Dholavira Tourism Resort Khadir Bet, Dholavira
Dholavira in Kutch is one of the five largest Harappan sites in the world and the biggest in India. The other prominent site in India is Lothal, which is close to Ahmedabad. Its located in the the Kutch region of Gujarat, in a monsoon island called Khadir island. During monsoon, sea comes in and the entire Khadir region is cut off from the rest of the world by surrounding water, as the water flows back it leaves behind a pure white sheet of salt which covers the region around till the next monsoon spell.
The area has seen successive settlements over 1500 years, and the fourteen excavations here over the past few decades have revealed much about the people and their lives here. The most recent has been the discovery of a 5000 years step-well here which is a matter of great pride for us all."This is almost three times bigger than the Great Bath of Mohenjo Daro that's 12m in length, 7m in width, and 2.4m in depth," said V N Prabhakar, visiting faculty at IIT and superintending archaeologist, ASI.
Northern Gujarat is a very desolate place, with huge empty spaces between towns. It’s where the barren Rann of Kutch, the white salt desert, is. From November to February, the Rann dries up and presents to us this endless white landscape. It’s during this time in winters, when the well-advertised Rann Utsav is held at the tent city next to the salt flats.Besides the Rann of Kutch, you can also visit one of the only 5 Indus Valley sites unearthed – in Dholavira. The others are in Pakistan and 1 in Haryana.
En route to Dholavira, you will cross more of the barren white desert with acid lakes, flamingos and beautiful villages which clearly have more of a Rajasthani influence than Gujarati. Northern Gujarat can be accessed via Bhuj, which in itself is a fascinating city to visit. It has recovered from its horrific earthquake of 2001 and hosts the beautiful Bhuj Palace which has the stunning hall of mirrors. Kutch was a fertile region at one time as is evinced by the ancient site of Dholavira and the fossil beds also show a past in which the region was thickly forested.
Dholavira is a rich resource for bird watchers. Thousands of migratory birds, including some of the world's extremely rare species throng the pastures of Dholavira during migration season. Dholavira's location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. ... It is located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch.
Archaeological and excavation sites almost define the tourism in Dholavira. One can visit this town in Gujarat for witnessing history's share of architectural marvels and be flattered by one of the most significant and popular sites of the Indus Valley Civilization. An experience borrowed from history will charm you as much as any other destination with scenic beauty or modern day attractions. One can also visit the Kutch Desert wildlife sanctuary while in Dholavira. Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Great Rann of Kutch, Kutch district, Gujarat, India, it was declared a sanctuary in February 1986
The plant fossils are at least eight metres long and about half to one metre in diametre. "Called petrified wood, the plant fossils of this size have only been found in Jaisalmer in western India. The samples found are similar to the plant fossils associated with the Lathi Formation (Jurassic) of Jaisalmer area. where the Geological Survey of India has established a plant fossils park in Akal," said KC Tiwari, principal investigator at department of geology in MSU, who conducted the study.
The Jurassic age pertains to the Aalenian-Bathonian period that dates back to 187 to 176 million years. On first-hand visual studies, the petrified wood samples were found to be associated with the Khadir formation comprising sandstone-shale-limestone sequence. They are fibrous and nature. Tiwari, however, added that the findings were subject to site verification. "I have conducted a study of samples given to me by the regional forest officer, SB Khamar, of Rapar in Kutch. We can establish the authenticity of the location only after a site visit," Tiwari said. To verify the exact plant species and age of the fossils, a detailed field and laboratory study is required.
