Photos: A glimpse of pre-Harappan life at Haryana’s Kunal village | Hindustan Times
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Photos: A glimpse of pre-Harappan life at Haryana’s Kunal village

Updated On May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

At a distance of 12 km from Haryana’s Ratia tehsil, Kunal village is one of the oldest pre-Harappan settlements and dates back roughly to the 5th millennium BC. First discovered in 1986, the site has been excavated seven times. The last excavation ended two weeks ago, and the findings would be released in a year. The artefacts dug out give an insight into the life during that period. The site has also provided employment to the villagers who are hired to conduct the excavations.

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People work during an excavation at a pre-Harappan site, at Kunal village, in Ratia tehsil of Fatehabad district in Haryana. The village is one of the oldest pre-Harappan settlements. The seventh round of excavations, which started in January and ended two weeks ago, will bring to the forefront more about the lives of people — mostly artisans associated with Hakraware culture — residing here. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

People work during an excavation at a pre-Harappan site, at Kunal village, in Ratia tehsil of Fatehabad district in Haryana. The village is one of the oldest pre-Harappan settlements. The seventh round of excavations, which started in January and ended two weeks ago, will bring to the forefront more about the lives of people — mostly artisans associated with Hakraware culture — residing here. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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The presence of the settlement is signalled by a yellow metal board that springs up abruptly on the Digoh-Kunal road. “Harappa Kaleen sthal (Harappan-era site),” is written in Hindi on the board and a painted red arrow below points in the direction of the site. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

The presence of the settlement is signalled by a yellow metal board that springs up abruptly on the Digoh-Kunal road. “Harappa Kaleen sthal (Harappan-era site),” is written in Hindi on the board and a painted red arrow below points in the direction of the site. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Workers during an excavation. First discovered in 1986, excavations in Kunal have taken place over different seasons in 1992-93, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. The compilation of the findings from the seventh round of excavations that ended two weeks ago, are expected to be released in a year. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Workers during an excavation. First discovered in 1986, excavations in Kunal have taken place over different seasons in 1992-93, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. The compilation of the findings from the seventh round of excavations that ended two weeks ago, are expected to be released in a year. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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A woman washes the pieces of pottery found during an excavation. Shubham Malik, the technical assistant at the site, explains that the pottery or the cultural material that is retrieved is washed and brought into the pottery ward where it is labelled. Labelling is a crucial part of the documentation process. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

A woman washes the pieces of pottery found during an excavation. Shubham Malik, the technical assistant at the site, explains that the pottery or the cultural material that is retrieved is washed and brought into the pottery ward where it is labelled. Labelling is a crucial part of the documentation process. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Earthen pots found during the excavation. The recent round of excavations were undertaken to find out more about the original inhabitants of Kunal. “The prime objective of re-excavating the site was to find out who were the earliest settlers of this area, or Haryana. We wanted to know whether they were indigenous people or outsiders who came here and settled,” Malik further added. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Earthen pots found during the excavation. The recent round of excavations were undertaken to find out more about the original inhabitants of Kunal. “The prime objective of re-excavating the site was to find out who were the earliest settlers of this area, or Haryana. We wanted to know whether they were indigenous people or outsiders who came here and settled,” Malik further added. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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A gamut of objects ranging from pottery, biochrome pottery, hand and wheel-made pottery, ceramics, wares, beads, terracotta bangles, stamps, steatite beads, semi-precious stones and seals have been extracted. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

A gamut of objects ranging from pottery, biochrome pottery, hand and wheel-made pottery, ceramics, wares, beads, terracotta bangles, stamps, steatite beads, semi-precious stones and seals have been extracted. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Archaeological details of the pottery excavated from the site. The fresh round of excavations has unearthed myriad cultural material, on the basis of which new conclusions can be drawn. Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, and co-director of the excavation, said pottery sourced from Kunal is evidence of the craftsmanship of the people of the settlement. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Archaeological details of the pottery excavated from the site. The fresh round of excavations has unearthed myriad cultural material, on the basis of which new conclusions can be drawn. Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, and co-director of the excavation, said pottery sourced from Kunal is evidence of the craftsmanship of the people of the settlement. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Bhattacharyya said Kunal had demonstrated pits that were unique. “Kunal has both residential and industrial areas. The central area of the mound has a residential pattern and pit dwellings can be found there. From these pit dwellings, we can draw different conclusions. A round and rectangular post hole could suggest different things,” she explained. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Bhattacharyya said Kunal had demonstrated pits that were unique. “Kunal has both residential and industrial areas. The central area of the mound has a residential pattern and pit dwellings can be found there. From these pit dwellings, we can draw different conclusions. A round and rectangular post hole could suggest different things,” she explained. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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A bone found during an excavation at the site. Excavators also said they were better equipped to have an improved understanding of the food habits of the people at Kunal. While previous excavations had unearthed citrus fruits, bones of animals like buffalo, neel gai, antelopes, goats, birds and rabbit had been found in the latest round of excavations. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

A bone found during an excavation at the site. Excavators also said they were better equipped to have an improved understanding of the food habits of the people at Kunal. While previous excavations had unearthed citrus fruits, bones of animals like buffalo, neel gai, antelopes, goats, birds and rabbit had been found in the latest round of excavations. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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A tooth found during the excavation. The origins of the people of Kunal are being tracked by going back in time through geographical strata. Through the process of digging, different layers are being detected for the presence of cultural material so that a better understanding of the communities of Kunal can be ascertained. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

A tooth found during the excavation. The origins of the people of Kunal are being tracked by going back in time through geographical strata. Through the process of digging, different layers are being detected for the presence of cultural material so that a better understanding of the communities of Kunal can be ascertained. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Not everyone in the village, however, seem to be happy with the presence of the historic site. Sukhwinder Singh, 45, is a relative of the original owners of the site and said his family had been cheated by the government. He claims that his uncle and his brothers owned the 5.5 acres land and opposed the initial excavations. The government promised them jobs, but gave them a compensation of Rs 22 lakhs for one acre. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Not everyone in the village, however, seem to be happy with the presence of the historic site. Sukhwinder Singh, 45, is a relative of the original owners of the site and said his family had been cheated by the government. He claims that his uncle and his brothers owned the 5.5 acres land and opposed the initial excavations. The government promised them jobs, but gave them a compensation of Rs 22 lakhs for one acre. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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Bhajan Singh (54), a senior worker at the site. The site has provided local residents a source of earning. The workers, involved in the different processes of excavation, are paid as per DC rates. With most of the villagers jobless, the site gives them a chance to work and earn a decent amount for their services. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on May 21, 2019 02:22 PM IST

Bhajan Singh (54), a senior worker at the site. The site has provided local residents a source of earning. The workers, involved in the different processes of excavation, are paid as per DC rates. With most of the villagers jobless, the site gives them a chance to work and earn a decent amount for their services. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

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