Indus Valley Civilization- From Harappa to Mohenjo-daro The Complete Story

Today we're taking a brief step back in time Yes way behind A world that existed thousands of years ago Yet the traces of that event still leave us stunned today Indus Valley Civilization We have considerable interest and some research on this topic And that is precisely our intention—to highlight the most essential among these of course Uncover shocking revelations You're absolutely right and this isn't just about what you've seen here or the ruins This is the story of an endlessly fractured society their mindset their technology And yes the mystery behind their sudden disappearance too Yes there's always mystery involved So let's take a look at our sources Who can connect the right pieces of this ancient puzzle And let's see what story these have to tell us Alright how was that first discovered Meaning there was indeed a civilization of such great magnitude Isn't meeting him in itself a story in its own right Yes yes that's it The story is fascinating dating back to the 1850s When the Karachi-Lohri railway line was being laid There were the Burton brothers engineers They found some old bricks and a few ruins came into view They did inform about it that's true The actual work began in 1921 When Rai Bahadur Dayaram Sahani began the excavation at Harappa And shortly thereafter in 1922 Rakhal Das Bannerjee conducted excavations at Mohenjo-daro And all this took place within Sir Jon Marshall's jurisdiction And only then did the world realize this was no ordinary densely populated settlement Not at all these were cities of a vast widespread civilization How extensive was its spread meaning how large an area did it cover You might think based on the information we have that the area in question ranges from a million square kilometers Some even claim it's up to twenty million twenty million yes And these were the cultures of that era the civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia Including their total area this was even larger by far It's amazing Which areas were included in this Today that would include much of Pakistan as well as parts of India such as Punjab Sindh Balochistan Gujarat Rajasthan Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh It's a fairly large area That is if you look at the map going northward from Manda in Jammu then southward all the way to Daimabad in Maharashtra and further westward from Sutka Gandor in Balochistan to Almigirpur near Merta Exactly right It looks like a royal palace and this was a Bronze Age civilization right Yes the Copper Age in terms of timing is generally considered to have reached its peak—meaning its height—between 2600 and 1900 BCE Alright And it's not just the sprawl—just look at the layout of these cities and even today's architects would be stunned Exactly right—I was about to say the same thing about their city planning and town layout it was superb with straight orderly roads Yes As if someone had already drawn the complete map laid out the grid Exactly how could they possibly conceive of let alone execute dividing the city into rectangular blocks back in those days That's exactly the point—planning was absolutely essential And in most cities two main parts are visible Two parts Yes A western mound slightly elevated and often fortified with a castle is known as a fortress or citadel Alright Durg And the other one The second section was located to the east known as the lower city which was larger and inhabited by ordinary people Alright And the most remarkable thing is that these cities extensively used baked bricks—solid durable bricks—throughout Real bricks In those days Yes and it's usually a standard size Even standard sizes Yes this thing was completely different from ancient Egypt the contemporary civilization Yes There was a lot of raw brick traffic there That's quite something Good and what about Mohan Jodhaḍo's vast dining hall—great thing it's mentioned everywhere—what was that again Yes he was found in the fortress area near a large rectangular pond How big It's quite large isn't it Amazing engineering—why would it ever be used As the significance of sacred ponds has endured in India even later so too has this Could there possibly be a massive grain storage facility a granary right there too Yes in Mohenjo-daro a large structure believed to be a granary has been discovered but in Harappa this feature is even clearer In Harappa Yes inside the fort at Hadhapur two rows of six granaries each built atop Ito's stone platforms have been found 12 warehouses Yes and cracks were found in the floor filled with grains of wheat and barley suggesting that grain was also cleaned there This shows that grain storage and distribution were carried out in a highly organized manner and nearby barracks-like dwellings for workers have also been discovered That was a fully organized system wasn't it Absolutely this points toward an organized system And the drainage system the water runoff system is said to outperform even today's standards That's true The level of cleanliness was meticulously maintained Even today you won't find such order in many cities as was present there Every home with its own bathroom and toilet Yes most homes typically had a bathroom and a courtyard with drainage systems built