INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION (2300 -1750 B.C. by C₁₄ Test)

·        Oldest civilization of India is Mehergarh (River – Bolan, State – Beluchistan)

·        In 1974 J.F. Jarrige and Richard Medow discovered Mehergarh Civilization.

·        1^st phase of Mehergarh (7000 – 5000 B.C.) First time cultivation in Mehergarh.

·        2^nd Phase of Mehergarh (5000 – 4000 B.C.) First time Rural Civilization.

·        3^rd Phase of Mehergarh (4000 – 3200 B.C.) use of terakota.

·        1826: Charles Masson 1^st observed Indus Valley Civilization.

·        1853: Alexander Cunningham 2^nd time observed I.V.C.

·        1873: Alexander Cunningham 3^rd time observed I.V.C.

·        1861: Archaeological Survey of India by Alexander Cunningham.

·        1904: Ancient Monument Preservation Act by Lord Carjon.

·        1924: Sir John Marshall named this civilization as I.V.C.

·        Distance between Harappa and Mahenjodaro is 483 miles

v HARAPPA :-

Ø In 1921, Dayaram Sahani discovered Harappa.

Ø 1^st discovered site of I.V.C.

Ø River – Ravi

Ø Dist. – Montgomery (Now Sahiwal, Pakistan)

Ø State – Punjab

Ø Findings – i) Two rows of 6 granaries  (Measurement of highest granary – 169 X 135 ft)

ii) Male Statue of red sand stone.

iii) Single room barrack

v MAHENJODARO:-

Ø In 1922, R.D. Banerjee discovered Mahenjodaro.

Ø Largest Indus City

Ø Known as Mound of Dead

Ø River – Larkana

Ø State – Sindh (Pakistan)

Ø Findings – i) Great Bath (Measurement: 180 X 108 ft; Length – 39 ft, Breath – 34 ft & Height – 8ft)

***According to D.D. Goswami Great Bath is like a swimming pool.

ii)                Dancing girl made of bronze

iii)              Two bronze swords

iv)              Multi-pillared assembly hall

v)                Image of Unicorn (The common motive of I.V.C.)

vi)              Image of Pasupati or Adi Shiva

vii)           Statue of a bearded man (Priest King)

viii)         A lot of human skeleton having a cut mark

Ø The initial name of the great granary 1^st excavated at Mohenjodaro (1927) – Hamam

Ø Material was used by the Harappans to make the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro water tight – Bitumen

Ø The town, Cunningham identify as Harappa from the writings of the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang – Po-Fa-To

Ø ‘Sindom’ means cotton derived from – Greeks

Ø Three forms of burials have been found at Mohenjodaro

i)             Complete burial

ii)          Fractional burials of some bones after exposure of the body to the mild beast

iii)        Post cremation burials or pot burials

Metal & Jewells	Place
Copper	Khetri, Rajasthan
Silver	Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia
Gold	Mysore, Afghanistan, Kerala, Persia
Tin	Hazaribag, Afghanistan
Agate	Sourastra
Jasper	Rajputna
Bloodstone	Rajputna, Katriabagh
Amethyst	Maharastra
Carnelian bead	Sourastra
Turquoise	Kashmir, Persia
Lapis lazuli	Badaksham in North-East Afghanistan
Lead	Rajputana, East-India, South India

 ***Iron was not known to I.V.C.

v LOTHAL:-

Ø Known as Port City.

Ø Situated between Bhogava and Sabarmati River, Gujrat.

Ø Manchester of I.V.C.

Ø Discovered by S.R. Rao (1954-58)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Port, Granary, Warehouse building, bazaar, gold beads, bead factory, dockyard, Traces of rice cultivation, tusk of elephant, terracotta model of ship, horse.

v MANDA:-

Ø The northern most site of I.V.C.

Ø Situated at right bank of Chenab, Jammu & Kashmir

Ø Discovered by J.P. Joshi (1975-76)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Copper double spiral-headed pin of West Asian affinities, few saddle querns and pestals.

v BANAWALI:-

Ø Situated at onstrom-water drain, ancient bed of Saraswati, Hissar district of Haryana

Ø Discovered by R.S. Bisht (1974-77)

Ø It was a Pre-Indus, Indus & Post urban phase

Ø Discoveries are: Gold plated terracotta beads, copper fish hooks, clay model of a plough, few broken pieces of actual plough, remains of barley, sesame, mustards.

v CHANHUDARO:-

Ø It is also known as Mound of dead.

Ø Only Indus site with no citadel/fort.

Ø Situated at Sindh, left plain of Indus, 130 km South of Mohenjodaro

Ø Discovered by N.G. Majumdar (1931) and G.H. Mackay (1935-36)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Seal production centre, Industrial town, terracotta model of a bullock cart, bronze toy cart, inkpot, Jhunkar Culture.

v DIAMABAD:-

Ø Southern most site of I.V.C.

Ø Situated  at Maharastra, Pravas Valley.

