About 80km southwest of Ahmedabad, the city that stood at this archaeological site 4500 years ago was one of the most important of the Indus Valley civilisation, which extended into what is now Pakistan. A slideshow on Lothal - an ancient Indus site in Gujarat on the Gulf of Combay where trade once flourished with other ancient civilizations including the ancient Indus Valley peoples. Where Exactly Is Lothal ? Lothal is surprisingly close to Ahmedabad, just 85 km away. It is perhaps the most accessible site of the Harrappan era in western India. Situated along the Bhogava river, a tributary of the Sabarmati and just 30 km from the present-day Gulf of Khambat, it is easy to imagine this ancient port being even closer to the sea when it was a thriving city. Lothal is also less than 200 km from the Modhera Sun Temple and the Rani-ki-Vav in Patan other major historic sites ... To the northwest of Lothal lies the Kutch (see also Dholavira) peninsula, which was a part of the Arabian Sea until very recently in history. Owing to this, and the proximity of the Gulf of Khambhat, Lothal 's river provided direct access to sea routes. Although now sealed off from the sea, Lothal 's topography and geology reflects its maritime past.
