INDIA: Minister of State of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel recently informed the Lok Sabha of India that funds for development of RakhiGarhi archaeological sites and its environs, repairing of boundary wall, pathways, public amenities, solar lights, and benches are being provided out of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Budget allocations. Excavation is also proposed at the site to showcase the archaeological remains in a holistic manner.
In the union budget of 2020 it was announced that five iconic archaeological sites located across five states will be developed, and Rakhigarhi located in Hisar district, Haryana is one of them.
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The ancient site of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur, collectively known as Rakhigarhi, is a village in Hisar District in Haryana, on the banks of now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati. It is situated 150 kilometres to the northwest of Delhi. It is the site of a pre-Indus Valley civilisation settlement going back to about 6500 BCE, and was also a part of the mature Indus Valley Civilisation, dating to 2600-1900 BCE.
Seven mounds are located here with a confirmed size in excess of 350 hectares. The site has yielded various stages of Harappan culture and is by far one of the largest Harappan sites in India which can be seen by the tourists. The site shows the sequential development of the Indus culture in the now dried up Saraswati basin.
Indus Valley Civilisation or the Harappan Civilisation
The birth of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), or Harappan Civilisation, home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilisations forms an important chapter of Indian History. It flourished during 2,500 BC, in the western part of South Asia – Pakistan and Western India.
The first excavations were done in the 1920s by the Archaeological Department of India in the Indus valley and unearthed the ruins of the two old cities, Mohenjodaro and Harappa. India is home to more than 100 sites related to this thousand year old civilisation, which are spread across various states, such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab. Here is a list of 5 best places:
- Lothal, Gujarat
- Kalibangan, Rajasthan
- Dholavira, Gujarat
- Rakhigarhi, Haryana
- Alamgirpur, Uttar Pradesh
- Balu and Farmana in Haryana
- Baror in Rajasthan
- Bet Dwarka and Bhagatrav in Gujarat.
