• Dholavira is one of the five largest Harappan sites and is located in the present-day state of Gujarat, India. It was a prominent city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, flourishing around 4500 years ago.

• Dholavira is renowned for its sophisticated water management system, which includes reservoirs, dams, channels, and other hydraulic structures.

• Dholavira was a well-planned city with three distinct divisions: the citadel, middle town, and lower town. The city also had a large stadium or public gathering area, suggesting community events or administrative functions. A remarkable discovery at Dholavira was the earliest known signboard, with inscriptions on a large wooden board, indicating the use of writing for communication or identification.

Harappan sites in India

Kalibangan (Rajasthan)

• First site to show ploughed field patterns.
• Fire altars, indicating ritualistic practices.
• Houses made of mud bricks instead of baked bricks.
• No large water reservoirs like Dholavira.

Rakhigarhi (Haryana)

• Largest IVC site in India.
• Evidence of multi-roomed houses, pottery, and jewelry making.
• Skeletons found suggest the continuity of Harappan genes.
• No evidence of large-scale fortifications like Dholavira.

Ropar (Punjab)

• First Harappan site excavated after India’s independence.
• Harappan culture overlapped with later Vedic culture.
• Evidence of burials with pottery and personal belongings.
• Found near the Sutlej River, showing river-based settlement.