The city of Dholavira from the Harappan age has found a place in UNESCOs' World Heritage Site this year. It is thus the 40th heritage property in India. The city is currently found in Rann of Kutch. This time UNESCO has also listed Rudreswara Temple in Telangana as a world heritage site.
🔴 BREAKING!
Dholavira: A Harappan City, in #India🇮🇳, just inscribed on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List. Congratulations! 👏
ℹ️ https://t.co/X7SWIos7D9 #44WHC pic.twitter.com/bF1GUB2Aga
PM Modi on hearing the news expressed his delight and described the site's importance as a link to India’s past. He said, "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. I first visited Dholavira during my student days and was mesmerised by the place. As CM of Gujarat, I had the opportunity to work on aspects relating to heritage conservation.”
It gives immense pride to share with my fellow Indians that #Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given @UNESCO’s World Heritage Inscription.
Another feather in India’s cap as we now enter the Super-40 club for World Heritage Site inscriptions. pic.twitter.com/yHyHnI6sug
The 77 year old retired director general of ASI, who supervised the excavation of the site, Ravindra Singh Bisht said, “This is recognition of my work. I am surely very happy. It is also a great thing as Dholavira is the first Harappan site from India to be inscribed on the world heritage sites list of UNESCO. I am doubly happy because I worked on Rani Ki Vav in Patan which has also been declared as a world heritage site of UNESCO.”
About:
- The dossier of nomination of Dholavira : A Harappan City was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in January 2020. The site was already on the tentative list since 2014.
- The site is one of the few places that have been preserved since the Indus Valley Civilization.
- The city dates from the 2nd millenium BCE.
- It is spread over 22 hectare and is the fifth largest site of the Harappan era.
- The city is said to have been occupied in 3000 BC to 1500 BC.
- The site is known as Kotda Timba and was discovered by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi. He was the director general of ASI between 1987 and 1990.
Dholavira is divided into three parts:
Raj Mahal- It belonged to the Raja / Ruler. It was situated at a height. It was surrounded by strong fortifications all around. There were four gates in this fort
Habitat of other officers- It also had a protective wall and had two to five rooms in each house.
Houses of the common town dwellers- It was made of bricks.
A big factory of making pearls along with copper distilleries were found in fossils found here. Gujarat has three world heritage sites — Champaner near Pavagadh, Rani ki Vav in Patan and the historic city of Ahmedabad.
GK Questions and Answers on the Art and Architecture of Harappa Civilization