Dholavira in Gujarat on UNESCO World Heritage list

The Harappan city of Dholavira, in present-day Gujarat, was named the 40th Indian site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

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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.

The IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name.

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.

Some of the unique features of the Dholavira site are a cascading series of water reservoirs, outer fortification, two multi-purpose grounds — one of which was used for festivities and as a marketplace — nine gates with unique designs, and funerary architecture featuring tumulus — hemispherical structures like the Buddhist Stupas.

While unlike graves at other IVC sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira. Remains of a copper smelter indicate of Harappans, who lived in Dholavira, knew metallurgy.