Topics for today’s class

Pegasus , each and everything 1.Assam Mizoram dispute 2.Striking down of 97th constitutional amendment act and ministry of cooperative 3.UNESCO heritage sites 4.

Pegasus

Pegasus: The beginnings •According to a profile of the NSO Group published by •the French nonprofit Forbidden Stories, which has published the ‘Pegasus Project’ along with its media partners, the company was started by Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, friends who started out with a product placement startup MediaAnd in the early 2000s. The startup was all but washed out by the recession of 2008, but Hulio and Lavie found an opportunity in the 2007 launch of Apple’s iPhone. It marked a watershed moment — people began to use handheld devices for more than just calling and texting at scale.

So what exactly is Pegasus? •A spyware •Works by sending an exploit link. •Now it’s having zero-click” infections. •The newer version works by zero-day exploit. •

The first reports on Pegasus’s spyware operations •emerged in 2016, when Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights

activist in the UAE, was targeted with an SMS link on his iPhone 6. The Pegasus tool at that time exploited a

software chink in Apple’s iOS to take over the device. Apple responded by pushing out an update to “patch” or fix the issue.

A “zero-day exploit” is a completely unknown •

vulnerability, about which even the software manufacturer is not aware, and there is, thus, no patch or fix available for it. In the specific cases of Apple and WhatsApp, therefore, neither company was aware of the security vulnerability, which was used to exploit the software and take over the device.

In December 2018, Montreal-based Saudi activist Omar •

Abdulaziz lodged a case against the NSO Group in a court in Tel Aviv, alleging that his phone had been infiltrated using Pegasus, and conversations that he had with his close friend, the

murdered Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, snooped on. Khashoggi was slaughtered by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018; Abdulaziz said he

believed his phone was hacked in August that year.

WhatsApp sued the NSO Group in a federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday, accusing it of •using WhatsApp servers in the United States and elsewhere “to send malware to approximately 1,400 mobile phones and devices (‘Target Devices’)… for the purpose of conducting surveillance of specific WhatsApp users (‘Target Users’)”.

Once installed, what all can Pegasus do? •The Citizen Lab post said Pegasus can “send back the target’s private data, including passwords, contact lists, calendar events, text messages, and live voice calls from popular mobile messaging apps”. The target’s phone camera and microphone can be turned on to capture all activity in the phone’s vicinity, expanding the scope of the surveillance. According to claims in a Pegasus brochure that WhatsApp has submitted to court as a technical exhibit, the malware can also access email, SMS, location tracking, network details, device settings, and browsing history data. All of this takes place without the target user’s knowledge.

Other key features of Pegasus, according to the brochure are: ability to access password-•protected devices, being totally transparent to the target, leaving no trace on the device, consuming minimal battery, memory and data so as to not arouse suspicion in more alert users, a self-destruct mechanism in case of risk of exposure, and ability to retrieve any file for deeper analysis. The brochure, called Pegasus: Product Description, says Pegasus can work on BlackBerry, •Android, iOS (iPhone) and Symbian-based devices. The mention of the now discontinued mobile OS Symbian and the no longer popular BlackBerry suggests the document is old — and Pegasus has certainly been upgraded over the years.

Can Pegasus be used to target just about anyone? •Technically, yes. But while tools such as Pegasus can be used for mass surveillance; it would •seem likely that only selected individuals would be targeted.

WhatsApp uses the Signal app protocol for its end-to-end encryption, which seems safe so •far. WhatsApp has an advantage over Telegram: in Telegram, only the “secret chats” are end-to-encrypted, while on WhatsApp everything is end-to-end encrypted by default.

But its first known state client — Mexico — then equipping itself with cyber-espionage tools •to fight drug trafficking, went beyond the script.

Until then, Pegasus was utilising attack vectors such as malicious links in e-mails and SMSes. •Once clicked, the link would install the spyware, giving the hacker complete access to the device without the target’s knowledge. Then, it leapfrogged to “zero-click” infections.

Post-Watergate reforms •

The legacy of the Church Committee can be seen in the fact that the Snowden revelations in •2013 did not uncover any spying on Opposition politicians, journalists, judges, and human rights defenders for partisan political ends. What was shocking about the Snowden revelations was the extent of NSA’s surveillance, the •overreach of the powers provided under the PATRIOT Act, as well as the lack of sufficient checks and balances provided by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The Snowden revelations led to meaningful reform of that court, and controversial domestic surveillance

provisions of the PATRIOT Act expired in 2020.

