Kunal is a
pre-Harappan Indus Valley Civilisation
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the Northwestern South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...
settlement located, just 30 km from
Fatehabad City in
Fatehabad district of
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Compared to other IVC sites, such as cities like
Rakhigarhi
Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site in the Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It is located in the Ghaggar River plain, some 27 km from the ...
and towns like
Kalibangan
Kalibangān is a town located at on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River) in Tehsil Pilibangān, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan, India 205 km from Bikaner. It is also ident ...
, Kunal site was a village. Excavation at Kunal show 3 successive phases of Pre-Harappan indigenous culture on the Saraswati river who also traded with Kalibangan and
Lothal
Lothal () was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, Indus Valley civilisation, located in the Bhal region of the Indian state of Gujarat. Construction of the city is believed to have begun around 2200 BCE.
Di ...
.
[ Kunal, along with its other contemporary sites ]Bhirrana
Bhirrana, also Bhirdana and Birhana, ( IAST: Bhirḍāna) is an archaeological site, located in a small village in the Fatehabad district of the north Indian state of Haryana. Bhirrana's earliest archaeological layers contained two charcoal sam ...
and Rakhigarhi
Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site in the Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It is located in the Ghaggar River plain, some 27 km from the ...
on Sarasvati
Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
- Ghaggar river system,[ is recognised as the oldest Pre-Harappan settlement,][ with Kunal being an older cultural ancestor to Rehman Dheri in Pakistan,][ which is on the Tentative List for future World Heritage Sites.Karez System Cultural Landscape]
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, accessed 10 July 2021.
Kunal is 12 km southeast of Ratia, 30 km northwest of Bhuna, 30 km northeast of Fatehabad, 70 km north of Hisar, 190 km southwest of Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
, 230 km northwest from Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Background
Site location
Site is located closer to other important IVC sites, such as 18 km northeast of Bhirrana, 45 km northeast of Banawali
Banawali is an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization period in Fatehabad district, Haryana, India and is located about 120 km northeast of Kalibangan and 16 km from Fatehabad. Banawali, which is earlier call ...
, 80 km northwest of Rakhigarhi, 85 km west of Balu, Haryana, and 150 km northeast of Jognakhera. It is 30 km northeast of Fatehabad city. It is 12 km southeast of Ratia and 12 km northwest of Bhuna on Bhuna-Ratia rural road.
From ''Digoh-Kunal Road'', on the spot where a yellow metal board with red colored Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
letters announces ''"Harrappa kalin sthal"'' (Harappan era site) with a painted red arrow below it pointing in the direction of the site,[ a 700 m long unpaved rural farm track to the west of ''Digoh-Kunal Road'' leads to this site. The site is immediate north (on right hand side) of the track. This track, perpendicular to both, connects ''Digoh-Kunal Road'' and ''Dholu-Mohammadpur Sotter Road''.
]
History of excavations
After 1986 discovery of Kunal as IVC site, it has been in 1992-93, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2017-2021,
[In Haryana's Kunal village, a glimpse of life before Harappa ]
Hindustan Times, 19 MAY 2019. 2023-24.[6000 साल पहले गड्ढा खोदकर घर बनाते थे लोग, साफ-सफाई का रखते थे ध्यान... हरियाणा में खुदाई के दौरान मिला प्रमाण]
navbharat times,10 jan 2024. The 2023-24 excavation will go 20 m deep to explore all three layers, and first layer was found at 3 m deep.[
Excavations has been undertaken by various entities including, the ]Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
(ASI), Indian Archaeological Society (IAS), National Museum of India (NMI, and the Haryana Archaeological Department (HAD). Excavations here are usually done in non-rainy season.
Kunal culture
Kunal culture: Based on the pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
found here, it is classified as a separate archaeological culture / subculture.[The Harappan Civilisation: Its Sub-cultures]
Daily Pioneer, 10 May 2018.
