The Road to Heaven & 🏛️ Dholavira
From Bhuj, we drove 220–230 km (4–5 hours) to one of the most extraordinary places we have ever visited — Dholavira.
The Highway to Heaven
The final stretch — often called the Road to Heaven — cuts through white salt pans of the Rann of Kutch. Sky and land blur together, and the road feels suspended between worlds.
Dholavira is one of the most important and best-preserved urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to approximately 3000–1500 BCE. Located on Khadir Bet in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, Dholavira is remarkable for flourishing in an extremely arid and challenging environment.
What sets Dholavira apart is its unique city planning. The city was divided into three distinct sections — the citadel, middle town, and lower town — all fortified and carefully designed. Unlike other Harappan cities that relied heavily on baked bricks, Dholavira made extensive use of finely dressed stone, reflecting both regional adaptation and architectural innovation.
Dholavira is world-renowned for its advanced water management system, which included massive stone-lined reservoirs, rainwater harvesting channels, dams, and step-like tanks. These systems allowed the city to collect and store precious rainwater, enabling long-term survival in a desert landscape.
Among its most significant discoveries is a large signboard bearing Indus script, the longest inscription found from the Harappan world, suggesting strong administrative and symbolic traditions. The city was also an important trade and cultural center, connected to other Harappan cities and distant regions.
Gradual climatic changes, reduced rainfall, and weakening trade networks likely contributed to its decline around 1900 BCE. In recognition of its outstanding universal value, Dholavira was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Today, Dholavira stands as a powerful reminder of early human ingenuity, environmental adaptation, and urban sophistication in ancient South Asia.
Standing among its ruins, silence all around, we felt small — and deeply respectful of the intelligence that once thrived here.
