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Fresh look at Dholavira

Sathish Moses' thesis on Dholavira has earned him global recognition

ALL FOR ARCHAEO-TOURISM Sathish Moses

Sathish Moses’ work on the archaeological significance of Dholavira has earned him international recognition. Every two years, Archiprix International compiles what it judges as the best among graduation projects in architecture, urban design a nd landscape architecture sent in from around the world.

Sathish’s research and recommendations on Dholavira have been published in Archiprix’ 2007 edition. He undertook the project as a B.Arch student of the Anna University.

Called “Living Architecture: Into The Future Via The Past”, Sathish’s thesis makes for an interesting read. It is a serious study about what is known as one of the six sites in India and Pakistan that throw light on the Indus valley civilisation. But it also has the appeal of an extended travel piece. The ruins of Dholavira are located in Khadir Island, part of Kutch in Gujarat. In the first week of December, 2005, Sathish took the Saji Express to Samkhiyari, which lies between Ahmedabad and Bhuj.

“Samkhiyari arrived well before the break of dawn. After an hour’s wait in the railway station, I hopped on to a 12-seater jeep and what followed was a bumpy ride on a mud road. It was the wee hours and the chill made me shiver. Before long we were travelling into the arid regions of Gujarat and moving closer to the frontier. We reached Rapar at 7 a.m. We recharged our batteries with a cup of chai made Kutchi style and resumed our journey on the Rann of Kutch.”

Wheels were off-limits for the terrain beyond Kotada, a tribal village 2 km from Dholavira. “The residents of Kotada have helped unearth the secrets of Dholovira. From 1991 to 1996, B.S. Bisht from the Archaeological Survey of India used about 600 people from Kotada in the excavation work.”

When he tried to pick their brains, Sathish was struck by their ignorance. “They don’t know they belong to India.” Just 22 per cent of Dholavira has been bared (according to the ASI), and Sathish sees a big role for these tribals in bringing the other to light.

In the 12 days he spent exploring Dholavira, Sathish has managed to gather a lot of “on-the-field” information about it. And his descriptions are detailed. Accompanied by pictures, they leave little room for speculation. “There are three distinct complexes – the Acropolis, a middle town and a lower town. Considerable planning had gone into the construction of the Acropolis. It is the most carefully guarded complex. The towering castle stands in majestic isolation and is splendidly defended by double ramparts. In the centre of each of the eastern, western and northern sides of the double defences, a big gate provides access to the castle through a flight of steps.”

From crossing bureaucratic hurdles to roughing it out at Dholavira, it is obvious Sathish has put in a lot of effort. And this hard work continued after he returned to the classroom.

He created a plan of action for Dholavira’s development. He studied three lines of reasoning on it. The ASI wants to further excavate the place and study it.

The Tourism Department of Gujarat wants to turn it into a tourist destination. And Martin Kneynor, who has been studying Indus sites, wants to establish it as a world heritage site. Sathish’s recommendation is a mixture of the three.

He makes out a case for Dholavira as a place for ‘archaeo-tourism’ and his plan factors in the development of places around Dholavira and the engagement of the locals in this process. Some details about Sathish’s thesis are found at archiprix.org.

PRINCE FREDERICK

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