Dholavira:
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Dholavira is an archaeological site of a Harappan-era city.
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It is located in the Kutch district, Gujarat.
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The site is one of the very few well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia, dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE.
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The site is the 6th largest of more than 1,000 Harappan sites discovered so far.
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The site was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi.
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The site was a commercial and manufacturing hub for about 1,500 years before its decline and eventual ruin in 1500 BC.
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The site is an exceptional example of a proto-historic Bronze Age urban settlement pertaining to the Harappan Civilization (early, mature, and late Harappan phases).
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Why in News?
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It has been named the 40th Indian site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
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Dholavira is the first site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India to get the World Heritage tag.
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Key Features of Dholavira:
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Strategic Location:
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Dholavira was located on the island of Khadir when compared to other Harappan towns normally located near rivers and perennial sources of water.
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This allowed Dholavira to harness different mineral and raw material sources (copper, shell, agate-carnelian, steatite, lead, banded limestone, among others) and to facilitate internal as well as external trade to the Magan (modern Oman peninsula) and Mesopotamian regions.
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Property: The city’s property comprises two parts: a walled city and a cemetery to the west of the city.
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The walled city consists of a fortified Castle with attached fortified Bailey and Ceremonial Ground, and a fortified Middle Town, and Lower Town. A series of reservoirs are also found to the east and south of the Citadel.
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The great majority of the burials in the Cemetery are memorial in nature. Unlike graves at other IVC sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira.
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Other Unique Features of Dholavira:
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Cascading series of water reservoirs
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outer fortification
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two multi-purpose grounds — one of which was used for festivities and as a marketplace — nine gates with unique designs
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extensive use of stone as a building material
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an expansive water management system designed to store every drop of water available shows the creativity of the people to survive against the rapid geo-climatic transformations and
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the funerary architecture featuring tumulus — hemispherical structures like the Buddhist Stupas