| FACTS
& FIGURES
Languages : Gujarati,
Hindi, & English
Best time to visit : Winters
THE MOUND OF THE DEAD
The 4,500-year-old city of Lothal was
discovered in 1954. Dating back to the second millennium
b.c., Lothal was an important port on the Indian subcontinent
during the Harappan era. Lothal is an important archeological
site due to its scientific layout and a massive dockyard
that facilitated trade with other civilizations of the
time.
LOCATION
Lothal is located in the western Indian state
of Gujarat, about 85 km southwest of Ahmedabad. It was
on the banks of the mythical river Saraswati, which
has since dried up.
PAST
Lothal was discovered after India had
to give up the sites of Harappa and Mohenjodaro to Pakistan
during the partition in 1947. A flourishing and prosperous
city during the Harappan era, its culture can be divided
into two phases. The remains dating from 2440 to 1900
b.c. are of a mature and thriving Harappan culture while
those belonging from 1900 to 1600 b.c. represent the
late Harappan culture in its state of decline.
As in the other cities of the Indus Valley Civilization,
Lothal too had excellent architecture and town planning.
Excavations have revealed a town neatly divided into
two parts. The upper part or the acropolis was where
the ruler and other important people of the city lived
while the lower part was meant for the common folks.
The entire city had a scientific drainage system, well
laid-out, paved roads and a bath for every house, some
of which were double storied and built on mud platforms.
The most architecturally sophisticated part of Lothal
was its dockyard, which provided berthing facilities
for the ships. Constructed from kiln-fired bricks, the
dock comprised a basin 214 meters long, 36 meters wide,
and 13 meters deep. A 13-meter wide channel on the northern
side was included to facilitate entry of ships. Near
the dock were warehouses for storage of cargo brought
in by the ships.
Lothal was an active business center and had business
links with Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia. Beads made
in the city were quite famous and there is evidence
of a bead factory in Lothal. Pottery was another flourishing
industry. The ruins of a fire altar suggest that the
people of Lothal worshipped the fire god along with
the sea god.
The unique Harappan system of weights and measures
was used in Lothal too. Bricks were in a perfect ratio
of 100×50×25, and the decimal system was
used for measuring width.
TOURIST SITES
The major attractions in Lothal are
the vast ruins of the ancient city. The most important
are the sites of the ancient dockyard, the acropolis,
the lower town, the bead factory, the warehouses, and
the drainage system.
An archeological museum to the west of the ruins houses
the objects found from the sites like mirrors of bronze
and copper, perforated and painted potteries, toy bullock
carts, beads, jewelry and a variety of objects made
from stone, chert, shell, and bone. The museum also
displays seals from Bahrain, terracotta figures from
Sumeria, and objects from Egypt. Also on display in
the museum is a plaster of Paris model of the city based
on reconstructions made by archeologists.
SITES NEARBY
Five kilometers from Lothal is the Utelia
Palace, built around the turn of the century by Neknamdar
Thakore Saheb Sur Sinhji. The palace features five domes,
pillared galleries, balconies and porticoes and is a
typical example of the Indo-Saracenic architectural
style. It has a beautiful view of the surrounding village
and the Bhogavo River.
HOW TO REACH
The 78-km distance from Ahmedabad to
Lothal is covered in two phases. The first leg of the
journey can be covered by rail to reach Bhurkhi, which
is on the Ahmedabad–Bhavnagar railway line. From
Bhurkhi, there are regular buses that take very little
time to reach Lothal.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is a bit of a problem
in Lothal. There are not many hotels apart from the
Utelia Palace, a five-star Heritage Hotel seven km from
the archeological sites, and the Gujarat State Tourism
dormitory.
Tourists can enjoy hot lunches consisting of Gujarati
cuisine at the Palace Utelia.
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