General Awareness Indus Valley Civilisation
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Introduction

• `color{blue} ("Indus Valley Civilisation")` is one of the four earliest civilisations of the world along with the civilisations of Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates), Egypt (Nile) and China (Hwang Ho).

• John Marshall was the first researcher to use the term, ‘Indus Valley Civilization’.

• The Civilisation forms a part of the proto-history of India and belongs to the Bronze age.

• The most accepted period is `color{blue}("2500-1700 BC")` (derived by Carbon-14 dating).

• Dayaram Sahni first discovered Harappa in 1921. RD Banneljee discovered Mohenjodaro or 'Mound of the Dead' in 1922.

• Indus Valley Civilisation, as it flourished along the Indus river.

• `"Harappan Civilisation"` named by John Marshall; after the first discovered site, Harappa.

Town Planning

• Town-planning was not uniform. A common feature was the `color{blue} ("grid system")` i.e. streets cutting across one another at right angles, dividing the town into large rectangular blocks.

• The towns were divided into two parts : `color{blue} ul ("the Upper part with Citadel and the Lower part")`.

• Underground drainage system connected all houses to the street drains, made up of mortar lime and gypsum. They were covered with either brick or stone slabs and equipped with manholes. This shows a developed sense of health and sanitation.

• `color{blue} ul ("The Great Bath")color{blue} ("(Mohenjodaro) ")` : It was used for religious bathing. Steps at either end lead to the surface. With inlet to the tank and outlet for drain water. There were changing rooms alongside.

• `color{blue} ul ("The Granaries")color{blue} ("(Harappa)")` : 6 granaries in a row were found in the Citadel at Harappa.

• Houses were made up of burnt bricks.

• Lamp-posts were erected at regular intervals. It indicates the existence of street lighting.

• Systematic town planning was based on grid system and burnt bricks were used to construct houses.

• The drainage were well-managed with fortified Citadel and it was highly urbanised

• The towns were divided into 2 parts : the Upper Part or Citadel and the Lower Part. Harappans were ruled by a class of merchants, as no evidence of weapons are found there.

Agriculture

• Agriculture was the backbone of the civilisation. The soil was fertile due to inundation in the river Indus.

• They used wooden plough and stone sickles for harvesting.

• Crops produced were wheat, barley dates, peas, sesamum, mustard, ,millet, ragi, bajra and jowar. At Lothal and Rangpur, rice husks were found.

• They were first to produce cotton in the world, which Greeks called as Sindon derived fron Sind. A fragment of woven cotton cloth was found at Mohenjodaro.

• Well-irrigation is evident from the dams and irrigation canals found at Dholavira.

• Sugarcane was not known to the lndus people.

• Indus people sowed seeds in November and reaped their harvest in April, because of the danger of flood.

• Produced wheat, barley, rai, peas, seasum, rice and mustard.

• Indus people first produced cotton, which the Greeks termed as Sindon (derived from Sindh).

• Animals known were oxen, sheep, buffaloes, goats, pigs, elephants, dogs, cats, donkeys and camels.

Domestication of Animals

• Animal rearing was practiced. They domesticated buffaloes, oxens, sheep, donkeys, goats, pigs, elephants, dogs, cats etc.

• Camel bones are reported at Kalibangan and remains of horse are discovered from Surkotada.

Art and Crafts

• Harappans used stone tools and implements and were well acquainted with bronze. Bronze was made by mixing copper (from Khetri) with tin.

• Boat making, jewellery of gold and silver along with precious stone and bead making was practised.

• Cotton fabrics were used in summer and woollens in winter.

• Pottery Both plain or painted (red and black) pottery was made. Pots were decorated with human figures, plants, animals and geometrical patterns.

• Metal Images Bronze image of a, nude woman dancer (identified as devdasi) and stone steatite image of a bearded man were both obtained from Mohenjodaro.

• Terracotta Figurines Fire baked clay was used to make toys, objects of worship, animals (monkey, dogs, sheep, cattle, humped and humpless bulls), cattle toys with movable head; toy-carts, whistles shaped like birds, and both male and female figulines.

• They played dice games. Gambling seems to be their favourite time pass.

Trade

• Agriculture, industry and forest provided the basis for internal and external trade.

• Trade was based on barter system. Coins are not evident. Bullock carts and boats were used for transportation.

• Weights and measures were made of limestone, steatite etc. Generally in cubical shape and in multiples of 16.

