Lothal Tourism : Introduction, Location, History, importance & Major Attractions.
INTRODUCTION & 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.
It is six kilometers (south-east) of the Lothal-Bhurkhi railway station on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar railway line. It is also connected by all-weather roads to the cities of Ahmedabad (85 km/53 mi), Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Dholka. The nearest cities are Dholka and Bagodara.
HISTORY & IMPORTANCE
lOTHAL is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilization. Located in Bhāl region of the modern state of Gujarāt and dating from 2400 BCE. Discovered in 1954, Lothal was excavated from February 13, 1955 to May 19, 1960 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the official Indian government agency for the preservation of ancient monuments. Lothal's dock—the world's earliest known, connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra when the surrounding Kutch desert of today was a part of the Arabian Sea.
MAJOR ATTRACTION
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.
INTRODUCTION & 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.
It is six kilometers (south-east) of the Lothal-Bhurkhi railway station on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar railway line. It is also connected by all-weather roads to the cities of Ahmedabad (85 km/53 mi), Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Dholka. The nearest cities are Dholka and Bagodara.
HISTORY & IMPORTANCE
lOTHAL is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilization. Located in Bhāl region of the modern state of Gujarāt and dating from 2400 BCE. Discovered in 1954, Lothal was excavated from February 13, 1955 to May 19, 1960 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the official Indian government agency for the preservation of ancient monuments. Lothal's dock—the world's earliest known, connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra when the surrounding Kutch desert of today was a part of the Arabian Sea.
MAJOR ATTRACTION
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.
