Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley Civilization is one of the oldest civilizations of the world along with the Mesopotamian Civilization of Iraq and Ancient Egypt Civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as the Harappan Civilization, as Harappa was the first and the most important site of the Indus Valley Civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization was spread in 12, 60,000 sq.km which includes whole of Pakistan, some parts of India, Afghanistan and Iran (Persia). Based on the radio-carbon dating of the materials found during the excavations, it is believed that Indus Valley Civilization was spread from the year 2500-1750 B.C. The first sites to be discovered, were Harappa (discovered by Dr. D.R. Sahani in the year 1921) on the banks of the river Ravi and Mohanjodaro (in the year 1922 by R.D. Banerjee) on the banks of the river Indus. Sir John Marshall played an important role in both the excavations. Indus Valley Civilization forms the part of the Proto History of India and belongs to the Bronze Age. The population of the Indus Valley Civilization consisted of the Mediterranean, Proto- Australoid, and Mongoloids. The use of Gold, Silver, Copper and Bronze was there but the use of Iron was completely unknown. Important sites of Indus Valley Civilization Site Found by Year Harappa Daya Ram Sahani 1921 Mohanjodaro R.D. Banerjee 1922 Amri M.G. Majumdar 1929 Chanhudaro M.G.Majumdar 1931 Kalibanga Amlanand Ghosh 1953 Lothal S.R. Rao 1957 Banwali R.S. Bisht 1973 Surkotada Jagat Pal Joshi 1964 Dholavira Jagat Pal Joshi 1967 Ropar Y.D.Sharma 1953 Rangpur M.S. Vats 1931 Harappa It was found in the year 1921 by Dr. Dayaram Sahani. It is situated near the Sahiwal district of Pakistan on the banks of the river Ravi. The Great Granary was found here measuring 169 feet X 35 feet. A naked sandstone torso was found which also gives the traces of the Jainism.
The following were the major artifacts found during the excavation: Stone symbols of female genitals Single room barrack Mohenjo-Daro It was found in the year 1922 by Mr. R.D. Banerjee. It is situated in the Larkana district of Pakistan on the banks of river Indus. It is derived from the Sindhi word which means the Mound of the Dead. The following were the major artifacts found during the excavation: The Great Bath Multi pillared assembly hall A piece of woven cloth Stamp/Seal with the image of the Pashupati Mahadev Statue of the bearded man Evidence of direct trade relations with the Mesopotamia Civilization Mohenjodaro was the most advanced city of the Indus Valley Civilization; the roads were wide & straight and were 33 feet wide. The roads ran in the North- South direction and in East- West direction; they both cut each other at right angles. Kalibanga It was found in the year 1953 by Mr. Amlanana Ghosh. It was situated near the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan on the banks of the river Ghaggar. The word Kalibanga means the Black Bangles. The ploughed field at Kalibanga is the most important discovery of that time. The following were the major artifacts found during the excavation: Wooden wheel was found here which also gives the proof that the people of Kalibanga used bullock carts. Bones of camels were also found in this excavation. The tiled floor was found here which has the design of intersecting of circles. Human head with long oval eyes and thick lower lips Burials in the circular grave Burials in the rectangular grave Chanhu-Daro It was found in the year 1931 by M.G.Majumdar. Chahudaro was situated on the eastern side of river Indus in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Chanudharo has three different cultural layers Indus Culture, Jhukar Culture and Jhangar Culture. It was the only site in the Indus Valley Civilization without the Citadel. During the excavations a small pot, bullock carts and ekkas, foot prints of the elephant and the dog chasing the cat were found.
Lothal It was found in the year 1957 by S.R. Rao. It is situated near the Gulf of Khambatt in Gujarat. An artificial dockyard was found here. It was the most important port city of the Indus Valley Civilization. Major discoveries from the excavations of this site were: Boat made up of Terracotta was found, which gives the traces about the trade relations with other civilizations of the world. Evidence of rice was found here as the rice granary was found at Rangpur near Ahemadabad in Gujarat. A terracotta statue of horse. Seal which has the design of the ship. A printed jar which resembles the story of the cunning fox which is also mentioned in the Panchtnatra. A compass like measuring instrument was found which can measure the angles of 180, 90 and 45. Evidence of double burial was found i.e. male and female were found in the single grave which also gives the traces of Sati practice. Evidence of chess like game Ropar Founded in the year 1953 by Y.D.Sharma. It is situated in the state of Punjab in India. The discoveries from excavations at Ropar include pottery, ornaments, copper axes, seal etc. A strange burial was found here i.e. the dead body of dog was found along with the dead body of the human being. Banwali It was found in the year 1973 by R.S. Bisht. It is situated near the Hissar district of Haryana. Huge quantity of Barley and Mustard was found here. A terracotta plough was also found here which the most remarkable discovery. Surkotada Founded in the year 1964 by Prof Jagat Pal Joshi. It is situated in the Kutch district of Gujarat. During the excavations the first remains of the horse bones were found here. Dholavira It was founded in the year 1967 by Prof Jagat Pal Joshi. It is situated in Gujarat. Water reservoir was found here, and the concept of rain water harvesting can be seen at this site.
Religious Life & Culture The Main God of worship for the people of Indus Valley Civilization was Puhupati Mahadev (Lord Shiva). Other than Pashupati Mahadev, people also worshipped the following: Phallus (lingam) and Yoni. Unicorn and Bull Pipal Tree Dove & Pigeon When any person died in the Indus Valley Civilization, they lay them in North- South direction with the head in North and the legs in South direction. There was the practice of burying the dead body in the rectangular or oval pits. Script and Language The script of the Indus Valley Civilization is pictographic in nature which has around 600 pictographs. The writing style of the of the Indus Valley Civilization is known as Boustrophedon i.e. they write the first line from right to left and the second line from left to right. The language of the Indus Valley Civilization is still unknown. Causes of Decline The definite cause of decline for the Indus Valley Civilization is still elusive since there are no written records of the period and there are various speculations from the historians. There are four main reasons behind the decline of Indus Valley Civilization as concluded by the historians. 1. Due to decrease in the soil fertility 2. Due to increase of salinity in the water from the neighboring deserts 3. Due to natural calamity such as Earthquake, Flood, Famine etc 4. Aryans when they came to India destroyed the Indus Valley Civilization ***