to carry water out from the house and connect to the main sewer line on the street And were those drains also covered Yes the most important feature was that they were covered to prevent dirt from spreading and spaced along the way were manhole-like openings covered with stone or iron Amazing isn't it In towns like Kalibanga many homes still have their own wells Your well Yes and if we're talking about water management Dolavira in Gujarat must be mentioned Dholavira yes what's so special about there You can see amazing water harvesting techniques there Large reservoirs stepwells and other water structures have been discovered—some even surpassing the impressive engineering of Mohenjo-daro Alright They were likely used during times of drought or water scarcity Exactly at Lothal located in Gujarat a large brick dockyard was discovered believed to be either Ghodaya or Bandargah This is direct and compelling evidence of extensive maritime trade So these people also engaged in trade via sea routes Clearly and in the black soil of Rajasthan traces of plowed fields have been found there Plowed fields Yes the plow marks considered among the oldest evidence of agriculture in the world Is it Kumal And there fire altars also known as agnihotra vedikas have also been found Fire altars Then were sacrificial offerings also performed This is a question also found at Lothal perhaps indicating some religious ritual associated with fire Hmm this shows that each city had its own unique characteristics Exactly depending on their geographical location their work may have been different as well Now let's talk a bit about their daily lives and economic conditions the informal economy and its aspects What was the area around Sindhu like in those days Was it similar to how it is today No probably quite different from today Experts believe it was likely much wetter back then with a more humid climate Will there be more greenery Yes there would have been more forests and more fertile land making agriculture their primary livelihood What were they growing Wheat and barley were the primary crops but they also cultivated rye peas sesame mustard and millet among others And cotton isn't it mentioned quite often Yes cotton holds great significance it is believed that cotton was first cultivated right here in the world First of all Yes and perhaps precisely for this reason the Greeks began calling this region Sindon which likely derives from the word Sindhu Alright Sindaan The wheat grains found in Banawali located in Haryana are of high quality So Hetty was quite advanced Yes Yes the clay figurines of oxen pulling a cart have been found and oxen are also depicted on the seals It seems oxen were used for tasks like threshing Elephant and rhino They were familiar with these people their likenesses appearing on seals But what about the horse Yes what was the horse's status Horses with strong solid build are quite rare Yes this was the Bronze Age Yes this was the Bronze Age civilization They knew how to make bronze by combining copper and tin Well how were the industries and businesses You found lots of crafts and clay utensils didn't you Yes pottery—the making of clay vessels—was a major industry They crafted beautiful vessels on the potter's wheel And Weaving cloth was also very important When they grew cotton Jahira must have made cotton cloth Perhaps these garments were also sent abroad Making beads bead crafting—this was also a specialized industry At the Chanhun Dhar site remnants of an entire factory for making beads have been discovered Factory meaning large-scale operations Yes it seems they also knew about metalworking Copper was likely brought from the Khejri mines in Rajasthan Copper still found there Even today from Khedri Yes and the tin was likely sourced from Afghanistan or Iran Then they would combine these two to make clay from which tools weapons vessels and statues were crafted Gold silver Gold and silver jewelry were also made likely sourced from outside as well So there must also have been trade in all these things—grains clothes goods of the mind and metalware Absolutely trade was extremely important for their economy How is this determined We can gauge it from several things—first the thousands of seals and stamps that have been discovered Yes those are the seals Second a script identical to this one which has not yet been deciphered is found throughout the entire region Third uniform weights and measures across the entire region—weights and measures often based on the ratio of solas—such as 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 and so on The multiplier of Solah Yes that's intriguing Yes all this indicates that there was a system in place to regulate trade Internal trade certainly existed between towns and villages And outside too from other countries Yes there is solid evidence of external trade particularly with Mesopotamia—modern-day Iraq—as well as with neighboring Iran and Afghanistan How was it discovered from Mesopotamia Among the ancient texts discovered in Mesopotamia there is mention of a place called Maluhha Meiluha Yes most scholars believe Maluha was indeed the name of Sindhu Ganga Those accounts mention goods coming from Malwa such as precious stones elephant tusks and possibly timber Alright were there any