Introduction
Here we are going back to the ages of 2600-1900 BCE, where we will found a fairly good picture of India’s most developed society. This is the age of first urbanization in India that is Indus-Valley Civilization. One can also call it a Bronze Age Civilization. Because in that time period Bronze tools were made and used for various purposes.
Archaeological evidence shows that it was the most extensive and advanced civilization of that time. Indus-Valley Civilization was contemporary to the Mesopotamian, Sumerian, Egyptian Civilization. But it had the most efficient civic administration and effective town planning system.
Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Banawali, Kalibangan, Lothal, Chahundaro, etc. were the most prominent cities of this civilization. One can also call it a Harappan Civilization. There are pieces of evidence that the Harappan society appeared to have been free from warfare.
It is evident that the Harappan people were well-established traders and had their links with the contemporary civilizations of the world. Let’s have a brief look at the geographical extension of the Indus-Valley Civilization.
Indus-Valley Civilization: Geographical Extension
Indus-Valley Civilization flourished over the bank of the river Indus. It grew in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. And from here it extends southwards and eastwards. It covers the parts of present-day Pakistan and India. In India, it covers Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu-Kashmir, and Western Uttar Pradesh region. In Pakistan, it spread over the Baluchistan, Sindh, and Punjab provinces.
It formed a triangular, Jammu in the north to the Narmada river in the south and from the Makran coast of Baluchistan in the west to Meerut in the north-east. Its extension is undoubtedly bigger than its contemporary Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilization.
One can conclude from here that rivers had always been provided economic, cultural, and societal viability to the people. So, it is one of the reasons why people worship rivers. In the present world also, the population numbers and density are larger at the bank of rivers as compared to the other regions.
Rivers provide fertile and cultivable plains to their people so the agricultural activities can take place. Rivers also facilitate its people with coastal trade and enable them to trade with the far away civilizations. So, this factor also worked in the case of this ancient Indus-Valley Civilization and its contemporary civilizations.
Town Planning and Structures
The Indus-Valley Civilization had the most advanced town planning ever seen in India. Even today, after 5000 years, Indian cities are pale in comparison with the Harappan or Indus-valley Civilization. The sophisticated town planning of Harappan civilization thrills present day’s engineers.
The town was divided mainly into two parts. One was Citadel i.e. Ruling class(if exists any) inhabited Acropolis or Upper City. Another part of town was the lower town, and common people inhabited lower town.
Dholavira site of present-day Gujarat is the exception of this town planning. In Dholavira the town is divided into three parts, one is Citadel and the other two are lower cities.
Though it is not evident that there was a Monarchy system in the Indus-Valley Civilization but it seems that there was certainly a ruling clan. Because without which this efficient administration was not certainly possible.
Indus-Valley Civilization: Grid System
The remarkable feature of this civilization is that the Houses in the town followed a grid pattern. Roads cut each other almost at the right angle i.e. at 90°. The drainage system was so proper that during the rainy season there was no over flooding roads.
In the present day scenario, we are still facing problems of congested roads and improper slope of roads, but 5000 years before in the Indus-Valley Civilization, our ancestors had shown the best example of civil engineering. One should not always criticize our past as backward but rather should understand correctly about our past civilizations.
Great Structures: Great Bath, Granaries, Ploughed Farm, etc.
The Indus-Valley Civilization had extremely large structures. The structures were made using burnt bricks. It was a unique feature of the Indus-Valley Civilization when we compare it with its contemporary civilizations. One may find the use of baked bricks in Mesopotamia at a very low level but the case of Egyptian civilization is totally absent.
Great Bath and Great Granary found in the Mohenjodaro is the best example of the beautiful work of burnt bricks. The Great Bath is similar to the stepwell structure of the present day. In the citadel of Harappa, six granaries were found. It is assumed that these were used to store the food grains. In Kalibangan (Rajasthan), one found a plowed farm and many houses with wells.
