Haryana approves plan to construct museum at pre-Harappan site in Fatehabad

The state government has approved plans for the construction of a museum and interpretation centre at a pre-Harappan site in Kunal village of Fatehabad district.

The state government has approved plans for the construction of a museum and interpretation centre at a pre-Harappan site in Kunal village of Fatehabad district. Officials said that work on the project would be initiated next year after the completion of all administrative approvals.

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Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of Department of Archaeology and Museums, said that the museum would help visitors gain more insights about Kunal’s history. “We will be setting up a site museum and interpretation centre at Kunal. The museum will give visitors insights about Kunal, the history, timeline of various excavations over the past years and the findings. The museum will have three galleries, along with open-air sitting arrangements and other visitor facilities,” said Bhattacharyya.

Kunal is one of the oldest pre-Harappan settlements and dates back roughly to the 5th millennium BCE (before the Common Era). The roughly 6,000-year-old site holds within it a rich legacy. Excavations at the site first started in 1986. Excavations have taken place in at least six times between 1992 and 2003. The seventh round of excavations in Kunal took place last year.

Excavations over the years have shown that Kunal was a rural village centre. Pottery or Hakraware sourced from Kunal gives evidence of the craftsmanship of the people of the settlement. People who lived here were great artisans, as demonstrated by the cultural material discovered, and are identified as Hakraware people, say experts. The core surviving area of the site is, at present, spread over five acres and is being protected by the state.

Bhattacharyya said that the conceptual design of the proposed on-site museum had been approved by the chief minister and the Public Works Department(PWD). The latter will be responsible for the construction of the museum. “The conceptual design of the museum has been approved by the chief minister. The architecture department is working on the drawing. Once it’s ready, we will start work. PWD will be responsible for the construction. It will take us two to three months for us to process the administrative paperwork after which we can start work,” said Bhattacharyya.

She added that the museum would be a good addition at the site since Kunal had become quite popular in the past few years. Officials said that while the final cost estimate is yet to be finalised, the department estimates that nearly ₹2 crore might be needed for the project. “The administrative approval of the financial costs is pending final approval,” said Bhattacharyya.