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.