Rakhigarhi and Sarasvati River

[S.Kalyanaraman]

Rakhigarhi
[Cross-posted in indo_iranian mailing list].

Excerpts from: Saikot Neogi, Did the Harappan empire extend to Delhi? in:THE
TRIBUNE, Sept. 18, 1999

"...Some of the recent excavations at the village of Rakhigarhi, around 150
km.from Delhi, have provided intersting findings on the Harappan
civilization... excavations have been conducted by Amarendra Nath, Directorof
the Institute of Archaeolgy...dating between 2800 BC and 3500 BC...
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) acquired the 224 hectares where the
remains have been found...in 1995...Raymond and Bridget Allchin (estimated)the
archaeological remains at Rakhigarhi covered an area of 24 hectares...
Later...J.M.Kenoyer established the site in an area of 80 hectares.  However,
both were way off the mark and the final expanse has now been established in
224 hectares."

This is a revolutionary discovery. If Rakhigarhi were the first site to have
been excavated (instead of, say, Mohenjodaro), it would straightaway have been
declared as the capital of the 'empire', if empire it was or simply as the
SARASVATI RIVER CIVILIZATION since Rakhigarhi is on the banks of the river.
The size of the settlement is remarkable when compared the size of the other
'cities': mohenjodaro (97.1 hectares); 
Harappa (65 hectares), Ganweriwala (81.5 hectares), Kalibangan (18.4
hectares). 

Let me cite from M.R. Mughal's report on his breathtaking finds of 424 sites
in Cholistan: "Ganweriwala. The discovery of another large urban centre of the
Indus civilization located midway between Mohenjodaro and Harappa in a region
with numerous Early and Mature Harappan sites is bound to have revolutionary
impact on our understanding of this highly complex civilization and its
sociopolitical and economic organisation, and changes in these institutions
through time. This discovery assumes great significance when a large city of
the fully urbanized stage of the Indus civilization is placed amidst
contemporary settlement sites, industrial centres and camp sites, thereby
demonstrating various parts of an integrative system not yet discovered
anywhere else in the Greater Indus Valley." (1997, Ancient Cholistan,p. 50).

Rakhigarhi with the finds of industrial centres and Hakra ware is likely to
pre-date Harappa (which will be confirmed only after carbon-14 dating in
process is completed) and make this the focal point of continued
arguments on the nucleii of the civilization among urban settlements of the
extensive domain ca. 3500 BC. The Rakhigarhi site holds high promise to
unravel many missing links... 

The links may have been with Iran (BMAC) via Kashmir...

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman

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