Which is the largest Harappan site in India?

Rakhigarhi, in the Hisar district of Haryana, is the largest known Harappan site in India, and one of the largest sites of the entire civilisation.

About Rakhigarhi:

• It is located in the plains of the Ghaggar-Hakra (Saraswati) river system, near the seasonal Drishadvati (Chautang) river.
• It has seven mounds, spread over an area of more than 350 hectares according to some estimates, larger than Mohenjo-daro.
• It was first surveyed in 1963, and excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India in the late 1990s, and later by the Deccan College, Pune, in 2011-2016.
• It shows all the phases of the civilisation: early, mature and late Harappan.

Important finds:

• Planned streets and drains, mud-brick and burnt-brick houses.
• A granary, fire altars, and workshops for beads, shell and copper.
• Seals, weights, terracotta toys and figurines, and pottery.
• A large cemetery with many burials.

Ancient DNA study:

• In 2019, scientists published the first analysis of ancient DNA from a Harappan person, a woman buried at Rakhigarhi, about 4,500 years old.
• The study suggested that the Harappans were mostly descended from ancient South Asian hunter-gatherers and early Iranian farmers, and that they had no significant ancestry from the Steppe region of Central Asia.
• This research was important for debates on the origins of the people of South Asia.

Development as a heritage site:

In the Union Budget of 2020-21, Rakhigarhi was named among five "iconic archaeological sites" to be developed with on-site museums.

Largest Harappan sites overall:

Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Ganweriwala (all in Pakistan), and Rakhigarhi and another major site in Kachchh (in India).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Lothal is a port town in Gujarat.
• ✗Kalibangan is an important site in Rajasthan.
• ✗Surkotada is a smaller fortified site in Kachchh.