Archaeologists from Kerala University have found a 5,200-year old Harappan settlement at Padta Bet, around 1.5 km away, near Khatiya village, in Kachchh district.
- The same team had earlier undertaken many successful expeditions to discover an Early Harappan necropolis Juna Khatiya in Gujarat in 2019.
- The settlement was excavated from the slopes of a small hillock locally called Padta Bet. The site’s archaeological deposits were found in different clusters in two separate localities located within an area of approximately 200mx200m.
- The excavated remains included the remains of a circular structure and other rectangular structures of varying sizes and made of locally available sandstone and shales.
- Harappan settlements, both small and large, have mostly been discovered and excavated on the plains, while this site is located in a unique setting on top of the hillock.
- The location of Padta Bet is a strategic one, having a vast view of the valley formed in between the ridged mountainous formations all around.
