Rakhigarhi skeletal remains handed over by ASI to Anthropological Survey of India for scientific study
The Culture Ministry said on 22 June 2026 that human skeletal remains excavated at Rakhigarhi, Haryana, have been handed over by the ASI to the Anthropological Survey of India.
Summary
Human skeletal remains recently excavated at Rakhigarhi in Haryana have been formally handed over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) for detailed scientific investigation, the Ministry of Culture said on 22 June 2026. Rakhigarhi, spread over about 550 hectares, is described as the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. ASI's Excavation Branch-II, Greater Noida, found eight burials at Mound No. 7 in the 2025â26 season; three complete skeletons and fragments have gone to AnSI's skeletal repository and laboratory in Kolkata under a recently signed MoU.
Key facts
- Site
- Rakhigarhi, Haryana (~550 hectares)
- Distinction
- Largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization
- Excavation
- ASI Excavation Branch-II, Greater Noida; 2025â26 season
- Find
- Eight burials at Mound No. 7
- Transferred
- Three complete skeletons plus fragments, to AnSI lab in Kolkata
- AnSI Director
- Prof. B. V. Sharma
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Human skeletal remains excavated at Rakhigarhi were handed over by the ASI to which institution, as announced on 22 June 2026?
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Correct answer: B â Anthropological Survey of India
The ASI handed the remains to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), which will study them at its laboratory in Kolkata.
In the 2025â26 field season at Rakhigarhi, ASI archaeologists uncovered eight burials at which location?
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Correct answer: D â Mound No. 7
Eight burials were found at Mound No. 7, an area previously identified as a cemetery.
Consider the following statements about Rakhigarhi, as described by the Culture Ministry on 22 June 2026: 1. Rakhigarhi, spread across about 550 hectares in Haryana, is the largest known settlement of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization. 2. The excavations reveal habitation only from the Late Harappan period. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A â 1 only
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: excavations show continuous habitation from the Early Harappan to the Mature Harappan periods.