Dholavira, Gujarat, India 


"I begin with Dholavira, a Bronze Age metropolis of the Harappan Civilization in the Rann of Kutch, discovered only in 1967. Thriving between 2600–1900 BCE, it is best known for its water harvesting and fine reservoirs. I examine the ancestry of the Harappans, what they excelled at and what distinguishes them from other civilizations of the day—such as not turning up any evidence of temples, wars or armies, and seemingly possessing a flatter social class hierarchy. I consider the languages they likely spoke, their undeciphered script, theories about their demise, and how their legacy lives on today in our lives. I talk to the ecologically vulnerable locals from the nearby village of Dholavira, after which the prehistoric site is named and whose residents too had lived with ecological vulnerability.

"After the decline of Harappan cities, Aryan migrants from Central Asia arrived by 1500 BCE and mixed with the locals. A nomadic-pastoralist people, the Aryans brought a proto-Sanskrit language, an early version of the Vedas, new forms of social hierarchy and the horse. After a gap of more than a thousand years since the fall of the Harappan cities, the next cities arose mostly in the Gangetic Plain in the first millennium BCE, moving India from prehistory into the age of decipherable texts, and the time of the Buddha, Mahavira and the early Upanishads."

—From the Introduction of Namit Arora's Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization.


Through the Rann, approaching Khadir Bet

The road to Dholavira

The road to Dholavira

Once under the sea (1, 2)

Once under the sea
Once under the sea

Once under the sea

Salty desert (1, 2)

Salty desert
Salty desert

Salty desert

Expansive views

Expansive views

Bhunga-style guest house

Bhunga-style guest house

Bhunga interior (more)

Bhunga interior

Bhunga interior

Moonrise over Dholavira

Moonrise over Dholavira

Moonlit Salt on the Rann

Moonlit Salt on the Rann

     

 

Dholavira village, one km from the ruins

Buddies

Buddies

Big-horned Zebu cattle

Big-horned Zebu cattle

Village home (more)

Village home

Village home

Locked home of a
semi-nomadic family

Locked home of a
semi-nomadic family

Village home

Village home

An artisan's home

An artisan's home

Handcrafted bag for sale

Handcrafted bag for sale

Village home

Village home

Traditional home (more)

Traditional home

Traditional home

Tradional bhunga-style
home

Tradional bhunga-style
home

Grandma with kids

Grandma with kids

A great grandma

A great grandma

Village scene (1, 2)

Village scene
Village scene

Village scene

Village temple

Village temple

Milk cooperative

Milk cooperative

Two boys

Two boys

       

The ruins of the Harappan city of Dholavira

Dholavira signage

Dholavira signage

Approaching the ruins

Approaching the ruins

Locals

Locals

Dholavira site info

Dholavira site info

Eastern reservoir (1, 2)

Eastern reservoir
Eastern reservoir

Eastern reservoir

Descending steps

Descending steps

Largest in Dholavira (1, 2)

Largest in Dholavira
Largest in Dholavira

Largest in Dholavira

Another view (1, 2)

Another view
Another view

Another view

Southern reservoir (1, 2, 3)

Southern reservoir
Southern reservoir
Southern reservoir

Southern reservoir

Rock-cut sections (1, 2, 3)

Rock-cut sections
Rock-cut sections
Rock-cut sections

Rock-cut sections

Another reservoir (ramp)

Another reservoir

Another reservoir

Yet another (sluice)

Yet another

Yet another

North gate of the citadel

North gate of the citadel

North gate (1, 2)

North gate
North gate

North gate

Northern entrance

Northern entrance

The citadel's northern wall

The citadel's northern wall

Northern wall & entrance
of the citadel (more)

Northern wall & entrance
of the citadel

Northern wall & entrance
of the citadel

Excavated location of
famous signboard

Excavated location of
famous signboard

Northwestern corner of
the citadel

Northwestern corner of
the citadel

The citadel from the
eastern reservoir

The citadel from the
eastern reservoir

Ramp to eastern entrance

Ramp to eastern entrance

Water channel by eastern
entrance of the citadel

Water channel by eastern
entrance of the citadel

Eastern entrance of
the citadel (1, 2)

Eastern entrance of
the citadel
Eastern entrance of
the citadel

Eastern entrance of
the citadel

Polished fragment of a
pillar at entrance (more)

Polished fragment of a
pillar at entrance

Polished fragment of a
pillar at entrance

Atop the citadel, past the
eastern gate (1, 2)

Atop the citadel, past the
eastern gate
Atop the citadel, past the
eastern gate

Atop the citadel, past the
eastern gate

"Phallic" pillars or a
chance resemblance?