We need such reforms in India, which are aimed at professionalising intelligence gathering, •bringing intelligence agencies under parliamentary oversight, making them non-partisan, and ensuring that civil liberties and rule of law are protected. This is India’s Watergate moment, and the Supreme Court and Parliament should seize it.

Before this, Pegasus had always been the constellation that looks like a winged horse in the •northern sky.

In the mythology of ancient Greece, Pegasus, whose name comes from pegai, the Greek •word for waters or springs, was the war horse of Zeus, the ruler, protector, and father of both gods and humans.

In 2013, India’s current Home Minister was embroiled in a controversy dubbed “Snoopgate”, •with phone recordings alleged to be of him speaking to the head of an anti-terrorism unit to conduct covert surveillance on a young architect and her family members without any legal basis.

About a quarter of those users — more than 400 million, or 40 crore — are in India, •WhatsApp’s biggest market.

The NSO Group is a Tel Aviv-based cyber-security company that specialises in “surveillance •technology” and claims to help governments and law enforcement agencies across the world fight crime and terrorism.

The laws

Currently, the laws authorising interception and monitoring of communications are Section 92 •of the CrPC (for call records, etc), Rule 419A of the Telegraph Rules, and the rules under Sections 69 and 69B of the IT Act. Indeed, it is unclear when the Telegraph Act applies and when the IT Act applies. A limited number of agencies are provided powers to intercept and monitor.

In 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament that nine central agencies and the •DGPs of all States and Delhi were empowered to conduct interception under the Indian Telegraph Act. In 2018, nine central agencies and one State agency were authorised to conduct intercepts •under Section 69 of the IT Act. Yet, the Intelligence Organisations Act, which restricts the civil liberties of intelligence agency employees, only lists four agencies, while the RTI Act lists 22 agencies as “intelligence and security organisations established by the central government” that are exempt from the RTI Act. Thus, it is unclear which entities count as intelligence and security agencies.

Further, a surveillance alphabet soup exists, with programmes such as CMS, TCIS, NETRA, •CCTNS, and so on, none of which has been authorised by any statute, and thus fall short of the 2017.

K.S. Puttaswamy judgment, which made it clear that any invasion of privacy could only be •justified if it satisfied three tests: first, the restriction must be by law; second, it must be necessary (only if other means are not available) and proportionate (only as much as needed); and third, it must promote a legitimate state interest (e.g., national security).

In 2010, then Vice-President Hamid Ansari called for a legislative basis for India’s agencies, •and the creation of a standing committee of Parliament on intelligence to ensure that they

remain accountable and respectful of civil liberties. In 2011, the Cabinet Secretary in a note on surveillance held that the Central Board of Direct •Taxes having interception powers was a continuing violation of a 1975 Supreme Court judgment on the Telegraph Act.

In 2018, the Srikrishna Committee on data •

protection noted that post the K.S. Puttaswamy judgment, most of India’s intelligence agencies are

“potentially unconstitutional”, since they are not constituted under a statute passed by Parliament — the National Investigation Agency being an exception. In its 2019 election manifesto, the Indian National •Congress — in what to my knowledge was a first for a national political party — called for parliamentary oversight of intelligence agencies.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/whatsapp-spyware-pegasus-india-surveillance-nso-israel-6096910/ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/zero-click-attacks-pegasus-spyware-7411302/ https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/surveillance-reform-is-the-need-of-the-hour/article35414371.ece https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-making-of-pegasus-from-startup-to-spy-tech-leader-israel-invasive-spyware-7414370/ https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/pegasus-is-indias-watergate-moment/article35434074.ece https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pegasus-surveillance-scandal-indian-democracy-7414271/ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/pegasus-of-myth-and-the-horse-in-the-sky-7416109/ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/infiltrated-by-pegasus-is-your-iphone-becoming-less-secure-7416101/ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-politics-of-snooping-7416087/

Assam-Mizoram Border Dispute

Recently, Assam-Mizoram border witnessed •firing over a territory dispute, which spotlights the long-standing inter-state boundary issues in the Northeast, particularly between Assam and the states which were carved out of it.

Mizoram borders Assam’s Barak Valley and the •boundary between present-day Assam and Mizoram is 165 km long. Both states border Bangladesh.

