Kerala University asst prof wins Chinese Academy of Social Sciences award for discovery of Harappan cemetery in Kutch
Rajesh S V was conferred with the prestigious Field Discovery Award at the fifth Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF) held in China.
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Prof Rajesh SV (third from right) with his medal during the Shanghai Archaeology Forum, in Shanghai. (Express Photo)Prof Rajesh S V, an Assistant Professor at the University of Kerala, has won the prestigious Field Discovery Award given by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences of Shanghai University for his discovery of an early Harappan cemetery in Juna Khatiya village in Gujarat’s Kutch district.
The assistant professor, who works with the Department of Archaeology at the University of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, was conferred with the medal at the fifth Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF) organised in China’s Shanghai between December 15 and December 18. The award carries a medal and a certificate and is given by the Institute of Archaeology at the Shanghai University academy.
“The Early Harappan Cemetery at Juna Khatiya, Gujarat, India (c.3200—2600 BCE)” selected for the 2023 SAF Field Discovery Award. We warmly congratulate you for the remarkable contributions you have made to the field of archaeology,” reads the certificate.
Prof Rajesh’s discovery was selected from among 131 entries from across the globe. (Express Photo)
Prof Rajesh’s discovery was selected from among 131 entries from across the globe. His was the only entry from India in the discovery segment and among three from Asia. A total of nine field discovery awards were conferred during SAF 2023.
The Kerala University professor and his team had discovered the Juna Khatiya archaeological site with the help of the then Juna Khatiya village sarpanch Narayan Jajani in 2016. A multidisciplinary team led by the professor, which included international domain experts, excavated 197 burials at the cemetery which is spread over 16 hectares. The archaeological remains helped the team determine that the cemetery was used from 3200 BC to 2600 BC, a period which is considered to be the early stage of the Harappan civilisation in the Indus valley.
The award carries a medal and a certificate and is given by the Institute of Archaeology at the Shanghai University academy. (Express Photo)
The Juna Khatiya cemetery is located on the edge of the Great Rann of Kutch in Lakhpat taluka of Gujarat’s Kutch district on the Indo-Pakistan border. It is the largest Harappan burial ground to be discovered in India.
The existence of such a large burial ground has perplexed archaeologists as they have not been able to discover any large human settlement around that site. Prof Rajesh said he and his team have plans to excavate a new archaeological site called Padta Bet near the archaeological site of the cemetery in February next year.
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