Intrigued over the new discoveries at Rakhigarhi in Haryana’s Hisar district last year, the State Government and Pune-based Deccan College PGRI, have jointly started fresh excavation at the site, which is estimated to be the largest Harappan civilisation site. Rakhigarhi is said to be the only site which has the remains of early, mature and late Harappan era at the same place.
Haryana Department of Archaeology & Museums is carrying out the excavation work alongwith the team of Deccan College, which had discovered artifacts, human skeletons among other things during their excavation work at Rakhigarhi last year. Initially, a provision of Rs20 lakh has been made by Haryana Government for the excavation work. This is for the first time when Haryana Department of Archaeology & Museums will engage in excavation operations at Rakhigarhi.
While talking to The Pioneer, Dr Ranvir Shastri, Deputy Director, Haryana Department of Archaeology & Museums said, “Considering the new discoveries made at the site last year, a decision to start fresh excavation was taken. Though a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is yet to be signed between our Department and Deccan College regarding this, both the authorities have started the joint excavation work.”
Shastri said, “The excavation at Rakhigarhi could throw up new information about the Indus Valley or Harappan Civilisation. It is believed that much of the Harappan site at Rakhigarhi lies buried under the present-day village and excavation work is likely to throw more light on the civilisation.” A team of nearly 50 people from Deccan College had last week reached Rakhigarhi and after a site survey, the excavation work had begun at the site. The excavation process will continue till March.
According to the archaeologists, excavations conducted so far at Rakhigarhi indicated that the settlement here witnessed all the phases of Harappan civilisation — the early Harappan (nearly 3,200-2,600 BCE), mature Harappan (2,600-1,900 BCE) as well as late Harappan (1,900-1,600 BCE).
Also, Rakhigarhi is believed to be the largest Indus Valley civilisation site spanning across a 350-hectare area compared to Mohenjo-daro situated in Pakistan, which is around 300 hectare. There are many Indus Valley civilisation sites across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, of which Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Ganweriwala in Pakistan and Dholavira and Rakhigarhi in India are well known.
Notably, it was in the year 1963 that Rakhigarhi was identified to have the remains of the Indus Valley civilisation. The ASI took the mounds in its protection in 1997 and the excavation that lasted from 1998 to 2001 revealed a city that was much larger than Harappa and Mohenjodaro, which are in Pakistan. Till date, several artifacts have been discovered, which are found to be about 5,000 years old.
During last year’s excavation conducted by Deccan College, a large number of artifacts, including a seal and a potsherd, both inscribed with the Harappan script; potsherds painted with concentric circles, fish-net designs, wavy patterns, floral designs and geometric designs; terracotta animal figurines, shell bangles, all belonging to the mature Harappan phase of the civilisation were discovered. Also, the trenches had revealed residential rooms, bathroom with a soak jar, drainages. Human skeletons were also discovered in the burial mounds.