Key Points Ongoing Tussle:

Residents of Lailapur village in Assam’s Cachar district clashed with residents of localities near •Vairengte in Mizoram’s Kolasib district. Earlier in October 2020, a similar clash took place on the border of Karimganj (Assam) and •Mamit (Mizoram) districts. Mizoram civil society groups blame “illegal Bangladeshis” (alleged migrants from Bangladesh) •on the Assam side.

Background: The boundary issue between present-day Assam and Mizoram dates back to the colonial era •when inner lines were demarcated according to the administrative needs of British Raj. The issue could not be settled once and for all when the state was created in independent •India. The result is both states continue to have a differing perception of the border. Mizoram was granted statehood in 1987 by the State of Mizoram Act, 1986. •Assam became a constituent state of India in 1950 and lost much of its territory to new states •that emerged from within its borders between the early 1960s and the early 1970s.

The Assam-Mizoram dispute stems from a notification of 1875 that differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar, and another of 1933 that demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur.

During colonial times, Mizoram was known as Lushai Hills, a district of Assam. •Mizoram believes the boundary should be demarcated on the basis of the 1875 notification, •

which is derived from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. Mizo leaders have argued in the past against the demarcation notified in 1933 because Mizo society was not consulted. The Assam government follows the 1933 demarcation, and that is the point of conflict.

According to an agreement between the governments of Assam and Mizoram, the status quo should be maintained in no man’s land in the border area. In the Northeast’s complex boundary equations, clashes between Assam and Mizoram residents are less frequent than they are between other neighbouring states of Assam, like with Nagaland. Other Boundary Issues in Northeast: During British rule, Assam included present-day Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya besides Mizoram, which became separate states one by one. Currently, Assam has boundary problems with each of them. Assam-Nagaland: Nagaland shares a 500-km boundary with Assam.

It achieved statehood in December 1963 and was formed out of the Naga Hills district of •Assam and Arunachal Pradesh (then North-East Frontier Agency). Violent clashes and armed conflicts, marked by killings, have occurred on the Assam-Nagaland border since 1965. The boundary dispute is in the Supreme Court. Assam-Arunachal Pradesh: Both states have a boundary of over 800 km.

Arunachal Pradesh was granted statehood by the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986 in •1987.

Clashes were first reported in 1992 and since then, there have been several accusations of illegal encroachment from both sides, and intermittent clashes. This boundary issue is also being heard by the Supreme Court. Assam-Meghalaya: The 884-km boundary between the two states also witnesses flare-ups.

Meghalaya came into existence as an autonomous state within the state of Assam in April •1970 comprising the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the Garo Hills districts. In 1972, it got statehood.

As per Meghalaya government statements, today there are 12 areas of dispute between the two states.

The Dispute Mizoram was earlier a part of Assam and was known as "Lushai Hills". It became a Union •territory in 1972 and a state in 1987.

Three districts of Assam - Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj - share a 164-km-long boundary •with three districts of Mizoram - Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. The boundary passes through a forested area and at many points, it is contested by both states.

Assam and Mizoram accuse each other of encroachment. Government Intervention

The first row broke out in 1994, seven years after Mizoram became a state. • The Union government organised several rounds of talks between the two states to resolve the boundary dispute but tensions remained.

Fresh Tensions

Tensions have peaked after the clashes between the police forces of the states at the •contentious border point Lailapur. Assam Chief Minister announced on Twitter that six of the state's police personnel were killed "while defending the constitutional boundary of our state". The scale of the violent clash that erupted this past July 26 on the border was •unprecedented and surprised even the residents.

From hope to shock Significantly, just two days before the clash, the Union home minister Amit Shah had convened a meeting with all the eight chief ministers of the northeastern states in Shillong, and clearly emphasised the need to resolve border disputes peacefully.

Here, it is also important to note that the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) had risen against •the Government of India in 1966 largely due to the negligent policies of the then Assam government during the killer famine in the Lushai Hills district The 20-year-long fight for ‘sovereignty’ ended with statehood for Mizoram in 1986 and peace •has prevailed since. This particular chapter in history has also shown that unless provoked, Mizos are not known to incite violence.

Mizoram supports the Cachar Inner Line of 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier •Regulation of 1873, while Assam advocates for the 1933 notification on the Lushai Hills-Cachar border. Though Assam rejects the 1875 notification, for the Mizos, that border demarcation is valid because it took place in consultation with thee then Mizo tribal chieftains.

