Dholavira: A Harappan City

Dholavira: A Harappan City
Photo by Randi Thomsen.

Dholavira is an archaeological site that contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan city.

The fortified city flourished between 3000 and 1800 BCE. It had an efficient water conservation system. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the lower town.

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Site Info

Full Name
Dholavira: A Harappan City
Unesco ID
1645
Country
India
Inscribed
2021
Type
Cultural
Criteria
3 4
Categories
Archaeological site - South (East) Asian
Link
By ID

Site History

2021 Inscribed

2014 Revision

Revised nomination of Dholavira: a Harappan City, Gujarat, Disstt, Kachchh (1998)

Site Links

Unesco Website
Dholavira: A Harappan City
Official Website

Gujarat Tourism website

Locations

The site has 1 locations

Dholavira: A Harappan City

Connections

The site has

Architecture
Cenotaph: The site includes a large cemetery with cenotaphs of six types testifying to the Harappan’s unique view of death. (official description)
Brick architecture: The defensive walls of Dholavira built in Stages II and III were made of brick masonry. (Nomination text, p. 51, 70)
Rock Cut Architecture: Of a series of five buried water reservoirs, the "third one which is centrally located is primarily a rock-cut architecture of excellence, exquisite beauty and superb skill." (Nomination text, p. 121)
Constructions
Cemeteries: The archaeological remains of the city of Dholavira include fortifications, gateways, water reservoirs, ceremonial ground, residential units, workshop areas, and cemetery complex (AB ev)
Stepwells: Bead-workshop, water tanks, a step well, and houses of various stages are found in the Castle (AB ev)
Granaries: and in the southeast part is located a large granary (AB ev)
Pillars: The "in situ preserved stone elements, consisting of a series of arrangement of square, bi-concave and bi-convex pillar elements, fastened to each other through a mortice and tenon arrangement, have helped in the understanding of architectural edifices and their basic elements." "The production of limestone pillar elements is unmatched among the other contemporary settlements." "The pillar elements were also exported to other Harappan cities like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, from where evidences clearly indicate the interregional trade and the demand for such items of trade, most probably for elite use." (Nomination text, p. 167, 170-171, 353)
Tumuli: "Six hemispherical tumuli are the most conspicuous features of curiosity and promise in the zone of [the] western necropolis." They surround a "depression representing a buried water body and were believed to be of special significance in terms of their shape, size and location. Two of them (...) have been subjected to archaeological investigation which confirmed their being funerary monuments of exceeding importance and unique character". (Nomination text, p. 223)
Damaged
Destroyed or damaged by Earthquake: Dholavira was several times devastated by an earthquake, for instance in Stages IIIA and V of its existence. The earthquake at the end of Stage V, caused the site "to be abandoned for a short period of time." An earthquake in 2001 caused minor damage to the archaeological site. (AB Ev; Nomination text, p. 53, 71, 399)
History
Indus Valley Civilisation: the southern centre of the Harappan Civilization (official description)
Bronze Age: "Dholavira is an exceptional example of a proto-historic Bronze Age urban settlement pertaining to the Harappan Civilization". (Official description)
Oldest Buildings: The Castle of Dholavira, part of the Citadel, has proof of habitation that dates back to Stage I of the city, "around the beginning of third millennium BCE". (Nomination text, p. 58) In "Stage III (c. 2800-2500 BCE) (...), [t]he walled settlement was further reinforced and transformed into the Castle. The Bailey was added to it from the west." (AB Ev)
Human Activity
Writing systems: Indus Valley script
Irrigation and drainage: Water management system and hydraulic engineering that contains at least 16 reservoirs and an elaborate systems of drains and sewers
Stone Quarries: A sandstone quarry from where sandstone was excavated, converted into huge architectural members and even exported to sites such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, several hundred kilometres away
Erotic art: In India, the earliest such surviving imagery dates from the Harappan times, such as the phallic statues of Dholavira. - “A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found in the passageway of the eastern gate.” (it’s unclear whether phallic sculptures still can be seen on site today)
Copper production: "(...) the location of Dholavira in the island of Khadir was strategic to harness different mineral and raw material sources (copper, (...) among others)" (Official description) "The evidence of copper metallurgy from the earliest stages at Dholavira clearly indicate[s] the smelting of copper ore. The nearest copper sources from Dholavira is the Ambaji-Deri copper mines located on the Gujarat - Rajasthan border. A variety of copper artefacts clearly demonstrate[s] the wide preference of finished products, both for the elite and lay persons." (Nomination text, p. 188)
Locations for playing sport: "The rectangular Ceremonial Ground is a relatively flat area originally annexed to the Castle as a residential area, but later cleared for carving out the open space." (AB Ev) It comprises "two multi-purpose grounds as integral elements of urban planning" that "strongly appear to have been used as stadiums as well as seasonal trading areas in addition to miscellaneous social and other activities". "The presence of a large ceremonial ground that could have been used for multipurpose activities like holding recreation activities, markets, local gatherings, sport activities, is another extraordinary example at Dholavira." (Nomination text, p. 93, 356)
Science and Technology
Recorded cultural discoveries: "The site was discovered by Dr. Jagat Pati Joshi, former Director General of ASI, in 1968, during his exploration in the Kachchh district." (Nomination text, p. 37)
Timeline
Built in the 3rd Millennium BC: dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE (AB ev)

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