Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 15 MARCH: In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State of Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel, today, announced that Rakhi Garhi in Hisar, is being developed as one of the five identified iconic archaeological sites.
The ancient site of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi, located on the right bank of now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati. Seven (07) mounds are located here. The site has yielded various stages of Harappan culture and is by far one of the largest Harappan sites in India. The site shows the sequential development of the Indus culture in the now dried up Saraswati basin.
For development of the sites and its environs, repairing of boundary wall, pathways, public amenities, solar lights, benches are being provided. Excavation is also proposed at the site to showcase the archaeological remains in a holistic manner.
In the union budget of 2020 it was announced that Five iconic archaeological sites located across five states will be developed. One of which is Rakhigarhi located in Hissar district, Haryana.
The funds will be met out within ASI Budget allocations.
The expenditure for the current financial year 2020-2021 (Up to 08/03/2021) is Rs. 11,51,763.00/-
Among Asia’s 10 most significant sites
- There are nine mounds at the site of which the mound numbers one to six are residential localities of pre-formation age early Harappan settlement while mound number 7 is a cemetery where four human skeletons were recovered by the excavators.
- Global Heritage Fund, an international organisation working for the protection of endangered sites in the developing world, had also included Rakhigarhi in Asia’s 10 most significant archaeological sites facing irreparable loss and destruction.
- Archaeologists have concluded that at the most flourished point of this city 5,000 years ago, no less than 50,000 was the population of Rakhigarhi and around 14 generations of Harappans had lived before they migrated from here when the land turned dry in the absence of water in the region.
- Archaeological findings and scientific data have indicated that Rakhigarhi had been the more important centre of the Indus Valley Civilisation than the townships of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro located in Pakistan.
