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Lost Cities

The Harappa story has unfolded over the better part of a century, and if we now know why this ancient civilisation appeared to have vanished, their script still remains a mystery. Let’s return to some key Harappan sites and revisit the secrets they gave up

Harappan Era: Breakthroughs & Enigmas (3000 BCE - 1700 BCE)

The hauntingly beautiful ruins of the Harappan city of Dholavira lie on a small crescent-shaped island called Khadir in the middle of the Greater Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. It is surrounded on all sides by salt and a salty marsh today. But it was not always like this.

Around 4,000 years ago, in its heyday, Dholavira was a vibrant port site and an emporium of the Bronze Age world, where ships from the Indus and the Persian Gulf called in with exotic fare like lapis lazuli, turquoise, copper, wood and fine cloth. All this was traded for goods made at Dholavira and its hinterland.

Let’s return to some key Harappan sites and revisit the secrets they gave up

 One of the greatest discoveries in the Indian subcontinent – that of the Indus Valley Civilisation – may have happened purely by accident but our understanding of Harappa is the result of painstaking work by archaeologists in the last 100 years. Catch the Harappan story, from finding India’s oldest recipe to DNA being given up by the dead

Harappa: Raising a Civilisation

From finding India’s oldest recipe to DNA being given up by the dead

The Harappans tend to dominate any conversation about the early history of the Indian subcontinent but the truth is, there were many other ancient cultures that existed before, during and after the Harappans . Catch the story of these often forgotten, ‘Others’.

Beyond Harappa: The ‘Other’ Cultures (3000 BCE - 900 BCE)

In the midst of a patchwork of small farms growing wheat, mustard and sugarcane, in turns, you will find one of the most talked-about excavation sites of the subcontinent in recent times. In 2018, archaeologists excavating at Sanauli, about 70 km from Delhi, in Western Uttar Pradesh, dug up a necropolis or cemetery with burials of what seemed to be a clan of warriors – sword-wielding men and women, who were buried with their weapons, wore helmets, ornate armour and even rode chariots.

Nothing like this had been found before, and what was really astonishing was the time period in which this clan lived. According to Carbon-14 dating, this necropolis went back to around 2200 BCE, making the warriors of Sanauli contemporaries of the Harappans, who were residing further west.

This was significant because it was unprecedented.

The story of these Other Chalcolithic sites and how they are piecing together the jigsaw of our ancient past

Where would you find the earliest-known ploughed field in the subcontinent or ancient tandoors that look just like the ones we use today? Discover these treasures and more at Kalibangan, a short drive from Bikaner in Rajasthan.


Kalibangan: A Harappan City Reveals its Secrets

In the arid scrubland of the Thar Desert, just 205 km from the vibrant city of Bikaner in Rajasthan, is evidence that ancient settlers tilled the land and lived off its bounty around 4,700 years ago. And what a bounty it must have been! For here, archaeologists have found evidence of the earliest-known ploughed agricultural field in the Indian subcontinent, on the outskirts of an ancient city near the now dried-up Ghaggar River.

These fields have been unearthed at the site of Kalibangan, which was inhabited by two sets of settlers – pre-Harappans and the Harappans – at different points in time. The fields were worked by the pre-Harappans in 2,700 BCE, while the Harappans settled here around a century later. The site gets its name from the dense distribution of bangle fragments found on the surface (Kalibangan means ‘black bangles’).

The discovery of the port of Lothal marked a landmark in Indian archaeology and our understanding of the Harappan Civilization – Here is the fascinating story of what is one of the oldest ports the world, and how some traditions have continued there for over 3000 years

Lothal: India’s First Port City

The discovery of the port of Lothal marked a landmark in Indian archaeology 

One of India’s two Harappan sites – Rakhigarhi – is still forcing archaeologists to revise our understanding of the Harappan Civilization. As another season of excavation ends, find out what secrets tumbled out of this site in Haryana.

New Findings at Rakhigarhi

The story of ‘seven women’ – Sapta Matrika and Seven Satis, among others – is an ancient theme that runs through Indian folklore, poetry and religious texts. But what is its connection with an ancient seal found at Mohenjodaro? Don’t miss this intriguing story by Pakistani Archeologist Parveen Talpur

The intriguing tale of the ‘Seven Women’ of Mohenjodaro

What did an industrial town look like 5,000 years ago? The answer can be found in Chanhudaro, whose people toiled hard to make exquisite items that were exported as far afield as Mesopotamia. Catch the exciting story of a small Harappan city with a big story


Chanhudaro: Bead-Makers of the Indus Valley

The Indus Valley Civilisation is almost always synonymous with the famous sites of Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Dholavira and Kalibangan. But in the shadow of its more famous sister cities is Chanhudaro, in the Sindh region of Pakistan.

Dated to the 3rd millennium BCE and located just 130 km from Mohenjodaro, Chanhudaro was an important manufacturing hub, and it made one of the most prized items in ancient times – carnelian beads, among other things.

The famous Molela Terracottas – exquisite votive plaques depicting folk and tribal gods – are made by only a handful of artisans in a small village near Udaipur. Find out why they are unique and how they can be saved

The Exceptional Terracottas of Molela

4,000 years ago, Dholavira stood as one of the grandest cities of the Harappan Civilization—an architectural marvel that tamed the harsh salt desert of Kutch with ingenious water systems and urban planning. Its legacy still lives on in the earthquake resistant circular houses or Bungas of Kutch. Catch the story.

Dholavira & the Story of a Civilization

Drive seven hours North from Ahmedabad, deep into the arid stretch of Kutch and you will come across an island amidst the salt pans, the site of a mega city in the Harappan times. More than 4000 years ago, Dholavira was one of the largest cities of its time. It was also one of the oldest, in continuous occupation for over 1200 years.

First discovered by archaeologist JP Joshi in 1956, excavations at Dholavira started only 35 years later in 1990 under RS Bisht of the Archaeological Survey of India. Spread over an area of 100 hectares, the site of Dholavira shows a continuous evolution and studies here have brought out some fascinating aspects of the Harappan Civilization.

Trails

The Making of Jaipur

Pune before the Peshwas 

Tales of Shahjahanabad

DHOKRA BANKURA HORSE

Lippan turquoise mirror | Handmade in India

Candle stand in bastar wrought iron | Handmade in india

Terracotta Harappan Elephant Seal Replica with Frame

The small village of Molela in Rajasthan is famous for its terracotta plaques, an art form that goes back 800 years

The small village of Molela in Rajasthan is famous for its terracotta plaques, an art form that goes back 800 years. Catch the story of how the artists are struggling to keep this tradition of making alive. 

Keeping the Molela Terracotta Legacy Alive 

Keeping the Molela Terracotta Legacy Alive | The Power of One

The Secrets of Ladakh: A Rare Journey

Dholavira: Tracing the Story of the Harappans

South Asian Masterpieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Revisiting India’s First Port City: Lothal

Join us on unforgettable journeys week after week and meet those who are defining the way we look at history

Keeping the Molela Terracotta Legacy Alive | The Power of One

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