Human Skeletal Remains from Rakhigarhi Transferred to ASI for Research

Human skeletal remains excavated from the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana recently have been formally handed over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), a national research institute of repute under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for detailed scientific investigation. Prof. BV Sharma, Director of AnSI said that the transfer, carried out under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions, is expected to significantly advance multidisciplinary research into one of the most important urban centres of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.

Rakhigarhi, spread across approximately 550 hectares in Haryana, is widely recognized as the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of continuous habitation from the Early Harappan to the Mature Harappan periods, including planned settlements, drainage systems, craft production centres, trade networks, and burial grounds. During excavations conducted by ASI’s Excavation Branch-II, Greater Noida, in the 2025–26 field season, archaeologists uncovered eight burials at Mound No. 7, an area previously identified as a cemetery. Three complete human skeletons, along with skeletal fragments recovered from other burials, have now been transferred to AnSI’s ancient human skeletal repository and laboratory in Kolkata for detailed examination. The remaining skeletal materials obtained at these sites are also expected to be transferred in few days.

Anthropologist Professor Subhash Walimbe, formerly of Deccan College, Pune, emphasized the importance of intensive anthropological examination of the remains to understand how urbanization influenced human biological and pathological responses.(UPDATED ON 22ND JUNE 2026)