Cultural context
The earliest site of this culture is Kunal (4000 BCE)[ in Haryana which is older than Rehman Dheri (3300 BCE).][ The ''type site'', the first excavated site of this type of culture is Kot Diji.][ Rehman Dheri, which was considered oldest example of this culture, is now the second oldest example of this culture after Kunal was excavated and found to be older than Rehman Dheri with similar older cultural artifacts then the Rehman Dheri.][
Kot Diji and Amri are close to each other in Sindh, they earlier developed indigenous culture which had common elements, later they came in contact with Harappan culture and fully developed into Harappan culture. Earliest examples of artifacts belonging to this culture were found at Rehman Dheri, however, later excavations found the oldest example of this culture at Kunal. These are cultural ancestor to site at ]Harappa
Harappa () is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal, that takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs to the north. Harappa is the type site of the Bronze Age Indus ...
. These sites have pre-Harappan indigenous cultural levels, distinct from the culture of Harappa, these are at Banawali (level I), Kot Diji (level 3A), Amri (level II). Rehman Dheri also has a pre Kot Diji phase (RHD1 3300-28 BCE) which are not part of IVC culture. Kot Diji has two later phases that continue into and alongside Mature Harappan Phase (RHDII and RHDII 2500-2100 BCE). Fortified towns found here are dated as follows.[Charles Keith Maisels]
''Early Civilizations of the Old World: The Formative Histories of Egypt, The Levant, Mesopotamia, India and China.''
Routledge, 2003 [Sigfried J. de Laet, Ahmad Hasan Dani, eds]
''History of Humanity: From the third millennium to the seventh century B.C.''
UNESCO, 1996 p.674[Tejas Garge (2010)]
Sothi-Siswal Ceramic Assemblage: A Reappraisal.
Ancient Asia. 2, pp.15–40.
* Kunal (5000/4000 BCE- ),[ in ]Hisar district
Hisar district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana, India. Hisar city serves as the district headquarters. Hisar district has four sub-divisions that is, Hisar, Barwala, Hansi and Narnaud, each headed by an SDM. The district is also part of ...
of Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
in India is the earliest site found with layers in phase I dating back to 5000 BCE[Haryana Gazateer]
Revennue Dept of Haryana, Capter-V. and 4000 BCE,[ site's culture is an older ancestry of the Pre-Harappan site of Rehman Dheri which was dated to 3300 BC. A button seal was discovered at Kunal during 1998-99 excavations by ]Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
. The seal is similar to the Rehman Dheri examples. It contained a picture of two deer on one side, and geometrical pattern on other side. The similar specimen from Rehman-Dheri is datable to , which makes Kunal site an older ancestor of Rehman Dheri. The second phase of Kunal corresponds to post-Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
phase of Hakra culture (also called Early Harappan Phase, c.3300-2800 BCE or c.5000-2800 BCE) was also found.[Museum at pre-Harappan site soon](_blank)
''The Tribune'', 23 Dec 2020.
* Kot Diji
Kot Diji (; ) is an ancient site which was part of the Indus Valley Civilization, estimated to have been occupied around 3300 BCE. Located about south of Khairpur in the modern-day province of Sindh, India, it is on the east bank of the Indus R ...
(3300 BCE),[ is the ]type site
In archaeology, a type site (American English) or type-site (British English) is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and H ...
, located in Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
in Pakistan.
* Amri (3600–3300 BCE), also has non-Harappan phases during 6000 BC to 4000 BC, and later Harappan Phases till 1300 BCE.
* Kalibangan
Kalibangān is a town located at on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River) in Tehsil Pilibangān, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan, India 205 km from Bikaner. It is also ident ...
(3500 BC – 2500 BC),[ in northwest Rajasthan in India on Ghaggar River.
* Rehman Dheri, 3300 BCE,]UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
br>Karez System Cultural Landscape
/ref> near Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...
and close to River Zhob Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
in Pakistan.
