Harappan city of Dholavira listed among UNESCO World Heritage sites

Context: Recently, the Harappan city of Dholavira in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch has found a place in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, making it the 40th world heritage property in the country. 

• India had submitted the nomination dossier for ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City to the World Heritage Centre’ in January, 2020. The site was on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.

Key Facts about Dholavira

• It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi. 
• Locally this site is known as Kotda Timba (the fort mound).
• The site’s excavation between 1990 and 2005 under the supervision of archaeologist Ravindra Singh Bisht uncovered the ancient city, which was a commercial and manufacturing hub for about 1,500 years before its decline and eventual ruin in 1500 BC.

While Dholavira became the fourth site from Gujarat and 40th from India to make the list, it is the first site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India to get the tag.

• It is one of the very few well-preserved urban settlements in south Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE. 

After Mohen-jo-Daro, Ganweriwala and Harappa in Pakistan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana of India, Dholavira is the fifth largest metropolis of IVC.  

• The site has a fortified citadel, a middle town and a lower town with walls made of sandstone or limestone instead of mud bricks in many other Harappan sites.
• Spread over 22 hectare, the Harappan-era metropolis is the fifth largest archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating back to around 3000 BC and is believed to have been occupied till 1500 BC. 
• It draws its name from present-day village Dholavira.
• IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name.