An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c45.1022

v2.c45.1022

**Sutlej valley.** Taking its rise in the Rakas Tal lake in Tibet and flowing through the mountains in a n.-w. direction for about 300 km, the Sutlej enters Himachal Pradesh where it takes a s.-w. turn and passing through the hills at a distance of 25 km to the e. of the Simla enters Punjab in Dt Hoshiarpur and debouches into the plains at the head of ROPAR in Punjab. Continuing its s.-w. course it captures the Beas and flows in the same direction till its waters combined with those of the Beas and Ravi captures the Chenab below Bahawalpur in Pakistan. In 1929 Vats discovered the Harappa site of KOTLA NIHANG KHAN in its valley (Vats, 1940). Excavation at DHER MAJRA by Prüfer in 1950 and other explorations up the valley suggested to him existence of Cemetery H culture deposits overlying the Harappa [4.9] remains (Prüfer, 1952). Between 1953 and 1956 Y.D. Sharma on behalf of the ASI conducted excavations at ROPAR, KOTLA NIHANG KHAN, BARA and SALAURA in the same valley. As a result a sequence of cultures from the Harappa to later times can be reconstructed on stratigraphic and typological grounds. The Harappa culture has been suggested by him to have flourished in stages, KOTLA NIHANG KHAN representing its mature stage and ROPAR I its later stages [4.10]. In 1972 Sharma re-excavated BARA and has suggested a pre-Harappa [4.8] affiliation of the BARA culture.