"Phallic" pillars or a
chance resemblance?

Bhunga, post-Harappan
architecture (1, 2)

Bhunga, post-Harappan
architecture
Bhunga, post-Harappan
architecture

Bhunga, post-Harappan
architecture

Another Bhunga dwelling
(southern part of citadel)

Another Bhunga dwelling

Another Bhunga dwelling

Passage in northern
part of the citadel (more)

Passage in northern
part of the citadel

Passage in northern
part of the citadel

Water harvesting
channels (1, 2)

Water harvesting
channels
Water harvesting
channels

Water harvesting
channels

More water channels

More water channels

Arterial drain on citadel

Arterial drain on citadel

Well with rope marks
on stone slab

Well with rope marks
on stone slab

Water channels (more)

Water channels

Water channels

Water tank on the citadel

Water tank on the citadel

Southern reservoirs from
the citadel

Southern reservoirs from
the citadel

Citadel top

Citadel top

Citadel walls (1, 2)

Citadel walls
Citadel walls

Citadel walls

Citadel top (1, 2)

Citadel top
Citadel top

Citadel top

Stadium from the citadel

Stadium from the citadel

From "stadium" to the
middle town

From "stadium" to the
middle town

Middle town main st (1, 2)

Middle town main st
Middle town main st

Middle town main st

Middle town homes (1, 2)

Middle town homes
Middle town homes

Middle town homes

Wall of a middle town
home (closeup)

Wall of a middle town
home

Wall of a middle town
home

Drain in middle town

Drain in middle town

Middle town main st.
(more, internal drains )

Middle town main st.
Middle town main st.

Middle town main st.

Drain for domestic waste
that emptied into matkas

Drain for domestic waste
that emptied into matkas

Waste water drain (1, 2)

Waste water drain
Waste water drain

Waste water drain

Waste water drain leading
to a matka outside home

Waste water drain leading
to a matka outside home

Middle town homes (1, 2)

Middle town homes
Middle town homes

Middle town homes

Middle town homes (1, 2)

Middle town homes
Middle town homes

Middle town homes

Northern fringes of site

Northern fringes of site

In middle town

In middle town

Middle town foundations

Middle town foundations

Middle town remains

Middle town remains

City wall (more)

City wall

City wall

View of citadel from the
middle town

View of citadel from the
middle town

Citadel from the stadium

Citadel from the stadium

Citadel from the stadium
(more)

Citadel from the stadium

Citadel from the stadium

Stadium stands (more)

Stadium stands

Stadium stands

Middle town and lower
town info

Middle town and lower
town info

Back in middle town

Back in middle town

Scores of homes

Scores of homes

Once a neighborhood

Once a neighborhood

Going from middle town to
lower town (1, 2)

Going from middle town to
lower town
Going from middle town to
lower town

Walking towards
lower town

Lower town homes (1, 2)

Lower town homes
Lower town homes

A bit more congested here

Eastern lower town (more)

Eastern lower town

Eastern lower town

Lower town homes

Lower town homes

A fossil rock (more)

A fossil rock

A fossil rock

Lower town st. peters out

Lower town st. peters out

An ancient well

An ancient well

Lower town meets
middle town

Lower town meets
middle town

Entrance to middle town
(more)

Entrance to middle town

Entrance to middle town

Textured stones

Textured stones

Stadium and citadel from
lower town (1, 2)

Stadium and citadel from
lower town
Stadium and citadel from
lower town

Stadium and citadel from
lower town

Stadium entrance
(view from inside)

Stadium entrance

Stadium entrance

Pottery shards abound

Pottery shards abound

Some bird's eggs

Some bird's eggs

View of "The Bailey"

View of "The Bailey"

Storage sites in the Bailey?

Storage sites in the Bailey?

Citadel walls (detail)

Citadel walls

Citadel walls

Wall detail

Wall detail

Residential structures in
the bailey (more)

Residential structures in
the bailey

Residential structures in
the bailey

Sharpening stones (more)

Sharpening stones

Sharpening stones

Remains of the bailey

Remains of the bailey

From the bailey to the
citadel's western entrance

From the bailey to the
citadel's western entrance
From

Water harvesting drain

Water harvesting drain

Multihued stones (more)

Multihued stones

Multihued stones

Underground drains

Underground drains

Covered drain (1, 2)

Covered drain
Covered drain

Covered drain

Burial mounds on the
necropolis (more)

Burial mounds on the
necropolis

Burial mounds on the
necropolis

Symbolic burial or
cenotaph

Symbolic burial or
cenotaph

Another cenotaph (1, 2)

