UPSC Essentials: Historical Tidbits – Rakhigarhi – the archaeological site

Rakhigarhi, the important Indus Civilization site, is in news due to the ASI's latest excavations.UPSC aspirants must have the static and current information about the site for the Prelims- History and GS I- Art and Culture of UPSC-CSE syllabus.

The findings confirm both early and mature phases of this 5,000-years-old Harappan site of Rakhigarhi.

Essentials news, issues, and topics from History of India and the world for UPSC- CSE.

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: GS I- Indian Heritage and Culture

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Why in the News?

ASI’s latest excavation has revealed new archaeological findings. The major findings include drainage system, the structure of some houses, lanes, jewellery unit, copper and gold jewellery, terracotta toys, earthen pots, seals, a burnt-brick wall (possibility of a walled settlement), an aristocratic settlement, semi-precious stones such as agate and carnelian, two female skeletons buried with a plethora of pottery and adorned jewellery etc.

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What are the essential facts you should know about Rakhigarhi?

— It is the largest Harappan site in the Indian Subcontinent.

— It is situated in the Hisar district of Haryana and is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.

— The site was first excavated by Amarendra Nath of ASI.

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— Earlier Mohenjodaro (Pakistan) was considered to be the largest Harappan site until Prof. Vasanth Shinde and his team started fresh excavations at Rakhigarhi.

— The findings confirm both early and mature phases of this 5,000-years-old Harappan site of Rakhigarhi.

— An important find from this site is a cylindrical seal with 5 Harappan characters on one side and a symbol of an alligator on the other.

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— Ritual system is signified by an animal sacrificial pit lined with mud-brick and triangular and circular fire altars on the mud floor.

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— A DNA study from skeletal remains from the cemetery at Rakhigarhi found that the Harappan people had an independent origin. The study clearly negates the theory of the Harappans having ancestral links with steppe pastoral or ancient Iranian farmers.

— Rakhigarhi gives the first evidence of a double burial where the skeletons are clearly male (38) and female (25).

What is the idea behind this phase of excavation at Rakhigarhi?

According to the officials of ASI, the idea of this phase of excavation is to make the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi accessible to people by exposing the structural remains and conserving them for future viewing, along with providing amenities to the visitors.

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– Union Budget (2020-21) has proposed to develop Rakhigarhi (Hisar district, Haryana) as an Iconic Site.

– 4 other archaeological sites in Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Shivsagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat), and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu) will also be developed as iconic sites with onsite museums.

Point to Ponder: What is the Iconic Tourist Sites Initiative?

Manas Srivastava

Manas Srivastava leads the UPSC Essentials section of The Indian Express (digital). He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than five years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘LIVE with Manas’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

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