417 / 822
mounds and three smaller ones, the latter being noted for suburban
settlements. The main town is 800m east-west and 650m north-
south. B.S. Bhist, who excavated the site, has identified three
sectors of the town as the Citadel or Castle, Middle Town and
Lower Town which correspond in
Rig Vedic
terminology to
parama,
madhyama
and
avama
used for denoting three different orders or
types of settlements mentioned in the Vedic literature.
The citadel, 300 X 140-160m has four gateways and is insu-
lated by wide, open areas which are further enclosed by massive
stone walls, 15-18m in height. The western gateway leads to the
Middle Town, the eastern to the Lower Town and the northern to
the open space. The Middle Town, 360 X 250 m, is separated from
the outer walls by open areas. The buildings within the three quad-
rangles of the citadel are reduced to debris due to natural calamity,
which in this case is supposed to be an earthquake.- The most
striking architectural feature of Dholavira is the Gateway complex
in the northern arm of the citadel. It is reached by a flight of steps
and guard rooms on either side. A sunken passage leads to cham-
bers at the higher level. There is also an impressive terrace. A
large wooden board was inlaid with Indus signs of faience, 37 cm
long and 27 cm wide. The clearly visible signs convey the meaning
"Lord of Lords or Protector of Protectors", indicating thereby
that Dholavira was politically important. The massive fortifi-
cations with bastions, the imposing entrance to the palace em-
bellished with polished limestone bases, shafts and capitals
and the procession path overlooking the Lower Town are sug-
gestive of the political and strategic importance of the town,
situated in the delta.of the ancient Sarasvati river which was
not only sacred but also the arterial line connecting the
Gangetic valley with the Gulf of Kutch. Ships could go from
there to Lothal on the one hand and Bahrain on the other. What
is however baffling is that despite its strategic and political im-
portance its commercial importance was far less than that of
Lothal, the most important sea port of the Indus Civilisation.
The number of seals and sealings found at Dholavira is meagre
compared to its size. Lothal has yielded 217 seals and sealings
while Dholavira has only 35 of these long distance trade
mechanisms. The only significant industry of Dholavira was
bead-making. The use of stone for construction of fort walls
and other buildings unlike in Lothal and Indus valley has re-
tained much of the architectural features of this important town.
Eternal India
encyclopedia
ARCHAEOLOGY
Fig : 18 - Dholavira: A large inscription inlaid in wood
From the point of evolution of Indus script almost all seal-inscrip-
tions of Dholavira are written in the cursive script with hardly any
true picture retained, thereby confirming the simplification of Indus
writing in later phase as in Lothal, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
But this change is noticeable in the mature Harappan phase itself at
Dholavira. Although there is a pre-Harappan phase of occupation
of the site the planning of the town seems to have taken place later
than in other major Harappan settlements. An important contribu-
tion made by the Harappans at Dholavira is cremation of the dead
which was also noticeable at Harappa, Mehi and Damb Bhuti. A
more careful excavation of the remaining part of the mound may
yield structural remains of ritualistic significance such as altars for
fire-worship and animal sacrifice comparable to those of Lothal and
Kalibangan. The decline of the Harappa Culture clearly visible in
the material remains of Lothal, Rangpur and Prabhasa is noticeable
in the last days of Dholavira, but it does not go as far as it is seen
in Rangpur where the rejuvenation of the culture in the form of
Lustrous Red Ware is patent. The decline of Dholavira is attribut-
able partly to siltation and partly to earthquake.
Banawali
This small Harappan town on the northern bank of the Hakra,
the former Sarasvati, in Punjab (India) is noted for three cultural
periods, namely the Pre-Harappa (Period I), Harappa (Period II)
and Late Harappa (Period III), assigned by the excavator R.S.
Bisht to 2500-2200 B.C., 2200-1700 B.C., and 1700 - 1500 B.C.,
respectively. The assemblage of pottery and other artefacts of
Period I bears resemblance to that of Kalibangan I but the pottery
survives into the Harappa Culture of Period II along with other
typical Harappan wares. The township of Period II was divided into
two parts. The south-western part is designated as Citadel and the
rest of the settlement as Lower Town. A mud brick wall encloses
the whole town which is entered through two passages. Although
the buildings within are not very impressive, the occurrence of a
curved fire place in a house of 11 rooms and the location of a fire-
place near the worship room in another building throw light on the
religion of the Harappans. An apsidal brick temple with an altar
proves that temples for worship were built in the later phase of
Harappa Culture. The absence of sanitary arrangements, and the
Fig : 19 - Banawali: Plan of a typical house