Another cenotaph
Another cenotaph

Another cenotaph

More cenotaphs

More cenotaphs

City planning info

City planning info

Western city wall (1, 2)

Western city wall
Western city wall

Western city wall

Citadel's southeast corner

Citadel's southeast corner

Local vegetation

Local vegetation

Visitors

Visitors

Visitor

Visitor

Visitors

Visitors

Dholavira site signage

Dholavira site signage

Complex around museum

Complex around museum

Officials' guest houses

Officials' guest houses

Officials' guest house

Officials' guest house

Officials' guest house

Officials' guest house

       

The quarry that supplied Dholavira, and northwestern Khadir Bet

Multihued stones

Multihued stones

A few km away (1, 2, 3)

A few km away
A few km away
A few km away

A few km away

Slabs that made Dholavira

Slabs that made Dholavira

Khadir bet landscape

Khadir bet landscape

White Rann in view

White Rann in view

Fossils abound

Fossils abound

Buffaloes

Buffaloes

Sunset over Rann

Sunset over Rann

       

Dholavira ASI Museum

ASI Museum building

ASI Museum building

Women fetching water
from near museum (more)

Women fetching water
from near museum

Famous Dholavira
signboard at entrance

Famous Dholavira
signboard at entrance

Site plan

Site plan

The sea in the times of
Dholavira

The sea in the times of
Dholavira

Etched game board

Etched game board

Stone querns

Stone querns

Pottery remains

Pottery remains

Pottery from Dholavira

Pottery from Dholavira

Animal figurines

Animal figurines

Seals and sealings

Seals and sealings

Wts. & measures (more)

Wts. & measures

Wts. & measures

Ornaments (more)

Ornaments

Ornaments

Stone objects

Stone objects

Dholavira seals

Dholavira seals

Misc objects

Misc objects

Misc objects

Misc objects

Archival photo

Archival photo

Taken during excavation

Taken during excavation

From the 1990s

From the 1990s

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Archival photo

Harappan seals

Harappan seals

Harappan seals

Harappan seals

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

Infographic

A boy near the museum

A boy near the museum

       

All pictures below are from my April 2006 visit to Dholavira

The citadel (more)

The citadel

South-east corner

Eastern walls of the
citadel

East entrance

Water tank (1, 2)

Water tank
Water tank

Water tank (1, 2, 3)

Water tank
Water tank
Water tank

Steps down a tank

More water tanks (1, 2)

More water tanks
More water tanks

A granary?

South entrance to citadel

The Bailey
(servant homes?)

A well on the citadel

Peeking inside the well

Small water tank
on citadel

Bathing area (more)

Bathing area

Remains of citadel rooms

Shard-studded wall

Corridor inside citadel

Circular rooms (more)

Former royal chamber?

Eastern entryway

Passageway inside citadel

Passageway

Brickwork from two eras

Water harvesting conduit

Water harvesting conduit

A fine pillar base

Tourist bungalow from
the citadel

North-eastern corner

Northern wall

Northern wall (1, 2)

Northern wall

North entrance

Writing over the north
entrance, "the oldest
signboard in the world"

This is a replica of what was probably a headboard over the north entrance.

Stadium from
north entrance

Stadium from middle town

Middle town ruins

Market street (more)

Market street

Four-way intersection

Side street

Waste receptacle

Fragments of the past

Fragments of the past

Cemetery area
(local flora)

The largest water tank
(more)

The largest water tank
(more)

Women near the ruins

Dholavira signpost

Across the Great Rann
of Kutch

Saline mudflats (more)

Great Rann of Kutch
(more)

Rabari tribeswoman (more)

Rabari tribeswomen

Local woman

Local woman

Local women (more)

Local women

Local women (more)

Local women

A tribal family (more)

A tribal family

Path to the excavated site

Traveling hundreds of miles in summer to this isolated site near the western edge of India, I encounter this sign (row above, right image) by the ASI. Shaking my head in disbelief, I ask: Why? What can possibly be the rationale for prohibiting photography here? The ASI ought to market this global cultural heritage site and provide better facilities (e.g., a site museum, toilets, etc.). The ASI also bars photography at other site museums, of works with long expired copyright claims. Why? Nobody ever has a good answer. 'Orders from above' is the pat reply. 'Apply for permission in Delhi'. If this isn't the product of a bureaucratic mind I don't know what is. Annoyance wells up in me again. Stupid rules need not be followed, I tell myself, and resolve to flout the injunction, if need be by cajoling or bribing the lone caretaker on site, or sneaking in behind his back.  [—Namit Arora, 2006]

 



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