Khadirbet is located about 200 km north of Bhuj. Dholavira village is inhabited on this bat. This village, which looks like any other ordinary village in Kutch, has an unusual history.
If we go to the north about one kilometer away from the village, we come to the area of 'Kotda Timba'. Simply, this same area makes the village unusual.
It was here that Dholavira, the town of modern culture of that time, thrived five thousand years ago.
Dholavira - International Port
Here the ground has been scanned by ‘Ground penetrating radar (GPR)’. This scanning revealed that at that time the city had a system of dams, canals, reservoirs, wells, wells and wells.
The culture of the Indus Valley was known for ‘Modern Town Planning’. Cities of this culture are still considered ideal for their houses, architecture, public places, sewerage system.
The Indus Valley Civilization had gained great mastery in weight regulation, measurement, ceramics, arts and crafts and despite being situated in the desert, Dholavira was a metropolis of Indus Civilization and extremely rich.
The engineering skills of the Indus Valley Civilization were employed here at that time to meet the water scarcity caused by the desert.
Professor Vasant Shinde, vice-chancellor of the Deccan College of Archeology, told the BBC that "the people of the Indus Valley Civilization had built a modern city in the Kutch desert at that time."
"Dholavira was of commercial importance to the people because Dholavira was in need of an 'international port'," he says.
Water management and engineering skills
According to the professor, the survey was conducted there before Dholavira was settled.
Dholavira's geographical location could have developed it as a trading port. The problem, however, was that the place was deserted on all four sides.
The people of Indus Valley had found an interesting solution to the problem of desert all around.
Talking about this, Professor Shinde said, "There are seasonal rivers named Mansar and Manhar on both sides of Dholavira."
"These rivers have water during the monsoons. So they decided to divert this water to the city."
"They built check dams at different places on both the rivers and in the monsoon, whenever there was water or flood, they diverted all the water to the city."
"Underground tanks were built in the city to store this water and he connected the three tanks through an 'underground water tunnel'. That way he solved the water problem."
The problem of water was removed so the people of Indus Valley brought prosperity even in the desert.
Professor Vasant Shinde believes that if the 'Harappan technique' is used, the desert of Kutch can also be made green.
The three great cultures of the ancient world
Getty Images Paintings created during Egyptian culture
Three major cultures existed in the world about five thousand years ago today.
Ancient Egyptian culture built majestic towns and palaces on the banks of the Nile.
The culture of Mesopotamia developed along the Tigris-Euphrates River in western and central-eastern Asia.
At the same time a culture developed on the banks of the river Indus. Which was considered the most modern and urban culture of the time.
Cities of Indus culture in Gujarat
It is also known as the Indus Valley Civilization as it developed along the Indus River in the west of present day India and east of Pakistan.
Harappa in Pakistan was an important center of this culture and hence this ancient culture is also known as 'Harappan culture'.
The origins of this Indus Valley civilization extended as far north as Afghanistan and as far south as Gujarat.
Harappa, Ganeriwala, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Kali Bangla, Rakhigarhi, Rupar and Lothal were important cities of this culture.
Dholavira in Kutch and Lothal near Ahmedabad are archeological sites of Indus Valley culture in Gujarat.
Professor Shinde considers this culture as the foundation of Indian culture. According to him, today's life in India is based on the same culture.
Period of culture
The 'Archaeological Survey of India' covers the period of Indus Valley Civilization. 1500 BC BC counts up to 3 thousand years.
However, some researchers consider the Indus Valley Civilization to be even more ancient.
The author of the book 'Indus Valley Civilization', Dr. According to Samar Kandu, this culture started 6,000 years ago.
Professor Shinde also believes that this culture evolved more than five thousand years ago.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Shinde said: "Recent excavations at Rakhigarhi and other sites have revealed indications that the Indus Valley Civilization is at least five and a half thousand years old."
Talk of the fall
There is also controversy over how the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed.
One view is that the arrival of the Aryans in India destroyed the Indus Valley Civilization.
Sir Robert Eric Martimer Wheeler, a British Army officer and archaeologist, claimed that the Aryan raids from Central Asia had destroyed the culture.
However, Professor Shinde refutes this claim, stating that "the collapse of this culture was due to climate change."
He adds, "At that time, a lasting change was felt not only in South Asia but all over the world. This is the reason why the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia have returned. "
The film 'Mohenjo-daro', set against the backdrop of Indus Valley culture, blames water for the destruction of this culture.
The ‘National Institute of Oceanography’ indicates that the collapse of this culture was due to water.
Research by the institute has found indications that the devastating tsunami off the coast of Kutch may have claimed Dholavira.
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