Harappan site dicovered in Haryana

Chandigarh, Feb 15 (UNI) The Haryana Archaeological Department has discovered a new Harappan site near 'Kirsola' village in Jind district.

Minister of State for Archives, Archaeology and Museums Meena Mandal today said the new site could produce ''valuable information about the downfall of the Harappan Culture and its merger with post-Grey Ware Cultures.'' The site was discovered on a link road from Julana to Kirsola village during an exploration expedition by a team of Archaeological Department led by Deputy Director J S Khatri.

She said the explorations were conducted by Archaeological Department from January 2006 onwards in the palio-channel of Drishadvati river, specifically in and around Meham of Rohtak district.

The discovery of Harappan city site near village Farmana, locally known as Daksh-Khera, led the departmental team to explore further areas towards Julana in Jind district.

Mrs Mandal said the site was spread over an area of 11 acre 5 kanal, rising to a height of about 4 meters from the present ground level.

The deposit contains two-fold cultural material of Harappan and Painted Grey Ware. The Painted Grey Ware had been associated with the Mahabharta period. The maximum portion of the site was intact and a little area was under cultivation.

The recently discovered site was situated near three sites namely Bedwa, Farmana-2 and Kheri Meham discovered earlier in this area.

These Harappan and late Harappan sites proved the existence of 5000-year-old civilisation in the area, the Minister said.

About 1500 Harappan sites had been discovered till now in India and Pakistan in the valley of Indus and its tributaries including Saraswati and Drishadvati.

Over 900 sites were located on the ancient banks or palio-channel of lost Saraswati and Drishadvati in Haryana and Rajasthan in India and in district Bahawalpur in Pakistan.

The Minister said the discovery of all these sites had proved that a large number of Proto-historic sites must have existed in the palio-channels of rivers Saraswati and Drishdvati.

Some of the important Harappan sites which had been discovered after the inception of Haryana included Banawali, Kunal, Bhirdana, Balu, Mitathal, Rakhi Garhi, Daultpur, Jognakhera, Farmana and Kirsola, she added.

UNI