5 Famous Archaeological Sites In India

An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record. Mentioned below are some famous archaeological sites :-

1. Lothal, Gujarat

Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilisation. Located in Bhal region of the modern state of Gujarat. Discovered in 1954, Lothal was excavated from 13 February 1955 to 19 May 1960 by the Archaeological Survey of India. Resuming excavation in 1961, archaeologists unearthed trenches sunk on the northern, eastern and western flanks of the mound. Adjacent to the excavated areas stands the Archaeological Museum, where some of the most prominent collections of Indus-era antiquities in India are displayed.

Bernard Gagnon /CC BY-SA 1.0 | Lothal Bathroom Structure

2. Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Delhi

Mehrauli Archaeological Park is an archaeological area spread over 200 acre in Mehrauli, Delhi, adjacent to Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. It consists of over 100 historically significant monuments. It is the only area in Delhi known for 1,000 years of continuous years of occupation. The park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, ca 1287 CE, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India.

Varun Shiv Kapur /CC BY 2.0 | Tomb In Mehrauli

3. Rakhigarhi, Haryana

Rakhigarhi is a village in Hisar District in the state of Haryana in India, around 150 kilometers from Delhi. In 1963 archeologists discovered that the village was the site of the largest known city of the so-called Indus Valley civilization, a city that was much larger and more ancient than Harappa and Mohenjodaro sites. There are nine mounds in Rakhigarhi.

Archit Ratan /CC BY 2.0 | Rakhigarhi

4. Dholavira, Gujarat

Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization.

The site was discovered in 1967-8 by J. P. Joshi and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. At the time of excavation, unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as seals, beads, animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels.

Travelling Slacker /CC BY 2.0 | Dholavira

5. Kalibangan, Rajasthan

Kalibangan is a town located at Rajasthan, India 205 km. from Bikaner. Kalibangan’s excavation report was published in its entirety in 2003 by the Archaeological Survey of India, 34 years after the completion of excavations. Kalibangan is distinguished by its unique fire altars and “world’s earliest attested ploughed field”.

The excavation unexpectedly brought to light a two fold sequence of cultures, of which the upper one (Kalibangan I) belongs to the Harappan and the lower one (Kalibangan II) was formerly called pre-Harappan but now it is called “Early Harappan or antecedent Harappan”.