Lothal

Lothal was excavated from 1955 and revealed a planned Harappan settlement whose building began around 2300 BC with a citadel, lower town, drains, a bead-making workshop and warehouse platforms. Its most discussed feature is a large trapezoidal basin lined with baked brick with an inlet channel and what appears to be a sluice, interpreted by the excavator as a tidal dock connected to a river and used for seagoing trade with Mesopotamia; other archaeologists have argued it was a reservoir. The site museum holds beads, seals, weights, tools and pottery. Little is signposted beyond the museum and the outlines are low and eroded.

History

Before the Harappans arrived, about 3000 BCE, Lothal was a small village by a river with access to the Gulf of Khambhat, and building of the Harappan city is believed to have begun around 2300 BCE. Its name means "mound of the dead" in Gujarati, and as late as 1850 boats could still sail up to the mound; after the Indus heartland at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa declined, Lothal seems to have survived and thrived for many years, until storms and floods destroyed it (Wikipedia, Lothal).

What you'll find

• The brick basin - the structure interpreted as an early dock.
• The town plan - streets, drains and house foundations of a Harappan settlement.
• The bead workshop - the area where carnelian beads were made.
• The site museum - seals, weights, beads and pottery from the excavation.

When to go

November to February; the site is flat, exposed and brutally hot from March. Mornings are best. Weekdays are quiet with few visitors.

Practical notes

The remains are low brick outlines needing interpretation, and the dock function is still debated. Signage is minimal outside the museum. There is almost no shade.

Nearby

Ahmedabad lies northeast; Nalsarovar is north.

Key facts