Uncovering the Secrets of Rakhigarhi: Ancient Indian History Gets a Tech Twist | Harry Sahota

If I ask you, which is the oldest civilization in the world? What would your answer be? You might say Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mayans or some might say Sumerians. But what if I told you, all of you were incorrect? And I would not blame you for this. Because this is what has been taught in history books, available in mainstream media and something that a simple Google search would fetch you even today. If you're a subscriber or just following me for some time, you would know that I kept on saying that Indus Valley civilization and Vedic culture are way older than they are portrayed. In our earlier videos, we have dated the Vedas to at least 6000 BC. And trust me, no other civilization in the world is close to that date. The sources that we used to deduce the dating were Rig Vedas. And a lot of people said that Rig Vedas are not history. So our sources cannot be trusted. Well, then I have a news for you. Archaeological Survey of India and Deccan College of Pune are conducting excavations at Rakhigarhi site since 1997. And during the commencement of third phase in 2016, they discovered a skeleton along with a lot of artifacts and metals. And they were sent for carbon dating and DNA analysis. And the time period that they settled on is 6000 BC. Hi guys, my name is Sai. And thanks for joining in for another video. Our team is dedicated to bring out quality, well-researched content about ancient Indian history and Sanatan culture. Kindly show your support by subscribing and liking the video. And don't forget to share the video because the flow of knowledge should never stop. For those who don't know much about Indus Valley civilization and Vedic culture, I would recommend that after this video, you can go ahead and click on our playlist, How Old is Indian Civilization? So that you can get yourself up to speed with Indian history. Now let's look at the story that Rakhigarhi has to tell us. Rakhigarhi is an Indus Valley site, which is located in Hisar, Haryana, along with other sites like Bhirana, Mitathal, Banawali, and Pune. And what's interesting about all these sites, and some in Punjab and Gujarat, that they are quite far away from river Indus. And to your surprise, Rakhigarhi is an Indus Valley civilization site, which is way older than the sites which were found around the river Indus. But then the question is, how did Rakhigarhi survive without water? Well, here is the best part. It was located near Saraswati River. Yes, Saraswati, the mythical river, which has been classified mythical by western historians and Indian historians like Romila Thakur. Rakhigarhi was discovered in 1963 by ASI. And the first phase of excavation started in 1997, under the guidance of Dr. Amrind Rana. At the earlier times, it was dated around 2600 BC. But today, after 25 years, we have a new date, and that is 6000 BC. But why did the archaeologists say that it is at least 8000 years old? And why it took us 25 years to figure this out? Well, to understand that, let's see how the excavation is done of such sites. The first step of excavation includes surveying and digging. Digging because the soil and sand keeps on settling on an area, which eventually increases its height. Which means that if we need to look further back in history, then we would have to go deeper. While excavating a settlement, you need to remove the layer slowly, so that you don't damage the artifacts and fossils below the ground. So it's a very meticulous and time-consuming work, which is why excavation takes a long time. And so far, what is unearthed dates back to 8000 years. And the excavation is still happening while we are making this video. So in coming years, we may date it even further in the past. Hence, different phases. Now let's see what has been excavated, and why ASI and Deccan College of Pune are continuing the excavation. Skeletons which were sent for DNA analysis, which were found in the burial grounds, date back to 6000 BC. And what else we have found are animal traps and human traps. We have also found various metals, including gold, silver, and copper ornaments. Clay pots and dinner sets. Clothing items like shawls and skirts. What is even more astonishing, that they have discovered two-story, six-bedroom houses, with a dedicated area to kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, along with courtyards and a drainage system. Because of the richness of the site, Government of India has decided to build an on-site museum at Rakigadi. So all the history enthusiasts can go there and look at these artifacts by themselves. Now let's look at the impact of these discoveries. So if we look at the city planning of Rakigadi, we can find quite a few similarities between Rakigadi and the villages of Haryana today. The architecture of houses excavated at Rakigadi matches the area of the villages around it. The technique and shape of pottery is so similar to local pottery of the area that it's very difficult for anyone to tell the difference without dating the pots. Some other surprising similarities that can be found is jewelry designs, usage of bangles, usage of sindoor, etc. These discoveries do challenge the Western concept of foreigners invading the subcontinent, as there is a cultural continuity without any breaking. It'll be really interesting to see what archaeologists are going to find at Rakigadi in future. Do let me know in the comments, what do you guys think on Rakigadi being the oldest site discovered in the world so far? If you have reached till here, then don't forget to subscribe and like the video. This is Hari signing off. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.