by SHEIKH JAVED ALI SINDHI
Today, with over a million annual visitors and only 10% of the 1,330-acre site excavated, the museum remains a gateway to a civilization that still holds countless secrets
Today, the anthropogenic materials from 538 hectares or 1,330 acres of land from the Mohenjodaro Archaeological Site have been investigated through Dry Core Drilling (2014), which makes Mohenjodaro one of the largest cities of the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization. Out of this, only 10% of the area has been excavated so far within last 100 years of scientific excavations. The Archaeological Museum of Mohenjodaro was established in 1925. Sir John Marshall writes in his book Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Valley Civilization (London 1931) that:
“Besides carrying out these extensive operations in 1925-6, I was also able, thanks largely to the interest taken in the work by Sir Leslie Wilson-then Governor of Bombay-to get a serviceable road made to Mohenjo-daro from the Railway station at Dokri, and which was more important still-to erect adequate offices, workrooms, and quarters, and a small museum for the housing of antiquities. Accurate plans of the site were also prepared under my direction by Mr A. Francis, of the survey of India, on a scale of 100 feet to the inch, with contours at 5 feet intervals. These plans have been used in compiling the general but more simplified site plan which accompanies this volume.” (p 13)
Parmanand Mewaram (1865-1938) was a prominent Sindhi writer, lexicographer and a journalist. He visited Mohenjodaro Archaeological Site and Museum during Sir John Marshall’s large scale excavations which he carried out there in 1925-26. He published details of his Mohenjodaro visit in a Sindhi book Gul Phul (2 volumes), published between 1925 and 1936. He noted that local people cultivated their crops on Mohenjodaro mounds.
Devi Dayal Mathur was the Head Photographer of the Archaeological Survey of India He took part in the excavations at Mohenjodaro for one season under the supervision of EJH Mackay who carried out excavations at the site between 1927 to 1931.
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