MegalithFringe siteUNESCO World Heritage
Dholavira
Also known asKotda Timba
Datedc. 3500–2600 BCE
Photo Bhuppigraphy · CC BY-SA 4.0Source file on Wikimedia Commons
Overview
About this site
Overview
Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, Gujarat, western India, containing the ruins of a city of the Indus Valley Civilization. It is named after a modern village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of it and is also known locally as Kotada timba. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as Dholavira: a Harappan City, on 27 July 2021.
The site lies on Khadir Bet, an island-like landform within the Great Rann of Kachchh. Radiocarbon dating and pottery comparisons place the first two phases of occupation at c. 3500-3200 BCE and c. 3200-2600 BCE. Earthquakes repeatedly affected the city, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BCE.
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Age sources
How old this site is, and who says so.
Range across all claimsc. 3500–2600 BCE
MeasuredWhat this badge means
A physical measurement of this site: a radiocarbon date, a tree-ring count, a luminescence date, or a record that can itself be dated.
- 3500–2600 BCERadiocarbon datingThe range follows the re-dated first two occupation phases based on recent C14 datings and pottery comparisons.Source: en.wikipedia.org
- 2650 BCEWikipedia: Dholavira (infobox)Source: en.wikipedia.org
Where it sits in time
The site's dated range, placed against world reference points.
The scale is logarithmic: each step to the left is about ten times older than the last.
Article
Dholavira
The quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and the Manhar in the south.
DescriptionSources for this section
Sources for this section
The quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and the Manhar in the south. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, it was built to a pre-existing geometrical plan of three divisions: the citadel, the middle town and the lower town. The citadel is the most thoroughly fortified part of the city and is defended by double ramparts.
The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation, are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of brick. The settlement area is given as 22 ha (54 acres), measuring 771.1 m (2,530 ft) in length and 616.85 m (2,023.8 ft) in width.
DatingSources for this section
Sources for this section
The site was formerly believed to have been occupied from c. 2650 BCE, declining slowly after around 2100 BCE, and reoccupied after a brief abandonment until c. 1450 BCE. Recent research suggests that occupation began around 3500 BCE, in the pre-Harappan period, and continued until around 1800 BCE, in the early part of the Late Harappan period. The excavation director, Ravindra Bisht, defined seven stages of occupation.
ExcavationsSources for this section
Sources for this section
The site was discovered by a resident of Dholavira village, Shambhudan Gadhvi, in the early 1960s and was officially discovered in 1967 or 1968 by J. P. Joshi of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Excavation was initiated in 1989 by the ASI under the direction of Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005.
The excavations brought to light urban planning and architecture and unearthed animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels. A bead-making industry yielded around 12,000 stone and metal beads, and 225 seals and 60 clay impressions were recovered. A signboard about 3 m (9.8 ft) in length bears ten letters of Indus script.
ConstructionSources for this section
Sources for this section
Dholavira is notable for a water conservation system of channels and reservoirs built completely of stone. During Stage III the inhabitants created sixteen or more reservoirs of varying size, some taking advantage of a drop of 13 metres (43 ft) in the ground within the settlement and others excavated into living rock. The Mansar and Manhar streams were intercepted by a series of check dams and bunds, and drains carried water towards storage facilities rather than simply removing it from the settlement.
In October 2014 excavation began on a rectangular stepwell which measured 73.4 m (241 ft) long, 29.3 m (96 ft) wide and 10 m (33 ft) deep. Seven hemispherical mud-brick constructions, built over large rock-cut chambers, were found; two were excavated in detail, and no skeletons were found in them except in one grave.
ContextSources for this section
Sources for this section
Megaliths are found in almost every part of South Asia. A large fraction are thought to be associated with burial or post-burial rites, and the forms include stone circles, cists, menhirs, dolmens and rock-cut chambers. Dholavira has been described as one of the most important megalithic sites of Kutch; the only other known megalithic site in Kutch is near the village of Dhaneti.
Tradition and region
About this kind of monument
Megalithic burials of India
Megaliths are found in almost every part of South Asia, from the south to the north-eastern hills. Dates in the literature run from before 3000 BCE, with recent finds in southern India claimed back to 5000 BCE, and the southern megalithic cultures correspond in part with the Iron Age. A large fraction are thought to be associated with burial or post-burial rites. The forms are many: stone circles, cists, menhirs, dolmens and rock-cut chambers.
Researchers note that giant human-shaped figures, which usually occur with megalithic monuments in burial grounds, may be connected with ancestor worship, though what they symbolise is unclear. Marks found mostly on potsherds in megalithic burials of central and south India and Sri Lanka, tentatively dated from 1000 BCE to 300 CE, are still debated: there is no consensus on whether they are undeciphered writing or graffiti.
In the east the tradition has lasted longest: the megaliths there show evidence of living megalithic practices until recently. In the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Mawphlang ("grassy stone") is one of many settlements named after monoliths, and it is the site of a sacred grove. Visitors should respect local custom.
Dating is the weak point: few have been excavated to modern standards, and many are dated only by comparison with excavated graves.