A land nurtured, protected and preserved for the Mizos by their forefathers should not have been demarcated without consulting the stakeholders. Several, till day, look at the issue through the lens of losing an inch of the land as an insult to the forefathers. They believe that all Mizos would protect and preserve the land for future generations, just like their forefathers did for them. Therefore, one needs to understand that these disputes cannot be solved with forceful occupation but only through careful deliberations and negotiations.

Mizoram borders Assam’s Barak Valley; both border Bangladesh. •

the boundary between present-day Assam and Mizoram, 165 km long today, dates back to •the colonial era, when Mizoram was known as Lushai Hills, a district of Assam.

https://thewire.in/politics/assam-mizoram-border-dispute-peace-larger-casualty

UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Hawker Culture in Singapore has been •inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) that was held online.

Hawker Culture in Singapore:

It is a living heritage shared by those who •prepare hawker food and those who dine and mingle over hawker food in community dining spaces called hawker centres. It reflects Singapore’s multicultural identity as a people and nation, and resonates strongly •with Singaporeans across all races and social strata.

UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage:

This coveted list is made up of those •intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.

The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible •Cultural Heritage came into e!ect.

Intangible Cultural Heritage of India, recognized by UNESCO:

The Ministry of Culture has also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural •Heritage (ICH) of India. The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in •its intangible heritage. This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture. •

UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to •build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals •

defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015. It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members. India joined UNESCO in 1946. •In 2019, the USA and Israel formally quit UNESCO. •It is headquartered in Paris, France. •UNESCO-IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) is leading a global e!ort to •establish ocean-based tsunami warning systems as part of an overall multi-hazard disaster reduction strategy. Recently, UNESCO-IOC approved the recognition of two communities of Odisha viz., •Venkatraipur and Noliasahi as Tsunami Ready Communities.

Other Initiatives of UNESCO: Man and Biosphere Programme: Biosphere Reserves focus on the harmonised management of biological and cultural diversity. Out of 18 notified biosphere reserves, India has 12 biosphere reserves under the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), the latest one included is Panna Biosphere Reserve. World Heritage Programme: World Heritage Sites promote the conservation of natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value. India has 38 world heritage sites, including 30 cultural properties, 7 natural properties and 1 mixed site. The latest one included is Jaipur city, Rajasthan. UNESCO Global Geopark Network:

UNESCO Global Geoparks give international recognition for sites that promote the •importance and significance of protecting the Earth’s geodiversity through actively engaging with the local communities. India does not have any UNESCO Global geopark. •

UNESCO's Network of Creative Cities:

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation •with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, •Gastronomy, Literature and Music.

There are five Indian cities in UCCN as follows: Hyderabad – Gastronomy (2019). Mumbai – Film (2019). Chennai - Creative city of Music (2017). Jaipur - Crafts and Folk Arts (2015). Varanasi - Creative city of Music (2015).

How Ramappa temple made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage List Ramappa temple, a 13th century temple named after its architect, Ramappa, was proposed by the government as its only nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage site tag for the year 2019. Even so, the temple has been in UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014. Rudreswara Temple also known as Ramappa temple, located at Palampet, Mulugu district, near Warangal in the state of Telangana has made it to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The decision was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO held on Sunday in China.Apart from the Ramappa temple, the World Heritage Committee inscribed Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (China), the Trans-Iranian Railway (Iran), and Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences (Spain), on UNESCO’s World Heritage.What is a World Heritage Site tag? A World Heritage Site is a location with an “outstanding universal value”. This signifies “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”. To be included, sites must meet at least one of the ten selection criteria.These include the site representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, exhibiting an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, bearing a unique or exceptional testimony to cultural tradition or to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement.

The UNESCO website notes that until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria. But with the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, only one set of ten criteria exists. How are sites recognised? Ramappa temple, a 13th century temple named after its architect, Ramappa, was proposed by the government as its only nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage site tag for the year 2019. Even so, the temple has been in UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.The World Heritage Convention’s operational guidelines say that a tentative list is like an inventory of properties a country thinks should be on the World Heritage Site. After UNESCO includes a property in the Tentative List, the country prepares a nomination document that will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.In May, the Maharashtra government submitted a tentative “serial” nomination seeking the World Heritage Site tag for 14 forts from the era of 17th century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the theme of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra. The serial nomination was forwarded by the Archaeological Survey of India to UNESCO through the Ministry of Culture. UNESCO accepted the nomination and added the proposed sites in its Tentative Lists.Why is the Ramappa temple special? On Sunday, over 17 of the 21 member nations supported the inscription. With this, India now has 39 sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is now the custodian of 23 world heritage sites. The temple is located in the village of Palampet, which is about 200 km north of Telangana’s capital Hyderabad. The temple complex was built by Racherla Rudra Reddy during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. It was built using sandstone and its construction, which began in 1213 CE, is believed to have continued for over four decades.UNESCO notes on its website that, “The building features decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana (horizontally stepped tower) made of lightweight porous bricks, so-called ‘floating bricks’, which reduced the weight of the roof structures. The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture.”

