Harappan stadia unearthed at Kuran

VADODARA: Since 1921 when the first Harappan site was discovered, the Indus Valley civilisation has been constantly throwing up surprises at archaeologists working in the Rann of Kutch.
The latest being the stadia at Kuran, a small village located in the Pachcham Island of Kutch. Experts say they were used for communal gathering.
Archaeologists say that if Lothal is famous for its dockyard and Dholavira for reservoirs, then Kuran should be known for its stadia unearthed recently.
After toiling for four months in the Rann, the stadia were excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) excavation branch of Vadodara. According to the team, this is the only village in the Indian sub-continent excavated till now, which has two stadia.
Superintending archaeologist Shubra Pramanik confirms that the two rectangular stadiums found at Kuran dates back to the Harappan civilisation. Elaborating on the structures, Pramanik said that the stadiums would have been used for communal gatherings, cultural programmes and games among other social activities.
The stadiums are situated on the southern side of the citadel having two gateways. The gateway number one happens to be the entrance to the citadel while the gateway number two leads a person from the citadel to the stadium.
The stadium number one is located 2.6 metres away from the southern side of the citadel and 30 metres from the southwest corner of the bastion. The length at the highest point is 24.75 metres and is 25.25 metres at the lowest. The stadium has a width of 8.25 metres and an extending height of 250 metres.
The stadium number two is situated to the east of stadium number one and is located at a higher level. This stadium, which appears to be in a step format, is 22.20 metre in length and 14.50 metre in width. Also, the stadium is 110 metres higher than stadium number one.
"The two stadia show much development in planning and construction. The fortified settlements and the structure found resembles to those in Dholavira, which suggests that migrants from Dholavira might have occupied Kuran."
This could be derived from the fact that the distance between the island from Kuran in Khavda to Dholavira in Khadir Island is about 30 kilometres.
The more striking features of the two stadia are the fact that they have been built keeping in mind the lower and upper strata of the community. The stadium number one was meant for the common people while the other stadium was for the elite class.
Pramanik states, "The work has been significantly rewarding as we could identify certain satellite villages during the course of exploration and excavation. Further excavation at Kuran might spring a few more surprises."