Ancient Indian Civilizations: Indus Valley Civilisation and Harappa Civilisation
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India’s First Civilization
India has been always looked upon as the cradle of all civilizations and it is no wonder that the very first civilization had its birth in India.
Here we look at some of the unique features of this civilization
It is said that the Indus Valley Civilization or the Harrappan Civilization is almost 8000 years old and not 5500 years as it was believed earlier.
In geographical terms to it covered a large area in comparison to the ancient civilizations of that time.
It had a population of over 5 million and most of its inhabitants were artisans and traders.
Excavations till date have discovered 1056 cities here.
Since most of the population lived in the villages and probably used perishable material like mud and timber for their housing there is no trace of these dwellings.
Archaeologists believe it’s a misnomer to call it the Indus Valley Civilization as only few settlements are found around this river while most settlements have been found around the Saraswathi River. There is mention of an exotic place Meluhha which from the descriptions of the Mesopotamian scribes is similar to the Harrappan cities.
Initially when they discovered the range of toys there they thought that they had come across a civilization of only children. It is felt that the Hardpans had a great love for toys and games. An early form of chess seems to have been popular with them. They also seem to have known the use of dice.
They were the first to be credited with having planned cities and all the excavations go to prove this. Town planning was standardized and all cities, villages and towns were planned in a similar way.
They also had a good drainage system that added to the value of their planned cities. A huge granary to store food grains were also seen here. An amazing feature of this civilization is that there is no evidence of a central authority to lay down rules but a very high level of administration seems to have been the order of the day.
It is said that the British used the bricks they found here to lay the railway lines in that area. Many cities were constructed and all had a standardized model. All construction was with burnt bricks and this also had a standard size. Many houses were built and they were two storied or three storied. They had ample space and with luxurious toilets inside with flushing systems in place . This was unheard of in the other civilizations of that time.
All this makes it clear that the people had a great awareness of hygiene and made use of well managed water systems. Several brick containers were found in important places in the city showing that they could have been garbage dispensers.
Dholavira was the place where water was stored during dry seasons.
It is clear that Harappans had trade via sea as a huge dockyard and ports are visible. Moreover other civilizations also mention trade with them.
The seals excavated show that the Harrappans were very religious and believed in God like Shiva, Parvathy etc.. The seals also show that they may have been used as coins for trade. Evidence of barter system is also prevalent hence there is con fusion as to the use of seals.
The Harappans were excellent metallurgists and are credited to be the first dentists. They were very good at art and craft and loved to have fun. A number of games using dice were seen in the civilization.
They learnt the use of cotton and made the first buttons. They seemed to be a peaceful lot as there is no evidence of warfare anywhere. They have many inscriptions but their script has not been deciphered.
What caused this civilization to disappear from the face of the earth also is not clear. Most historians feel that natural disaster could be a cause others say the coming of the Aryans and their taking over as a cause but still uncertainty prevails over the reasons. In conclusion it can be said that this civilization truly deserves to be called themother of all civilizations as the discoveries that have been made are unparalleled in other civilizations of that time #theopenbook #Education #Educationalvideos #Studyiq #learn #Cbse #icse #ssc #generalknowledge