Significance
Kunal, along with its contemporary Kunal and Bhirrana as well as Rakhigarhi, is recognised as the oldest pre-Harappan settlement.[ The carbon dating of Bhirrana site revealed that it dated back to 7030 BC (9,000 years old). The excavation in Kunal has shown that it is contemporary to the Pre-Harappa phase of Bhirrana site - the oldest Indus civilisation site - 18 km from Kunal. The artifacts found at Kunal have provided significant information about the "lifestyle, socio-economic milieu and food habit of the people who lived along the Sarasvati River in the ancient times. Kunal, Bhirrana and Rakhigarhi were contemporary habitation sites". The ]hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
containing gold beads and copper rings at Kunal are evidence of developed village farming communities with trade links to far-flung countries for the import of metal and precious stones which are not found in this area. Discovery of a button seal during 1998-99 excavations by ASI shows this site's culture is an older ancestry of the Rehman Dheri.[
]
Kunal culture is older ancestor of Pre-Harappan Rehman Dheri
Discovery of a button seal during 1998-99 excavations by ASI shows this site's culture is an older ancestry of the Pre-Harappan site of Rehman Dheri which was dated to 3300 BC. This seal found at Kunal, datable to , contained a picture of two deer on one side and a geometrical pattern on other side, which is similar to a specimen from Rehman-Dheri in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
.[
]
Earliest Pre-Harappan site
This site is recognised as an earliest Pre-Harappan site,[ with three successive phases of Pre-Harappan indigenous culture on the ]Saraswati river
The Sarasvati River () is a deified mythological river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda.
As a phys ...
who also traded with Kalibanga and Lothal
Lothal () was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, Indus Valley civilisation, located in the Bhal region of the Indian state of Gujarat. Construction of the city is believed to have begun around 2200 BCE.
Di ...
. The discovery of regalis (royal items) excavated from this mound are the oldest of its kind in the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
, Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
.[Haryana Gazateer]
Revennue Dept of Haryana, Capter-V. Discoveries include woman's complete dress, tribal head attire, copper spearheads, steatite seals with geometrical patterns (indicating seal making in IVC first begun here), terracotta antiques, arrowheads, fish hooks, two crowns, bangles, silver beads, gold pendants and over 12,000 beads of semi precious stones including lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
.[
* ''First phase -3 meter deep:'' Dates back to 5,000 years ago is the oldest habitation, which has large dwelling pits of 1.10 m depth and 2 m diameter, whose ]omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...
inhabitants also used Chalcedony
Chalcedony ( or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic ...
blades, fish hooks, pottery wheels, domesticated plants and animals.[ This site yielded Hakra ware at entry level. Houses were built on an artificially elevated place.] 2023-24 excavation found large smelters and kiln where poetry and beads were made, which indicates the Trade network with other places. Away from the dwellings the large deep pits were found which were used for disposing of rubbish, an evidence that people were cleanliness conscious.[
* ''Second phase:'' The dwellings are made of moulded bricks.][ A dwelling pit of two metre diameter belonging to ''post-]neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
phase of Hakra culture'' (also called Early Harappan Phase, c.3300-2800 BCE or c.5000-2800 BCE) was also found.
* ''Third phase - 20 meter deep:'' The final phase of excavation belongs to agriculturists who also reared domesticated animals and lived in houses containing living rooms, kitchens, toilets square and rectangular rooms built with bricks of standardised length-breadth-height ratio.[
]
Artifacts
Designs on pottery included pipal leaves (''ficus religiosa'') and humped bull[ which were important motifs found on Mature Harappan seals. Bone tools, micro blades made of ]chalcedony
Chalcedony ( or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic ...
, copper fish hooks and arrow heads were also found here.[ Six steatite seals and one shell seal with geometric patterns were found.][ These six seals were of square shape, made of grey stone and resembled typical Mature Harappan seals.][ Also found at this site are copper rods, rings, bangle pieces, terracotta objects like bangles, balls, animal figurines, net-sinker, toy cart frames, disk and toys, stone balls, shell bangles etc.][
]
Hoards
Large hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
s of jewellery were found at this location, including two silver tiara
A tiara (, ) is a head ornament adorned with jewels. Its origins date back to ancient Greco-Roman world. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions ...
s, gold ornaments, beads of semi precious stones etc.[ Number of hoards found at this site included silver bangle, copper tools etc.]
