar, and journey to the site takes one through the wildlife-rich desert plains of Rann of Kutch. The property comprises two parts, a walled city and a cemetery to its west, a government release said, adding that the Dholavira flourished for nearly 1,500 years. According to an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) note on Dholavira, excavations at the site have revealed seven cultural stages documenting the rise and fall of the Indus Civilization. The city, it said, is also remarkable for its planning and architecture. Among the marvels in Dholavira are the remains of two open air stadiums and a water harvesting system. "The salient components of the full-grown cityscape consisted of a bipartite 'citadel', a 'middle town' and a 'lower town', two 'stadia', an 'annexe', a series of reservoirs all set within an enormous fortification running on all four sides," said the ASI note.