NE BUSINESS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, FEB 1
Five iconic archaeological sites located across five states will be developed with on-site museums, announced Union finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the presentation of Union budget 2020 today.
The sites include Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Sivasagar in Assam, Dholavira in Gujarat and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu.
Rakhigarhi, Haryana
This is known to be the location of one of the five biggest townships of Harappan civilization that lie in India. The other four are Harappa, Mohenjodaro, and Ganveriwala that are located in Pakistan. The fifth site, Dholavira is in Gujrat and is on the list of the sites to be developed.
According to the Haryana government, excavations revealed a mature Harappan phase — a planned township with mud-brick and burnt-brick houses with a proper drainage system.
Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh
Hastinapur, near Meerut, as the site of the ancient kingdom of Kauravas and Pandavas over which the battle of Kurukshetra, described in Mahabharata, was fought. Artifacts were found at a nearby village, which archaeologists said, belonged to 2000 years before the Common Era.
Sivasagar in Assam
Sivasagar was the capital of the Ahom kings for almost a century — from 1699 to 1788 — and witnessed some of the major historical events of the state. It is home to some of the key historical monuments from the era including Rang Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Namdang Stone Bridge, Rudrasagar tank and temple, and Sivasagar Pukhurithers.
Dholavira in Gujarat
Dholavira — named after a local village — is the second of the two Harappan cities located in India. The city was said to be inhabited over 1,200 years from 3000 BCE through 1800 BCE. The site, unearthed in 1967, is being systematically excavated since 1990.
The artifacts found include terracotta pottery, beads, gold and copper ornaments and imported vessels that indicate trade links with ancient Mesopotamia. Besides, 10 large stone inscriptions, carved in Indus Valley script, were found which was billed as the world’s earliest signboard. Archaeologists suspect the people abandoned the town and returned to a simpler lifestyle.
Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu
The carbon dating of artifacts found at this excavation site in Thoothukudi district indicates it as a part of the ancient Tamil civilisation. The artifacts, scientists said, date back to a period between 905 BC and 696 BC.
