Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum

Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum
Location within Haryana
Location Rakhigarhi, Hisar, Haryana, India
Coordinates 29°10′19″N 76°03′53″E / 29.1719°N 76.0647°E / 29.1719; 76.0647
Type Museum
Public transit access Rakhigarhi bus stand, Hisar Airport, Hisar Junction railway station
Website rakhigarhi

The Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum, with a research center and hostel for researchers, in located in Rakhigarhi vilage in Hisar district of Haryana state in India.[1][2]

Location

It is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain,[3] some 27 km from the seasonal Ghaggar river.

History

Rakhigarhi, or Rakhi Garhi (covering Rakhi Shahpur and Rakhi Khas), is a village in Hisar District in the state of Haryana in India, situated 150 kilometers to the northwest of Delhi. It is the site of a Pre-Indus Valley Civilisation city dating to as early as 4600 BCE.[4] Built around 4600 BCE, it is the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, making it older than the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoa (Crete), and Norte Chico. It was abandoned in the 16th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the early 1963s.[5] Significant excavation has since been conducted at the site of the city, which was included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.[6]

The site has 9 mounds spread over over 350 hectares in size, out of which Archaeology Survey of India has fenced 225 hectares and deployed a watchman. Mounds 1, 2, 3, 5 and parts of mount 4 are protected areas owned by the village panchayat. Mound 6 a residential site, 7, 8 and 9 are under the private ownership of the farmers.[5] There are many other important archaeological sites in this area, in the old river valley to the east of the Ghaggar Plain. Among them are Kalibangan, Kunal, Haryana, Balu, Haryana, Bhirrana, and Banawali.[7]

Museum

The museum has artifacts, interpretation center, research center and a hostel for the researchers.[2]

In 2013, the Rakhigarhi village panchayat had donated 6 acre land to the Government of Haryana and the government had allocated INR 2.3 crore (INR 23 million or USD 350,000) for the general development of the site, work by the Archaeological Survey of India was put on hold after CBI inquiry onto mismanagement of the fund.[8]

In 2015, the Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum-cum-Interpretation Centre has been set up by Government of Haryana by budgeting an initial amount of INR 5 crore (INR50 million) on the 6 acre land donated by the village panchayat.[9][10][11]

In May 2016, development restarted after the Government of Haryana had taken possession of the land, finalized the site plan and released a further grant of INR23 crore (INR 230 million or USD3.5 million) in May 2016.[12]

The 350 hectare site, dating as far back as C. 4000 BC, is the largest Indus Valley Civilization site in the world, 50 hectares largest than the next largest site of Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan) followed by Harappa (Pakistan), Ganweriwala (Pakistan) and Dholavira (India).[13] Of the nine mounds, 4 are under the cultivated fields, 2 are inhabited, 3 are under panchayat land that has been fenced off by the Archaeological Survey of India, where Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute is undertaking ongoing annual excavations. The Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development is also spending funds from Global Heritage Fund.[8]

The whole site is being developed and excavated by the efforts of Archaeology Survey of India, Haryana State Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, Global Heritage Fund, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Seoul National University and village panchayat.

Gallery


External links

See also

References

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