VIZHINJAM: The Department of Archeology in Kerala University has won the Field Discovery Award by Shanghai Archeology Forum in China for a research project. The discovery made by a team led by Dr SV Rajesh and Dr GS Abhayan, Assistant Professors of the Department of Archaeology in Karyavattam Campus won the award.

The award was given to nine people who were selected from 131 people who were nominated from different parts of the world. Dr Rajesh received the award at the 5th Shanghai Archeology Forum organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Shanghai. Nine major discoveries in the world between 2019 and 2022 have been recognized. The selected archaeological project from India is the Juna Khatiya found in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

Graveyard of the Indus Valley Civilization

Juna Khatiya is a large burial ground of the early Indus Valley Civilization (3200-2600 BC). The team found more than 500 graves in 16 hectares. Apart from Dr. Rajesh and Dr. Abhayan, students from the Department of Archeology were also in the team. Kerala University discovered this place in 2016. There were conch shell bangles, pearls, pottery, skeletons etc. in the 197 graves found at Juna Khatiya. About 60 pots similar to those found in southern Balochistan during the Harappan period were found in each grave. It was found that the stones used to build the tombs here were collected from places within a radius of six kilometers.