ReaganRiordan at 01:59, 24 April 2026

2026-04-24T01:59:59Z

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{{Short description|Island in Gujarat, India}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Khadir Bet
| image_name = Gujarat Solar park & Great Rann of Kutch, India - Pakistan (34377492370).jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Satellite image showing the [[Thar Desert|Thar Salt Desert]] (center), [[Gujarat Solar Park]] (center-bottom), and Khadir Bet (bottom-left)
| location = [[Great Rann of Kutch]], [[Gujarat]], India
| area_km2 = 200
| elevation_m = 125
| coordinates = {{coord|23|51|41|N|70|19|45|E|display=inline,title}}
| country = India
| country_admin_divisions_title = State
| country_admin_divisions = [[Gujarat]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = District
| country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Kutch district|Kutch]]
| pushpin_map = India Gujarat
| pushpin_label = Khadir Bet
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[Gujarat]], India
}}

'''Khadir Bet''' is an island located in the [[Great Rann of Kutch]] in [[Gujarat]], India. It spans around 200 square kilometers. It is known for its archaeological significance, particularly as the site of the ancient [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Indus Valley Civilization]] city of [[Dholavira]], also a [[UNESCO]]<ref>{{cite news
| title = Dholavira: The lost-found civilisation
| author =
| date = October 29, 2021
| publisher = [[Deccan Herald]]
| url = https://www.deccanherald.com/features/dholavira-the-lost-found-civilisation-1028649.html
}}</ref> world heritage site.<ref name="drs">{{cite journal |last1=Gaur |first1=A.S. |last2=Murali |first2=R. Mani |title=Looking for the Harappan Ports around Dholavira, Khadir Bet, Kachchh, Gujarat |journal=Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences |date=November 2019 |volume=48 (11) |page=1769-1773 |url=https://drs.nio.res.in/drs/bitstream/handle/2264/8237/Indian_J_Geo_Mar_Sci_48_1769a.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |publisher=[[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]], [[National Institute of Oceanography, India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Best Laid Plans |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/features/best-laid-plans-713650.html |publisher=[[Deccan Herald]] |date=2019-04-05}}</ref>

The term "Khadir" is derived from the [[Kutchi language|Kutchi]] word "Khad", which translates to "grass".<ref>{{cite web |title=News in Frames: Connecting Dholavira |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/news-in-frames-connecting-dholavira/article38388088.ece |publisher=[[The Hindu]] |date=2022-03-10}}</ref> [[National Highway 927C (India)|NH927C]] (called '''''Road to Heaven''''') connects it to Lodran in the east, and the [[National Highway 754K (India)|NH754K]] to [[Khavda]] in the west. '''''Road to Infinity''''', a newer north-to-south 24.5 km road connecting Bambhanka on Khadir Bet to Ekal in [[Bhachau]] Taluka via salt desert and tortoise-shaped tiny Hanuman Bet island which was approved in 2022 and completed in 2026, reduced Khadir Bet to Bhachau distance from earlier 150 km to now just 75 km, thus also improved accessibility to the Dholavira World Heritage Site.<ref>[https://ianslive.in/gujarat-road-to-infinity-in-kutch-near-completion-to-pave-new-path-for-development--20260322192703 Gujarat: "Road to Infinity" in Kutch near completion], ianslive.in, 22 March 2026.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=વહીવટી મંજુરી:એકલ-બાંભણકા વચ્ચે રસ્તો બનતા ખડીરના વિકાસના નવા દ્વાર ખુલશે |url=http://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/local/gujarat/kutch/news/a-new-door-will-open-for-the-development-of-khadir-which-will-become-a-road-between-ekal-bambhanka-130067455.html |publisher=[[Divya Bhaskar]] |date=2022-07-17 |language=Gu}}</ref>

== Geography ==
It lies in the [[Great Rann of Kutch]], approximately 5 kilometers from the mainland. Khadir Bet is [[Triangle|triangular]], with sharp cliffs on its northern edge rising up to 125 meters, while the southern part slopes gently into the surrounding salt flats. The southern part slopes gently into the surrounding salt flats. The geology of Khadir Island consists mainly of sandstones, claystone, and fossiliferous limestone, with cultivable soil in some areas.<ref name="drs"/>

In July 2023, researchers from the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEERF) documented the presence of [[Soda oppositifolia|Salsola oppositifolia]], a [[Halophyte|halophytic]] ([[salt-tolerant]]) [[shrub]] typically found around the [[Mediterranean Sea]], including regions of [[Italy]] and [[North Africa|Northern Africa]], for the first time in India at Khadir Bet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mediterranean halophyte discovered in Khadir Bet |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/mediterranean-halophyte-discovered-in-khadir-bet/articleshow/101681955.cms |publisher=[[The Times of India]] |date=2023-07-29}}</ref>

== Archaeology ==
[[File:Dholavira East Gate.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Dholavira]], located on Khadir Island, is one of the largest [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Harappan sites]] in India, dating from around 2650 to 1450 BCE.]]
Khadir Bet is best known for its connection to [[Dholavira]], an ancient city of the [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Indus Valley Civilization]]. The Harappans extracted over three million cubic meters of earth and rock from the island, which were used in construction, pottery, and artifact production for both local use and export.<ref name="drs"/>

Apart from Dholavira, several other archaeological sites have been identified on Khadir Bet. One notable site is Jhandiasar, located about 2 kilometers north of Dholavira, near a seasonal rivulet. This site reveals remnants of stone structures, such as walls and square formations, indicating it might have functioned as a harbor or logistical base for transporting materials to Dholavira. Another site, Bambhanka, located about 15 kilometers south of Dholavira, situated on a high tableland near a seasonal stream that flows into the sea.<ref name="drs"/>

=== Recent prehistoric findings ===
In 2025, a collaborative archaeological study led by the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), along with researchers from IIT Kanpur, the Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), identified prehistoric shell-midden sites on Khadir Bet and neighboring islands in the Rann of Kutch. Radiocarbon dating using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) placed these deposits at approximately 10,000 BCE, significantly earlier than the Harappan settlement of the region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Shell Chronicles of Ancient Kachchh |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2133799 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250703072143/https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2133799 |archive-date=2025-07-03 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.pib.gov.in |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kutch Pre-Harappan Discovery: Human Habitation Dates Back 5,000 Years |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gujarat/archaeological-evidence-reveals-human-habitation-in-kutch-predated-harappans-by-5000-years-study-3572252 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>

The sites contained large accumulations of mollusc shells (including oysters and gastropods), along with lithic (stone) tools and flaking debris from tool production, suggesting habitation by coastal foraging communities. These findings point to human presence in the Kutch region during the terminal Pleistocene to early Holocene period. The sites show signs of repeated or prolonged use over time. The research proposes that such early communities were adapted to mangrove-rich coastal ecologies, and the presence of tool-making debris indicates on-site subsistence activity.<ref name=":0" />

This research adds to the archaeological record of the region by indicating human presence in Kutch several millennia before the development of Harappan urban centres such as Dholavira. Similar coastal foraging patterns have also been recorded in coastal sites of present-day Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.<ref name=":0" />

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Dholavira gujarat.jpg|Dholavira, Khadir Bet
File:Little fruit vendors (16062448453).jpg|Fruit vendors
File:Bird at dholavira.jpg|A bird
</gallery>
== See also ==
* [[Great Rann of Kutch]]
* [[Meruda Takkar]]
* [[Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Geography of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Islands of India]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Islands of Gujarat]]

Khadir Bet - Revision history

ReaganRiordan at 01:59, 24 April 2026