The mysteries of a mass graveyard of early Indians

This society, also known as the Harappan society, which was named after its first city, rose to prominence about 5,300 years ago in what is now north-west India and Pakistan. It included elegant farmers and traders who lived in walled, baked-brick cities. Researchers have discovered up to 2, 000 sites in India and Pakistan in the centuries since the civilisation’s primary finding.

The vast burial ground close to Khatiya village in Gujarat, according to experts, may be the biggest” pre-urban” cemetery of the society to have been found so far. The oldest coffins in this area are thought to be 4, 600 years old because they estimate that it was in use for 500 times, from 3200 BC to 2600 BC.

A single unbroken man human skeleton has been discovered so much, along with partially preserved skeletal remains such as skull fragments, bones, and teeth.

Additionally, they discovered a variety of burying relics, including more than 100 bangles and 27 shell beads. It has also been found that there are concrete jars, water cups, bottles, and bowls as well as ceramic pots and vessels, dishes, little pitchers. Pearls made of the semi-precious marble lapis lazuli are examples of small treasures.

Sandstone-lined burial shafts that point in various guidelines are among the distinctive characteristics of the tombs. Some have an oval shape, while others have a triangular shape. There are smaller cemeteries where young people were interred. The majority of the bones have dissolved due to the acidic earth, despite the bodies appearing to be laid prostrate.

According to Brad Chase, an archaeology professor at Albion College in Michigan,” this is a hugely important get.”

According to Prof. Chase,” Some pre-urban cemeteries have been discovered in Gujarat, but this is by far the largest- and so has the potential to reveal a greater diversity of burial types that will help archaeologists to more thoroughly understand post, industrial society in the region as well as provide important context for the other smaller cemetreies that have previously been found.”

Early Indus site excavations in Pakistan’s Punjab area, which is now Pakistan, provide some hints as to the Indians’ burying customs.

In contrast to the burial of the rulers in Egypt and Mesopotamia, they were not ostentatious. The deceased were not accompanied to the future by jewels or weapons. The majority of the bodies were encased in rectangular wooden coffins and covered in cloth shrouds. According to Jonathan Mark Kenoyer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a specialist on the Indus Valley society, the grave trap was frequently filled with pottery products before the tomb was lowered into it.

Some folks were interred with jewels that could not be passed on to others, such as rings, beads, and amulets. A metal mirror was used to bury some people. Adult females were usually found wearing shell bangles, which were certain ornaments that were buried with various types of vessels used for serving and storing food. Children and infants were typically never interred with any ceramics or decorations.

The health profile shows that the majority of the graves were” well fed and good, though some had evidence of arthritis and bodily stress ,” but there was no indication of significant wealth it.

However, the secret surrounding Gujarat’s enormous burying ground is still unsolved.

The revelation itself was fortunate for the experts. A group of University of Kerala antiquities students were being driven round by a village headman in 2016 when he showed them the location.

It was only 300 meters( 985 feet ) away from Khatiya, a 400-person small village that made its living by cultivating groundnut, cotton, and castor on rain-fed farms. Yet the grave was bordered by some of their fields.

” After storms, we may observe objects, such as pottery, rising to the edge.” Some claim that this place is haunted by spirits. But the former leader, Narayan Bhai Jajani, said,” We had no notion that we were living next to such a large cemetery.”

” Today, every year, researchers from all over the world come to our town to learn more about the people who were interred here.”

What tricks do Gujarat’s most recent tombs contain? Who were the individuals buried around?

Concerns about the value of this burial ground are raised by the sheer volume of graves in one place. Does it imply the existence of a larger settlement or did it serve as the social resting spot for several near settlements?

Given that the closest source of lapis lazuli discovered in these tombs possibly dates back to far-off Afghanistan, could it have also served as a divine cemetery for wandering travelers? Or could it have been used as a” secondary” burial ground where the deceased’s bones were interred separately?

“We still don’t know. We haven’t found a settlement in the neighbourhood yet. We are still digging,” says GS Abhayan, an archaeologist at the University of Kerala.

According to Mr. Kenoyer,” there must be some settlements that relate to the graveyard, but they are likely lying beneath current habitations or so far unknown.” The fact that the burials were made with clearly defined stone walls suggests that people were accustomed to using stone in construction. Rock structures and fenced settlements can be found between 19 and 30 kilometers( 11 to 18 miles ) from the cemetery.

We can learn more about some of the earliest Indians who lived and perished here by conducting additional chemical research and DNA tests on the animal bones.

There are still mysteries surrounding the Indus civilization, such as the reading, which has not yet been solved. In an effort to find a possible settlement, researchers intend to excavate the area north of the tomb close to Khatiya this winter. If they discover one, a portion of the issue will be unlocked. If they don’t, they’ll keep digging. We’ll had some solutions eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later, says Mr. Rajesh.