• Foreign trade flourished with Mesopotamia or Sumeria (Iraq), Central Asia, Persia, Afghanistan and Bahrain.

Towns and Trade

`"Oaimabad" qquad " Bronze industry"`

`"Lothal" qquad " Factory for stone tools and metallic finished goods"`

`"Balakot" qquad " Pearl finished goods, bangle and shell industry"`

`"Chanhudaro" qquad " Beads and Bangles factory"`


Major Imports

`color{blue}("Materials") color{blue}(" Region")`

`"Gold" " Kolar (Karnataka), Afghanistan, Persia (Iran)"`

`"Silver" " Afghanistan, Persia (Iran), South India"`

`"Copper" " Khetri (Rajasthan) Balochistan, Arabia"`

`"Tin" " Afghanistan, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)"`

`"Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire" " Badak-Shan (Afghanistan)"`

`"Jade" " Central Asia"`

`"Steatite" " Shahr-i-sokhta, kirthar hills"`

`"Amethyst" " Maharashtra"`

Religious Practices

• Chief Female Diety - A terracotta figurine, where a plant is shown growing out of the embryo of a woman and represents the mother Goddess (Goddess of Earth).

• Chief Male Diety Pashupati Mahadeva (Proto-Siva), represented in seals, sitting in a yogic posture on a throne and having three faces and two horns. He is surrounded by an elephant, a tiger, a rhino and a buffalo, and two deers appear at his feet.

• Indus people believed in ghosts and evil forces and used amulets for protection against them. Fire altars are found at Lothal and Kalibangan .

Script

• It was pictograph in nature. Fish symbol is the most represented. Overlapping of the letters show that it was written from right to left in
the first line. The style is called Boustrophedon.

Decline of the Civilisation

The Harappan culture flourished upto 1800 BC, then it began to decline.

There is no unanimity among historians regarding the reason for decline of this urban civilisation. There are many different theories by the thinkers, that shows the decline of the Indus culture.

`color{blue} ul ("Possible reasons for its decline")`

- Economic stagnation
-Cultural decay
-Internal strife
-Droughts,floods and other climatic changes
-Drying up and shifting of rivers
-Environmental degradation

✓ Points to Remember

`color{purple} ul{✍️"Important facts"}`

`color{blue}• ` John Marshall was the first researcher to use the term, ‘Indus Valley Civilization’.
`color{blue}• `The most distinctive feature of the Harappan Civilization was its urbanization.
`color{blue}• `Moreover, sheep and goats, dogs, humped cattle buffalo, and elephant were domesticated in Indus Valley Civilization.
`color{blue}• `The capital cities are Mohenjodaro and Harappa.
`color{blue}• `The port cities are Sutkagendor, Balakot, Lothal, Allahdino, and Kuntasi.
`color{blue}• `The Indus valley people were well-acquainted with the use both of cotton and wool.

`color{purple}ul{✍️"Major Cities"}`

`color{blue}• `Mohenjodaro (Sind)
`color{blue}• `Kalibangan (Rajasthan)
`color{blue}• `Chanhudaro
`color{blue}• `Lothal
`color{blue}• `Surkotada (Gujarat)
`color{blue}• `Banawali (Haryana)
`color{blue}• `Dholavira (Gujarat)

`color{purple}ul{✍️"Social features"}`

`color{blue}• `Indus valley civilization is the first urbanization in India
`color{blue}• `It has well-planned drainage system, grid pattern and town planning
`color{blue}• `They have possessed equality in society

`color{purple}ul{✍️"Religious Facts"}`

`color{blue}• `Matridevi or Shakti is the Mother goddess
`color{blue}• `Yoni worship and Nature worship existed.
`color{blue}• `They worshiped trees like Peepal
`color{blue}• `They also worshiped Fire worship called Havan Kund.
`color{blue}• `Pashupati Mahadeva is known as the lord of Animals
`color{blue}• `The people of Indus Valley Civilization worshiped Animal worship like Unicorn and ox.

`color{purple}ul{✍️"Economic facts"}`

`color{blue}• `Indus valley civilization is based on agriculture
`color{blue}• `Trade and commerce flourished in this period.
`color{blue}• `A dockyard has been found at Lothal.
`color{blue}• `There were export and import.
`color{blue}• `Production of cotton was there
`color{blue}• `16 was the unit of measurement
`color{blue}• `Weights and measures of truth existed in Harappan culture was seen at Lothal.
`color{blue}• `The weights were made of limestone, steatite, etc. and were usually cubical in shape.

 
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