coins or money No metal coins or evidence of keramik have been found It seems the entire trade system meaning the exchange of goods was based on the barter system Butter system Such a large quantity of butter and such meticulous care Yes that's what it seems The use of Shaid seals is for identifying goods or indicating ownership not as currency Yes that’s certainly something to ponder Now let’s move on to art Art in culture And first of all those seals themselves are a testament to art in their own right Really Over two thousand seals have already been found Most are intact meaning they're made of a soft stone known as steatite Is she standing still Yes most are square but rectangular round and cylindrical stones have also been found carved with animal figures and inscriptions alongside them They’re so detailed aren’t they Especially in such a small space Absolutely even though small they are incredibly powerful with life shining through them Which animals would become these The most striking creature is the one-horned animal though no one's sure exactly what it is—some people assume it's a unicorn A unicorn Yes a rhinoceros then a humpbacked bull a ram too quite large besides an elephant a tiger a gaur a buffalo a deer and even a leopard And that Pashupati seal— isn't it extremely famous Yes the one who met Mohan Jodar has a figure that sits cross-legged like a yogi Like Yogi Yes in the Padmasana posture three faces are depicted: a horned Mukha on top and four animals surrounding it—elephant lion deer and buffalo—with two antelopes below Is this considered Shiva's原始 form Many scholars consider it a proto-Shiva or the primordial form of Shiva since later Shiva was also referred to as Pashupati meaning lord of animals and depicted as an ascetic yogi It's a swastika and what's that symbol Yes swastika symbols also appear on seals And the mysterious inscription on these seals that script Yes it's a script Each seal bears some symbols or marks that appear pictographic—like image-like characters—but no one has been able to read it to this day If read carefully just imagine how many secrets could be hidden within Exactly This could be the key to unlocking the profound sense of loss that remains elusive How is the statue art going what kind of statues have you found The statues discovered come in various types with the majority being made of baked clay also known as terracotta Tera Kota Yes and among them the most numerous are female statues revered as Mother Goddesses or Devi-Bowdhis Mother Goddess Goddess of the Earth Yes these statues are wearing helmets and have strange fan-like objects on their heads A statue has also been found depicting a plant growing from a woman’s pride Proud plant And toys For children to play And the metal statues—like the one of the dancer made of bronze Lost wax But his confidence his self-assurance is incredible What does she look like How did they demonstrate the sophistication of their metallurgical art Absolutely there's vitality in it The stone statues of Jadhagha have not been found perhaps Yes there are fewer stone statues compared to those made of metal and clay But the ones that have arrived are also significant For example Two male hearts have been discovered at the Harappa site It's made of red sandstone and is quite realistic And the statue of the bearded priest from Mohenjo-daro Yes she is a carved figure made from the wood of the sacred fig tree Batala is just up to the shoulders He has a beard not a mustache There's a pause before the next breath just as in meditation And she has placed a shawl over her head He is regarded as the Priest King or the Yogi That mask looks pretty impressive doesn't it Yes Alright and the clay pots pottery Were those also examples of art Yes absolutely Most vessels were made on a potter's wheel Excellent quality By and large they were red or pink in color And designs were drawn on them in black ink How was it designed It was geometrically designed Round square lines Animals and birds also made them Like peacocks deer ducks Even peacocks Yes many people find the peacock quite lovely On some utensils images even tell entire stories Something like the story of the fox and the crow The Panchatantra It feels much the same Their artistry extends beyond large sculptures or seals In fact everyday items used by the people of Marra Just as in vessels it is also reflected Yes now let's talk a bit about society and religion Look the city's construction is underway Fortress and the lower tow You can sense a bit of its essence There may still be some social stratification Some people were overly ambitious constantly striving for higher status Yes perhaps the ruling class priestly class or wealthy merchant class lived within the fortress And the common laborer the weary one in the lower city But this is merely an estimate Who was the ruler Was it some king It's not clear No grand palace-like building was found No tombs resembling those of kings have been found either It's hard to say whose hands the governance was in So what's theory Some scholars believe that perhaps it was a merchant class that ruled Because trade was so vital Some say it was likely due to the dominance of the priestly class As I was in Supertamia Some even believe that perhaps there was never a single ruler at