Q. What are the main characteristics of the Indus Valley Civilisation, and how did it contribute to later Indian culture?
The Indus Valley Civilisation was a highly advanced urban society with planned cities, trade networks, sophisticated craftsmanship, and early religious practices, which greatly influenced later Indian culture and civilisation.
A: The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also called the Harappan Civilisation, was one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations, flourishing between 3300 BCE and 1300 BCE in the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly in present-day Pakistan and northwest India.
Key Characteristics:
1. Urban Planning:
Cities like Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, and Dholavira displayed remarkable urban planning. Streets were laid out in a grid pattern, with proper drainage systems, well-constructed brick houses, and public baths, showing advanced civil engineering skills.
2. Economy and Trade:
The economy was primarily agrarian, based on wheat, barley, and cotton cultivation, but trade was equally significant. They had extensive trade networks with Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia, using standardised weights and measures.
3. Art and Craftsmanship:
Harappans were skilled in pottery, bead-making, metallurgy, and seal carving. The famous steatite seals often had animal motifs and inscriptions, which might have been used for trade or administrative purposes.
4. Social Organisation:
Though the exact political structure remains unclear, there is evidence of organised urban administration. The uniformity in brick sizes and city layouts suggests centralised planning.
5. Script and Language:
The Indus script is still undeciphered, but it shows the existence of writing for administrative, commercial, or ritual purposes.
6. Religion and Beliefs:
Evidence of fire altars, figurines, and mother goddess worship indicates early forms of ritualistic practices and proto-Hindu cultural elements.
Contribution to Later Indian Culture:
- Urban and Civic Sense: The urban planning principles influenced later Vedic towns and settlements.
- Craftsmanship and Trade: Standardised weights and economic practices laid the foundation for later economic systems in India.
- Religious Practices: Many symbols and rituals, including yoga postures, worship of the mother goddess, and reverence for sacred animals, have roots in the Indus Valley.
- Cultural Continuity: Despite its decline, elements of the Indus culture persisted in subsequent civilisations like the Vedic and post-Vedic periods, showing an early continuity of Indian culture.
Do you know?:
- Mohenjo-Daro had one of the world’s earliest known urban drainage systems, with covered sewers and soak pits.
- The Indus people used standardised baked bricks, which were uniform in size across cities hundreds of kilometres apart.
- Indus Valley seals often feature animals like the unicorn, elephant, and tiger, which may have had religious or trade significance.
- Archaeologists have found early evidence of dentistry in Harappan human remains, making it one of the first civilisations to practice tooth drilling.
- The famous Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro was likely used for ritualistic or religious purposes, highlighting early water management and spirituality.
- The Indus script remains undeciphered, but it contains over 400 distinct symbols, showing early attempts at written communication.
- The civilisation traded extensively with Mesopotamia, exchanging goods like beads, textiles, and pottery, making them one of the earliest global traders.
- Figurines of the Mother Goddess found in Indus sites indicate that worship of fertility and the divine feminine existed over 4,000 years ago in India.
- The city of Dholavira had an elaborate water conservation system, including reservoirs, channels, and step wells, demonstrating advanced hydraulic engineering.
- Despite its urban sophistication, there is no evidence of massive palaces or temples, suggesting a possibly egalitarian society.