This important archaeological site was discovered in 1954. The city is clearly related to the Indus Valley cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa, both in Pakistan. It has the same neatly laid-out street pattern, the same scientific drainage system.
Lothal in the dialect of the local people literally means 'the mound of the dead’, as does Mohenjodaro in Sindhi. Excavations have revealed a dockyard - at its peak, this was probably one of the most important ports on the subcontinent. Seals discovered at the site suggest that trade may have been conducted with the civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia.
Lothal is a find of tremendous archaeological significance, and has been proved to be the ruins of a full fledged settlement of the Harappan era dating as far back as the 2nd millennium B.C. During prehistoric times, Lothal would have been a very important port on the subcontinent, indicated by a dockyard revealed in excavations at Lothal. It also shows a very high degree of town planning, like other sites in the Indus valley.
The archaeological museum at the site displays jewellery, pots and other finds (open 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday).
An unusual discovery was made here of two bodies found in a single grave. A few such instances show that double burial was a common feature among the people who lived in Lothal.
The people also appear to have worshipped fire and believed in some from of animal sacrifice as is apparent from the presence of sacrificial altars.