all In fact each city had its own ruler It's not certain yet No this will remain as it is and religion faith You mentioned only Matridevi and Pashupati The temple wasn't found was it Yes this is a rather strange thing like Egypt and Mesopotamia Where had Pooja gone Perhaps at home or outdoors The idols of Goddess Dhevi that were discovered The one who has been received from homes It seems the worship of Matradevi or Prithvi Devi was quite popular The worship of Shiva or Pashupati is believed to date back to the time of these seals Smooth stones resembling male and female genitalia have also been found Likely associated with the worship of fertility or reproductive power Goodness and the worship of trees and animals Yes that also seems to have been common as the depiction of the peepal tree on the seals closely matches Perhaps they worshipped a one-horned animal and a hump-backed bull among the animals Perhaps there are also hints of Nag Pooja here Yes some seals feature snake-like designs and numerous amulets have also been found Taweez Ammoolits Yes these suggest that perhaps they believed in ghosts spirits or magic and wore amulets to protect themselves Yes as we mentioned earlier it may have been used for collective religious bathing How did they perform the final rites What did they do with the body Evidence of both burial and cremation has been found A cemetery has been discovered at Harappa where bodies were buried facing north-south accompanied by some terracotta vessels And burning it Some burial sites have contained ashes and urns suggesting that after cremation the remains were placed in vessels and buried yet the number of graves found does not match the expected population size The collapse began around 1900 BCE didn't it What happened Why did all this happen Climate change is considered a major factor Perhaps the weather has changed the rainfall pattern has shifted the monsoon has weakened or become erratic leading to prolonged dry spells Rivers can also be a major factor The Indus and its tributaries constantly change their course Perhaps a major river changed its course leading to a shortage of water or maybe a devastating flood occurred There are also discussions about the drying up of the Sarasvati River Yes the drying up of the Ghaggar-Hakra River which many consider to be the ancient Sarasvati is also regarded as highly significant There were many settlements along the river so if the river had dried up farming would undoubtedly have been ruined forcing people to abandon those places Evidence has been found at the site Another theory suggests that when cities are densely populated and sanitation systems break down the risk of disease outbreaks increases And what happened to that theory about the Aryans' invasion Yes it was once a fairly popular theory advanced by archaeologists such as Mortimer Wheeler On what basis The basis was the Rigveda referring to Indra as Purandara meaning destroyer of forts and in Mohenjo-daro scattered skeletons were found at some sites with signs of injury on others leading to theory that outsiders the Aryans launched an attack on these cities It was destroyed and the civilization vanished But is this theory still accepted today No most scholars no longer agree with this invasion theory Why First the number of skeletons found is very small and they don't appear to date from the same time period Second there are no archaeological remains indicating large-scale warfare fire or destruction that would confirm a major attack and even the timeline may differ So what is the general consensus now The prevailing view now is that the collapse was not due to a single event like an invasion but rather the result of a prolonged systemic process Thematic procedure You mean several things happened at once Yes Sibbitha didn’t vanish all at once but gradually her urban characteristics—tall buildings city planning writing systems seals standardized measurements—faded away A unique art a script we cannot decipher and an ending that remains even today utterly incomprehensible Questions arise at every step: who were these people really what language did they speak how exactly did their understanding function what was actually written in their script and what was their complete picture of religion There are many questions and as we go one thought remains for the sources: recent genetic studies have been conducted such as the analysis of DNA from skeletons found in Rakhigadi Haryana and what has emerged from these findings points to ancient origins However the genetic signature associated with the people of Central Asia's steppes linked to the later arrival of the Aryans is scarcely found among the copper artifacts of the Indus Valley during that period That’s quite a significant matter Yes this presents a more complex picture suggesting that population mixing and admixture may have already been underway and the arrival of the Aryans may not have been as straightforward as once thought The question then arises: if in the future we decipher the script make new archaeological discoveries or gain further insights from genetic studies what would be the true identity of these people where were their roots and how much of their legacy remains within us today Keep pondering deeply and continue thinking until then