Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c12.s1: Geography and Archaeological Excavations
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c12.s1
- Language
- English
Geography and Archaeological Excavations
v1.c12.s1.1
On the north bank of the great Dhāyā ridge, stands Harappa at the confluence of the two sukhrāvās (dry bed of Ravi). Its exact situation is in north-east-north of Harappa Road, a station on the North Western Railway with which it is connected by a Kachcha service road and 15 miles west-south west of Montgomery town, the District headquarters. From the latter, it can be reached along the canal bank road except for the last two miles which are traversed by the service road referred to above. (MSV, 2)
v1.c12.s1.2
From the sukhrāvās, the mounds extend southwards roughly in a parallelogram of which the circuit is nearly two and a half miles. Together with the low-lying tumuli, however, viz. Area G and J to the south-east, the cultivated fields to the east of the Thana mound and to the south-west of mounds AB and D, the cemetery H, and the low oval tumulus which forms the westward continuation of Mound F, the total circuit is over three and half miles. (MSV, 3)
v1.c12.s1.3
Although the site of Harappa has long been known to the archaeologists, it was Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahani who started excavations on both Mound F and AB in January 1921, and subsequently continued them during the winter seasons of 1923-24 and 1924-25. But from 1926-27 to 1933-34 it was Madho Sarup Vats who worked for eight years there. Not only he excavated the main mounds of Harappa, he continued southwards to explore the Cemetery H and area G also. (MSV, 11-12)