The drainage system of these cities was so proper that perhaps no other Bronze age or present-day civilization gave so much attention to the health and cleanliness as the Harappan did. That is why after the 70 years of independence we are yet struggling to have a healthy and clean environment. But our ancestors were well aware of these things. They always gave importance to cleanliness and health.
Agriculture and Domesticated Animals
As it is obvious any civilization that flourishes in the cradles of the river must have fertile agricultural lands. So, the Indus river here provided fertile land for agriculture. Indus people mainly sowed the seeds of wheat and barley as their food grains.
But at the Gujarat coast in Lothal rice cultivation is also evident. As the Indus river provided huge fertile land, there was a good supply of timber also. The wooden plowshare and stone sickles used for harvesting the crops.
In a whole Indus people produced wheat, barley, peas, mustard, sesamum, and rice, etc. And one most interesting fact is that farmers of the Indus-Valley Civilization produced sufficient food grains not only for their consumption but also for the town people as there was a barter system. Granaries were the storehouse for these food grains.
Another interesting fact is that Indus people were the first to produce cotton. Mehrgarh was a region (present-day Pakistan) which was famous for cotton production.
Harappan practiced agriculture so they kept a large number of animals with them. They domesticated Oxen, Buffaloes, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cat, Deer, Rhinoceros, Humped Bulls, Dogs, Elephants, Asses, and Camels (Beast of Burden), etc.
Technology and Crafts
Lost-Wax Technology
As it was a Bronze Age civilization. So, the Indus people used tools of Bronze. Bronze is a mixture of Tin and Copper.
In the case of Indus-Valley Civilization, They obtained Copper from the Khetri mines of Rajasthan and brought Tin from the Afghanistan and Hazaribagh region. The Bronze Smith made Bronze tools by Lost-Wax Technique. The bronze dancing girl is the best example of fineness of the work of the Harappan artist. Except for a necklace, she is naked.
Crafts
Important crafts were seal making, textile work (woven cotton piece recovered from Mohenjodaro), spinning weavers, brick lying, boat making, terracotta figurine making, gold jewelry making, etc. Pottery was one of the important craft of Indus people. Glossy and shining pottery was prevailing in Indus-Valley Civilization.
Harappan people used weights and measures for trade and other transactions. Numerous articles used for weights and they mostly were weighing in 16 or multiple of 16.
The script of Indus-Valley Civilization
So, we are not able to decipher the script of Indus-valley civilization till now. But it is a kind of pictograph. In which numerous animals, trees, etc. carved on the stones or seals. Unlike the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, Harappans did not write long inscriptions.
As soon as the script of the Indus-Valley Civilization will have deciphered, one will be able to know more about their contributions, ideas and beliefs.
Religious Beliefs of Indus People
They were mainly nature worshippers. They worshipped Mother Goddess. Because on one terracotta figurine, it was showing that a plant was growing out of the embryo of women.
A seal representing a male deity has found from the site of Indus-Valley Civilization. This was probably a prototype of Pashupati Mahadeva. This male deity is represented in the sitting posture of a yogi and surrounded by a rhinoceros, an elephant, a tiger and has a buffalo below his throne. At his feet appear two deer.
Indus people also worshipped trees and animals. They also used to wear amulets. Probably they believed that ghosts and evil forces would no harm them after they wear these amulets.
Trade and Commerce
The Indus people have given huge importance to commerce over conquest. They were having their trading links with the contemporary civilizations via sea route. As they built many boats and seals to trade outside their area. Probably they traded through a barter system. Because the seals of Indus-Valley Civilization had recovered from Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Indus people have established their Marvel in the agriculture field. Probably in return for the finished goods and foodgrains, they procured metals from their contemporaries.
Conclusion
In the final or the late Harappan ages, the Indus-Valley Civilization faced many natural challenges because of which this civilization slowly disappeared from sight. But from this extraordinary structured and well-planned civilization, one can say that India was a pioneer in shipping, metallurgy and textile production.
It had flourishing agriculture and external trade. It had established its own systems which were far superior to its contemporary civilizations. One should not forget our extraordinary past and should always do better to have a sustainable and planned future.
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