Copper smelting
Excavations on south-west side of mound revealed copper furnaces with smelting material and copper ingots and slags were also found at this site.[
]
Rice
Rice (probably wild) is found from Kunal as well as from Balu, both in Haryana.[
]
Conservation and threats
In-situ museum
Kunal Indus Valley Civilisation Museum, is an under construction in-situ museum announced by the Haryana government in December 2020. The HAD will finalise the design and state's Public Works Department will undertake the construction.
Protected status and threats
Kunal site has been granted the protected status by the Government of Haryana which has also constructed a boundary wall around it for protection. This unguarded important site remains under the threat of encroachment and theft.re[ Experts have demanded specific project for surveying the largest area with ground penetrating radars to determine the exact extent of the site and subsequent land acquisition by the government for its preservation.
Conservationists and villagers have demanded that the 1.2 km long unpaved track, connecting two paved roads, to the site must also be paved after changing its alignment (if needed) based on the ground penetrating radar surveys.
]
See also
* Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE ...
** List of Indus Valley Civilization sites
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Harappan Civilisation, was a major early civilisation, existing from 3300–1300 BCE. It covered much of modern-day Pakistan and northwest India, as well as possessing at least one trading ...
*** Bhirrana
Bhirrana, also Bhirdana and Birhana, ( IAST: Bhirḍāna) is an archaeological site, located in a small village in the Fatehabad district of the north Indian state of Haryana. Bhirrana's earliest archaeological layers contained two charcoal sam ...
, 4 phases of IVC with earliest dated to 8th-7th millennium BCE
*** Kalibanga
Kalibangān is a town located at on the left or southern banks of the Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra River) in Tehsil Pilibangān, between Suratgarh and Hanumangarh in Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan, India 205 km from Bikaner. It is also identifi ...
, an IVC town and fort with several phases starting from Early harappan phase
*** Rakhigarhi
Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site in the Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It is located in the Ghaggar River plain, some 27 km from the ...
, one of the largest IVC city with 4 phases of IVC with earliest dated to 8th-7th millennium BCE
*** Kunal, pre harappan cultural ancestor of Rehman Dheri
**
*** Hydraulic engineering of the Indus Valley Civilization
The ancient Indus Valley Civilization in the Indian subcontinent (located in present-day eastern-Pakistan and north-India) was prominent in infrastructure, hydraulic engineering, and had many water supply and sanitation devices that are the fi ...
*** Sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilisation
** Periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation
Several periodisations are employed for the periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation. While the Indus Valley Civilisation was divided into Early, Mature, and Late Harappan by archaeologists like Mortimer Wheeler, newer periodisations incl ...
** Pottery in the Indian subcontinent
*** Bara culture, subtype of Late-Harappan Phase
*** Black and red ware
Black and red ware (BRW) is a South Asian earthenware, associated with the Neolithic phase, Harappa, Bronze Age India, Iron Age India, the Megalithic and the early historical period. Although it is sometimes called an archaeological culture, ...
, belonging to Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
and Pre-Harappan phases
*** Kunal culture, subtype of Pre-Harappan Phase
*** Sothi-Siswal culture, subtype of Pre-Harappan Phase
*** Cemetery H culture (2000-1400 BC), early Indo-Aryan pottery at IVC sites later evolved into Painted Grey Ware culture
The Painted Grey Ware culture (PGW) is an Iron Age in India, Iron Age Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan Archaeological culture, culture of the western Gangetic plain and the Ghaggar-Hakra River, Ghaggar-Hakra valley in the Indian subcontinent, conve ...
of Vedic period
The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...
** Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum
* History of Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. The state houses several sites from the Indus Valley Civilization, which was a cradle of civilisation. In the Mahabharata, Haryana is mentioned as Bahudanayak Region.
Haryana has been ruled by various nati ...
** List of Monuments of National Importance in Haryana
** List of State Protected Monuments in Haryana
References
Citations
External links
Location of Kunal and other IVC sites
{{Haryana
Pre-Indus Valley civilisation sites
Archaeological sites in Haryana
Former populated places in India
Kot Diji culture