Indus Valley Civilization | Harappan Civilization | Bronze Civilization

Indus Valley | Harappan | Bronze Civilization (2500 BC - 1750 BC)

• Indus Valley Civilization is also known as Harappan Civilization / Bronze Civilization
• Harappa was first site to be discovered
• It's is also known as Indus - Saraswati Civilization (Largest concentration of settlement along the Indus - Saraswati river valley, 80%)
• John Marshall , first archaeology to use the term Indus Civilization
• Belong to Proto-Historic Period (Chalcolithic/Bronze Age)
• Indus Valley Civilization was spread over Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Uttar Pradesh & Northern Maharashtra

• Bead Making was most important industry of Lothal, Chanhudaro and Mohenjodaro
• Capital Cities : Harappa and Mohenjodaro
• Port Cities : Lothal, Sutkagendor, Allahdino, Balakot, Kuntasi
• Town Planning (Open Courtyard was the basic feature of house planning)
• Brick used were uniform in size , road were designed in agrid 
• Agriculture was known to them
• Cotton was grown for the first time in India Only
• Lion & Iron was not known to Indus People
• Lothal was an ancient port of Indus people
• Indus Civilization was Primarily Urban
• The Harappan people didn't worship their god in temple
• Mother Goddess (Matridevi / Shakti) - most commonly found figurine
• There is evidence of prevalence of Yoni (female sex organ) worship
• The chief Male deity was the "Pasupati Mahadeva" (the lord of Animal - Proto Shiva) represented in seals as setting in yogic posture and he is surrounded by four animals (elephant, tiger, rhino, buffalo and two deer appear at his feet)
• Shiva - Shakti worship the oldest form of worship in India
• There is an evidence of Pictographip Script found mainly on Seals 
• Boustrophedon - written from right to left
• Harappan Script - Oldest Script in Indian Subcontinent
• Brahmi Script - Oldest deciphered script
• Steatite was mainly used in the manufacture of Seals
• Humpless Bull is represented in most of the Indus Seals
• Swastika Symbol can be traced in Indus Civilization
• M. Wheeler - Indra is a accused of causing the decline of Indus Civilization
• The Rigveda speaks of a battle at a place named "Hariyumpia" which has been identified with Harappa
• Contemporary Civilization of Indus Civilization - Mesopotamian Civilization, Egyptian Civilization and Chinese Civilization
• Some important site - Koldihawa (Uttar Pradesh) , Brahmagiri (Karnataka) and Sangankallu (Karnataka)

Important Harappan Site

Harappa

• Location - Punjab (Pakistan)
• River - Ravi
• Rangpur - Contemporary of Harappan Civilization existed
• Discovered by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahani (1921)
• Harappa archeological site - (Sand - Haryana , Manda - Jammu and Kashmir , Padri - Gujarat , Hulas - Uttar Pradesh)
• Found : Figure of Mother Goddess, Belong to Bronze Age, Cemetary - 37, Graveyards Copper - made mirror, Vanity box, Dice, Copper Scale, Stone Symbol of Lingam (male sex organ) & Yoni (female sex organ), 6 Granaries in row

Mohenjodaro 

• Means Mound of Dead
• Location - Sindh (Pakistan)
• River - Indus (Right Bank of Indus)
• Most Populous Site
• Discovered by R. D. Banerjee (1922)
• Largest sites of Indus Civilization
• Found : Indus Valley Garden, Woven Fabrics, Swastika Symbol, twin capital of Harappa, Great Bath (45×15) - 27 Parts, Great Grainery (largest building bathroom), Bronze dancing girl (lost wax method), Beard Mahadev, Pashupati Seal, Assembly Hall, Shell strips, Painted Seal (Demigod), Human Skeleton huddled together

Chanhudaro

• Location - Sindh (Pakistan)
• River - Left bank of Indus in the South of Mohenjodaro
• Discovered by Mackey (1925) & HG Mazumdar (1931)
• Found : Bronze figure of Bullock Cart, City without a Citadel, Inkpot, Lipstick, Terracotta model of Bullock Cart, Bronze toy cart, Metal Workers, Imprint of dog paw on a brick

Lothal

• Location - Gujarat
• River - Bhogava ( head of the Gulf of Cambay/Khambhat)
• Oldest Port of Indus Valley Civilization
• Discovered by SR Rao (1954)
• Found : Dockyard, Firealtar, Rickhusk, Terracotta figure of a horse, Double Burial (Male and Female in a single grave), Terracotta model of a Ship

Kalibangan

• Means Black Bangles
• Location - Rajasthan
• River - Ghaggar
• Discovered by Amalanand Ghosh (1951), BB Lal and BK Thapar (1961)
• Found : Ploughed field, Mesopotamian Cylindrical Seal, 7 Fire altar, Decorated bricks, Wheel of a toy cart

Dholavira

• Location - Gujarat
• River - Luni (excavated is in the Kutch District)
• Some Sites - Kuntosi and Rojdi
• Discovered by JP Joshi (1967-68)
• Found : Only site that was divided into three parts, Water reservoir has been found, A Stadium, A Large Well

Surkotada

• Location - Gujarat
• River - Not located on any river (head of Rann of Kutch)
• Discovered by JP Joshi (1964)
• Found : Bones of Horse, Pot Burial, Oval grave

Banawali

• Location - Haryana
• River - Saraswati
• Discovered by RS Bisht (1973)
• Found : Evidence of Cultivation of Barley crop, Chess-Board, Toyplough

Rakhigarhi

Location - Haryana (Not located on any river)

Discovered by Surajbhan and Acharya Bhagwan Dev (1997)

Largest Indian Sites of Indus Civilization

Largest Harappa Museum

Alamgirpur

Location - Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh)

River - Hindon

Discovered by Yagyadatt Sharma

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