Rupnagar Archaeological Museum

The Rupnagar Archaeological Museum is an Archaeological Survey of India museum located in Rupnagar (Ropar) on the banks of the Sutlej River in Punjab. Established in 1998 to display finds from the Rupnagar Harappan excavation, it preserves artifacts from one of the Indus Valley Civilization's important sites. The museum is notable for its collection of Harappan pottery, seals, tools, and ornaments dating from around 2600 BCE to later historical periods.

Visitors can expect a small, well-maintained single-storey museum with two main galleries displaying excavated artifacts from the Rupnagar mound. Exhibits include Harappan pottery, seals, terracotta figurines, beads, bangles, stone and copper tools, and skeletal remains, along with later period artifacts from Mauryan to medieval times. The museum is set in a quiet area near the Sutlej River and the archaeological mound, with informative labels and photographs explaining the excavation and chronology.

The museum displays antiquities from Rupnagar, one of the important Indus Valley Civilization sites excavated in 1953 by Y.D. Sharma of the Archaeological Survey of India. The mound revealed a continuous cultural sequence from the Harappan period (around 2600 BCE) through Painted Grey Ware, Mauryan, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta and medieval periods, establishing Rupnagar as the first Harappan site excavated in independent India.

The museum preserves and interprets the material culture of the Indus Valley Civilization in Punjab, showcasing early urban planning, craftsmanship, and trade. It serves as an educational centre for understanding Harappan life, pottery traditions, and the cultural continuity of the Sutlej region.