Issues Related to Rakhigarhi Site
Rakhigarhi, the small excavated site, was declared one of the ten most endangered heritage sites in Asia in the year may’2012. The Global Heritage Fund made this declaration due to the threat of irreparable loss and destruction. A huge development pressure was built upon this site, and on top of it was the poor management and looting, which led to the disruption of the site. Therefore, it was declared that the place needs protection; otherwise, it would become one of the biggest endangered sites. The site was not adequately taken care of, and the following evidence validated it: the iron boundary wall was broken, and the villagers sold out the artifacts of great importance on the site. They dug out the artifacts, and private houses were built on various encroached parts by the villagers themselves. Other issues, like soil erosion, illegal sand lifting, and theft of archaeological artifacts, led to the protection measures to be undertaken for the safety of this site. It was a punishable offense to sell the artifacts, yet it happened openly at the Rakhigarhi site. Also, the skeletons, which were of great importance for discovery and laying down the evidence, were destroyed due to the repeated activities of soil mining and cultivation that were being carried out there. Therefore Rakhigarhi faced many issues before it became an iconic historic site.
Rakhigarhi
The Indus River Valley flourished between the years 3300-1300 BCE. It covered the areas of northeast Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northwest India, respectively. The Harappan civilization all emerged and flourished in the Indus River Valley. The Archaeological Survey of India supervised the excavation of Rakhigarhi, the largest among the Harappan sites.
The Indus Valley civilization is always of utmost importance to our country because of many findings, such as widely used standardized weights and measurements today. The use of various metals like copper, lead, bronze, and tin started in that era in the Indus River Valley. The metallurgy department became popular after the discovery of these metals. The Indus script describes a lot about the Indus Valley Civilization; however, the writing is not understood well enough, so people have little knowledge about the organizational and governmental details.