Ø Important Discoveries are: Jorwe Culture Site, fortified with mud walls having stone, large number of bronze goods with Harappan influence

v DHOLAVIRA:-

Ø Situated at Kutch, Gujrat

Ø Discovered by R.S. Bisht (1990-91)

Ø Only Harappan site to be divided into three parts;

Ø Important Discoveries are: Remains of horse, bead working shop, largest Harappan inscription used for civic purpose, a stadium, stone sculpture of mongoose, signboard.

v KALIBANGAN:-

Ø Black Bangles

Ø Situated at southern bank of dry Ghaggar river, Ganganagar district, Northern Rajasthan

Ø Discovered by A. Ghosh (1923) B.B. Lal, B.K. Thapar (1959, 1969) George Dales (1964), S.M. Wheeler (1968)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Traces of rice cultivation, Ploughed field surface, cylindrical seal, earliest earthquake, fire altars, Bangle factory, Granaries had many wells, Trephination, Remains of camel

v ROPAR:-

Ø Situated at Southern bank of the Sutlej, Punjab

Ø Known as Roopnagar

Ø Discovered by Y.D. Sharma (1955-56)

Ø First site excavated in India after 1947

Ø Ropar is near the modern city of Chandigarh

Ø Important Discoveries are: evidence of burying a dog with master.

v SURKO-TDA:-

Ø Situated at Kutch, Gujrat

Ø Discovered by J.P. Joshi (1970-75)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Bones of horses, pot burials, a piece of woven cotton cloth.

v SUKTAGENDOR:-

Ø Situated at bank of Asht River on the border with Iran, East coast of South Baluchistan.

Ø Western most site of IVC.

Ø Discovered by Aurel Stein (1927-31)

Ø Important Discoveries are: Trading point, important link with west Asia, weapons of foreign origin.

v RANGPUR:-

Ø Situated at Gujrat

Ø Discovered on 1953

Ø Important Discoveries are: A massive citadel, rice husk

v ALAMGIRPUR:-

Ø Situated at Meerat on the bank of Ganges, UP

Ø Eastern most site of IVC

Ø Discovered by Bharat Seva Samaj (1953)

Ø Last phase of Indus Culture.

·        Manda: Northern most site of IVC (Kashmir)

·        Diamabad: Southern most site of IVC (Maharastra)

·        Suktagendar: Western most site of IVC (Beluchistan)

·        Alamgirpur: Eastern most site of IVC (U.P.)

·        I.V.C. was an urban civilization.

i.       Planned City

ii.     Underground drainage system (most important)

·        I.V.C. belonged to Chalcolithic Age and Largest Civilization of this period.

·        Its contemporary civilizations were Mesopotamian or Sumeria Civilization and Egyptian Civilization.

·        Breadth of road (Largest – 34 ft, Shortest – 3 ft)

·        Dustbin situated on the pavements.

·        The shapes of the Harappan cities were rectangular.

·        Buildings were build by burnt bricks, grid process & rectangular shaped

·        Highest building – 3 storied building

·        Lowest building – Barrack room

·        The Indus people used the Pictographic Script for writing which is undeciphered even today.

·        Measurement unit of length – Decimal

·        According to Anthropological survey, authors of Indus population were four types – a) Proto-Qustroloid 

        b) Mediterranean

        c) Alpine 

       d) Mongoloid

·        Mesopotamians named Indus Valley Civilization as ‘Meluha’

·        Iron was not known to I.V.C.

·        Indus Script is Pictographic and their direction was right to left and left to right.

·        I.V.C. roads crossed each other at 90 degree angle like “+” sign.

·        The Harappan script has about 400 signs.

Ø Administration:

·        Centralized Government.

·        Polity was most probably ruled by merchant or traders & priests.

Ø Agriculture:

·        Wheat and Barley.

·        The Indus people were like the world’s first people to grow cotton and weave its fiber into textiles.

·        Sugarcane cultivation was unknown to I.V.C.

Ø Industry:

·        Cotton textile.

·        Brick making(4:2:1).

Ø Occupation:

·        Prime occupations were trade and commerce.

·        Harappan civilization can be divided – warriors, traders, artisans and manual labours.

Ø Religious Life:

·        The Harappan people mainly worshipped mother goddess who were the symbol of productivity and prosperity.

·        Male go described as Pasupati. Sir John Marshall identified with Adishiva.

·        They worshipped pepul tree, animals specially bulls.

·        They did not worship ‘Forces of Nature’

·        Idol worship was introduced in India for the 1^st time by Indus people.

Ø Causes of destruction:

·        External Aggression – Stuart Piggot and Gorden Child.

·        Aryan Invasion – Mortimer Wheeler

·        Climate Change – Orell Stein

·        Earthquake – Robert Raikes

·        Lack of adaptation attitude

·        Orthodox Mentality

·        Direction change of Sindhu River.

·        1^st Phase of Mehergarh (7000 – 5000 B.C.) – 1^st time cultivation in Mehergarh.

·        2^nd Phase of Mehergarh (5000 – 4000 B.C.) – 1^st time rural civilization.

·        3^rd Phase of Mehergarh (4000 – 3200 B.C.) – Use of terracotta.

·        In 1853 and 1873 Alexander Canninghum 2^nd and 3^rd time observe Indus Valley Civilization.

·        “The Indus Valley people were not on the whole an artistic people.”- Romila Thapar.