When visiting, look for rings of stones at the edge of fields, for capstones raised on slabs, and for groups of graves on hillsides.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia: Megalith, Wikipedia: Iron Age in India, Wikipedia: Megalithic graffiti symbols, Wikipedia: Mawphlang · CC BY-SA 4.0
From the article
Dated moments in the story
- 3200 BCE
Ravindra Bisht, the director of the Dholavira excavations, has defined the following seven stages of occupation at the site: Recent C14 datings and stylistic comparisons with Amri II-B period pottery show the first two phases should be termed Pre-Harappan Dholaviran Culture and re-dated as follows: Stage I (c....
Source - 2650 BCE
The site is believed to have been occupied from c. 2650 BCE, declining slowly after around 2100 BCE, and to have been briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c. 1450 BCE; however, recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE (early part of...
Source - 2600 BCE
Earthquakes have repeatedly affected Dholavira, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BCE.
Source - 2500 BCE
Believed to date back to around 2500 BCE, this bronze statue stands at about 10.5 centimeters tall and vividly captures the dynamic energy and grace of a youthful dancer. Seven hemispherical constructions were found at Dholavira, of which two were excavated in detail, which were constructed over large rock cut...
Source - 615 CE
Of the 615 weights recorded by location across the city, the largest portion came from the Middle Town with 278 specimens (45.2 percent), supporting the view that this area served as the main market and manufacturing district.
Source - 640 CE
The system increased both in binary steps (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64) and decimal steps (160, 200, 320, 640, 1600).
Source - 994 CE
Complete drill bits vary from 6.33 to 30.89 millimeters in length, with an average width of 2.79 millimeters. Archaeologists documented between 994 and 996 weight specimens at the site.
Source - 1967
The site was "officially" discovered in 1967 or 1968 by J.
Source - 1989
The excavation was initiated in 1989, by the ASI under the direction of Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005. The excavation brought to light urban planning and architecture, and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and...
Source - 1990
It has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI, which opined that "Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to the understanding of the Indus Valley Civilization." Dholavira has been marked as one of the most important megalithic sites of Kutch, while the only other known megalithic site in Kutch is located...
Source - 1998
In 1998, another reservoir was discovered in the site.
Source - 2021
It was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Dholavira: a Harappan City on 27 July 2021.
Source
Photographs
6 photographs, each with its author and licence
More photographs
Lore
Evidence & Lore
What the sources actually support — and, kept apart, what has been claimed.
What the evidence supports
Dates
3500–2600 BCEHow this date was established: Radiocarbon datingThe range follows the re-dated first two occupation phases based on recent C14 datings and pottery comparisons.Source for this date
Measured facts
- Mainstream position
- The Archaeological Survey of India interprets the hemispherical structures by comparing them with early Buddhist stupas and named forms in the Satapatha Brahmana and Shulba Sutrass.Source: Mainstream position
- Location
- Khadirbet, Bhachau Taluka, Kutch District, Gujarat, IndiaSource: Location
- Excavation period
- 1990 to 2005Source: Excavation period
- Excavations
- 13 field excavationsSource: Excavations
- Hemispherical constructions
- seven found, two excavated in detailSource: Hemispherical constructions
- Spoked-wheel design
- one excavated structureSource: Spoked-wheel design
- Burial goods
- pottery, a copper mirror, steatite beads, a gold bangle, and other beadsSource: Burial goods
- Heritage designation
- Monument of National Importance, World Heritage Site, Tentative World Heritage SiteSource: Heritage designation
Alternative claims
Alternative claims about this site, kept in their own block and labelled with where they stand.
The hemispherical structures resemble early Buddhist stupas and their wheel designs recall forms mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana and Shulba Sutrass.
Where it stands
India
The pin marks the monument itself — its exact point.
- Coordinates
- 23°53′10″ N, 70°13′00″ EFor a GPS or map app: 23.88611, 70.21667
Access is as our sources describe it; we have not visited the site to check.
Nearby
The closest sites in the Atlas, by straight line.
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Sources
Every record behind this page, with the link it came from.
3 sources behind this page
- 01Wikidata Q9468wikidata.org
- 02Fringe claim sourceen.wikipedia.org
- 03World Heritage List entry 1645whc.unesco.org
Image files
- Dholavira archaeological site.jpgBhuppigraphyCC BY-SA 4.0
- Cicular houses Dholavira.jpgProf Ranga SaiCC BY-SA 4.0
- Dholavira gujarat.jpgHimalyanCC BY-SA 3.0
- White salt desert at Rann of Kutch.jpgProf Ranga SaiCC BY-SA 4.0
- Beads found from harappan site.jpgRanjith Kumar InbasekaranCC BY-SA 4.0
- Flamingos at Dholavira.jpgRahul AjmeraCC BY-SA 4.0
Report a correctionWrong date, name, photograph or source? Tell us and it will be put right.
Lore, kept apart
Legends and claims
These are stories and claims reported by the sources. They are not evidence, and they never stand in for the dating above.
- Tested: not supported
The hemispherical structures resemble early Buddhist stupas and their wheel designs recall forms mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana and Shulba Sutrass.
Source
Credit
Text, licence and sources
Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Dholavira" (English), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; authors are listed in the page history. Reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikipedia · Edit history and authors