MUMBAI, INDIA, February 7, 2012 (Indian Express): A group of scientists has identified two circular structures at Dholavira in Kutch district of Gujarat, which they say is the first identification of a structure used for observational astronomy during the Harappan Civilization. The discovery by M.N. Vahia from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Srikumar Menon from Manipal School of Architecture and Planning (Karnataka) is crucial, say scientists, as it is the first direct indication of intellectual capacity of people in the context of the civilization and their relation to astronomy.”It is highly implausible that such an intellectually advanced civilization did not have any knowledge of positional astronomy. These (structures) would have been useful for calendrical (including time of the day, time of the night, seasons, years and possibly even longer periods) and navigational purposes apart from providing intellectual challenge to understanding the movement of the heavens,” said the paper titled ‘A possible astronomical observatory at Dholavira’ to be published in the forthcoming edition of Man and Environment.
Vahia said Dholavira, assumed to be an island at that time, is almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer and was an important center of trade. “Hence, keeping track of time would be crucial to the city. So far, there had been no positive identification of any astronomy-related structure in any of the 1,500-odd sites of the Harappan Civilization known today. The two structures identified by us seem to have celestial orientations inbuilt into their design. So, we have concluded that the two rooms in the structure were meant for observations of the sun,” he said.
He said the discovery will enable scientists to measure the intellectual growth of people of the Harappan Civilization. It could give valuable insights on how the mentalities of the civilization developed, in what ways they used the astronomical data to conduct business, farming and other activities.