What UNESCO heritage site Dholavira tells us about Indus Valley Civilisation The IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name. It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi.Dholavira, the archaeological site of a Harappan-era city, received the UNESCO world heritage site tag on Tuesday. While Dholavira became the fourth site from Gujarat and 40th from India to make the list, it is the first site of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) in India to get the tag.Dholavira site The IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name. It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi. The site’s excavation between 1990 and 2005 under the supervision of archaeologist Ravindra Singh Bisht uncovered the ancient city, which was a commercial and manufacturing hub for about 1,500 years before its decline and eventual ruin in 1500 BC.Distinct features After Mohen-jo-Daro, Ganweriwala and Harappa in Pakistan and Rakhigarhi in Haryana of India, Dholavira is the fifth largest metropolis of IVC. The site has a fortified citadel, a middle town and a lower town with walls made of sandstone or limestone instead of mud bricks in many other Harappan sites.Archaeologist Bisht cites a cascading series of water reservoirs, outer fortification, two multi-purpose grounds — one of which was used for festivities and as a marketplace — nine gates with unique designs, and funerary architecture featuring tumulus — hemispherical structures

like the Buddhist Stupas— as some of the unique features of the Dholavira site.He says that one finds the origin of the Buddhist Stupas in memorials in Dholavira. While unlike graves at other IVC sites, no mortal remains of humans have been discovered at Dholavira. Bisht says memorials that contain no bones or ashes but offerings of precious stones, etc. add a new dimension to the personality of the Harappans.Rise and fall of Dholavira Remains of a copper smelter indicate of Harappans, who lived in Dholavira, knew metallurgy. It is believed that traders of Dholavira used to source copper ore from present-day Rajasthan and Oman and UAE and export finished products. It was also a hub of manufacturing jewellery made of shells and semi-precious stones, like agate and used to export timber.Bisht says that such beads peculiar to the Harappan workmanship have been found in the royal graves of Mesopotamia, indicating Dholavira used to trade with the Mesopotamians. Its decline also coincided with the collapse of Mesopotamia, indicating the integration of economies. Harappans, who were maritime people, lost a huge market, affecting the local mining, manufacturing, marketing and export businesses once Mesopotamia fell. He further says that from 2000 BC, Dholavira entered a phase of severe aridity due to climate change and rivers like Saraswati drying up. Because of a drought-like situation, people started migrating toward the Ganges valley or towards south Gujarat and further beyond in Maharashtra.In those times, Bisht says, the Great Rann of Kutch, which surrounds the Khadir island on which Dholavira is located, used to be navigable, but the sea receded gradually and the Rann became a mudflat.Other Harappan sites in Gujarat Before Dholavira was excavated, Lothal, in Saragwala village on the bank of Sabarmati in Dholka taluka of Ahmedabad district, was the most prominent site of IVC in Gujarat.It was excavated between 1955 and 1960 and was discovered to be an important port city of the ancient civilisation, with structures made of mud bricks. From a graveyard in Lothal, 21 human skeletons were found. Foundries for making copperware were also discovered. Ornaments made of semi-precious stones, gold etc. were also found from the site.Besides Lothal, Rangpur on the bank of Bhadar river in Surendranagar district was the first Harappan site in the state to be excavated. Rojdi in Rajkot district, Prabhas near Veraval in Gir Somnath district, Lakhabaval in Jamnagar, and Deshalpar in Bhuj taluka of Kutch are among other Harappan sites in the state.Conservation Though it was excavated recently, the Dholavira site has remained free from encroachment in historical periods as well as in the modern era. Bisht says the UNESCO listing became possible because the site was found free from any kind of encroachment, a rarity in India.

In its release, UNESCO termed Dholavira as one of the most remarkable and well-preserved urban settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE (Before Common Era). Since the excavation at the site, the ASI has developed a museum here. Dholavira, a village with a population of around 2,000, is the nearest human settlement at present. Near the ancient city is a fossil park where wood fossils are preserved.