With rich archaeological sites Gujarat offers a treat to tourists longing to see the glory that India was. Though the government has been trying to showcase this tourist potential, it has not attracted tourists much for variety of reasons.

Now, the MS University with close association of California-based Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has drawn an ambitious plan. It is going to set up a museum of Harappan culture on the outskirts of Vadodara and also develop tourist circuit linking archaeological sites of Gujarat.

Lesser known Shikarpur in Kutch is one of the tourist spots on its agenda. The project is not only an attempt to attract tourists to one of the oldest civilisations, but is also a step towards connecting all the Harappan sites in the Indus Valley Civilisation belt.

The project has the potential to attract researchers and scholars from across the world, which will bring in new improved techniques of preservation and documentation. We want to create a model site according to Prof. Kuldeep Kumar Bhann, the head of the department and one of the excavators at the Shikarpur site.

Talks for the land for the museum are on with the government while funding will be by GHF. will be provided by the government. Gujarat has over 500 Harappan sites in Gujarat , but only 39 have been excavated so far. Of these, MSU\'s Archaeology department alone has excavated 12. The department museum presently has a heavy treasure of Harappan artifacts that will be displayed in the new museum.

The GHF, in association with the department last year, set up Indus Heritage Trust, an independent body based in Vadodara, to look over the proposed museum and also undertake tourism initiatives to all the Harrapan sites in and outside Gujarat.

 

Please direct media inquiries to:
GHF Press press@globalheritagefund.org or (650) 325 7520