Excavations at the recently discovered Bhawanipura site in Rajasthan’s Ghaggar-Hakra basin have revealed a specialized industrial sector dedicated to leather-working. Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) identified a series of stone vats and bone scraping tools, suggesting a sophisticated tanning process that supplied leather goods for both local use and trade.
The find is particularly significant as it represents the first clear evidence of a large-scale, standardized leather industry within a Mature Harappan urban outpost. The site also yielded several unfinished hide-cutting templates and bone awls used for precision stitching, indicating that the facility was a hub for high-quality craftsmanship in the late 3rd millennium BCE.