Khatiya, also known as Khatia, is a village in Gujarat, India.[1] It is located in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district.[2] It is close to the India-Pakistan border.[3]
Khatiya | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Khatiya Location in Gujarat, India  Khatiya Khatiya (India) | |
| Coordinates: 23°39′16″N 68°40′28″E / 23.654455834670635°N 68.67443916416588°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Kutch |
| Taluka | Lakhpat |
| Languages | |
| • Native | Kutchi |
| • Official | Gujarati |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Khatiya has received international attention in recent years due to archaeological finds pertaining to the Indus Valley Civilisation.[4][5]
Archaeological excavations
editIn 2018, a mass burial site with about 500 graves along with many artifacts were unearthed in Khatiya. No signs of nearby settlements were found around the necropolis, which puzzled archaeologists.[6][7] In 2024, remains of a settlement were found in Padta Bet which is situated about 1.5 kms from Khatiya.[8][9] Most burial pits had 5 to 6 pots recovered from them but one had 62. The burial structures, made from sandstone and shale, had boulders of basalt used as covering in some. Clay was used to bind the building materials.[10]
The burial site at Juna Khatiya has yielded one intact male human skeleton plus other partly preserved skeletal remains including skull fragments, bones and teeth. Many burial artifacts such as bangles, beads made of shell, ceramic vessels, bowls, dishes, pots, small pitchers, beakers, clay pots, water cups, bottles and jars were also unearthed.[3][11]
The excavation of settlement site at the hillock of Padta Bet has yielded remains of a circular structure and other rectangular structures of varying sizes and made of locally available sandstone and shales. According to Rajesh S. V., one of the leaders of the archaeological team, the presence of pottery, artifacts, and animal bone fragments are indicative of the occupation of Harappan people in the region from the Early Harappan to Late Harappan periods circa 3200 BCE to 1700 BCE, and the evidence of ceramics also indicate the presence of Early Harappan, Classical Harappan, and Late Harappan type.[9]
References
edit- ^ Kalyana Mitra: Volume 1: Archaeology. Blue Rose Publishers. 2023-02-01.
- ^ Kuriakose, Ronnie (2024-06-06). "Unearthing the past". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ a b "The mysteries of a mass graveyard of early Indians". BBC. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ "Kerala University asst prof wins Chinese Academy of Social Sciences award for discovery of Harappan cemetery in Kutch". The Indian Express. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ "Lakhpat settlement sheds light on smaller Harappan sites". The Times of India. 2024-04-08. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "At a Kutch Harappan graveyard, team works to unlock a mystery: Life and times of those buried". The Indian Express. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ "Near Kutch Harappan graveyard, remains of a skeleton and the key to a puzzle". The Indian Express. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "A 500-Grave Kutch Necropolis Leads To 5,700-Year-Old Harappan Settlement". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ a b George, Sarath Babu (2024-04-03). "Archaeological excavation reveals 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement in Kachchh, Gujarat". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Gujarat's Harappan necropolis reveal death rituals of 5,000 years ago". The Times of India. 2023-01-08. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ "5,000-year-old human skeleton found in Kutch". The Times of India. 2019-03-12. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-11.