Skip to main content

Indus Valley Civilisation: An Understanding

Image
By

The River Of The Rig Veda:

The mythical river Sarasvati is an unsolved mystery. Sarasvati means a river full of ponds or lakes. This indicated its course might have been through many such lakes or swamps. There are many references to this river in the Rig Vedas as the " Seventh River of the Aryavarta" and " The mother of floods", indicating it was an important river in the land, probably large and perennial and caused floods. Many excavated villages and cities along present-day parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat indicate the basin of the Sarasvati River. It is described in the Yajur Vedas as the one where the five rivers meet, and in the Brahmanas, there are indications of the disappearance of its lower course and how its large flow decreases. 




The Mahabharata describes the ultimate drying up of the river before the ushering in of the Kali Yuga. Many Puranas describe the civilisation lying between the Ganga and the Saraswati. Even Hastinapur is described as situated to the south of Saraswati. Present-day Geologists have tested and revealed the Saraswati River basin to be one of the main rivers of the civilisation, and possibly parts of it are still in the present-day Ghaggar River flowing through Haryana. The Sarasvati-Ghaggar flooded the ancient Indus Valley  Civilisation as one mighty river, but Saraswati's drying up has left the Ghaggar as a minor river. Satellite imaging has helped create the river basin and understand the civilisation that stood there. Even today, Hinduism depicts the river flowing underground to meet the Ganga at Allahabad.

Imagined map of the Sapta Sindhu region


It is not wrong to call the Indus Valley Civilisation the Indus Sarasvati Civilisation, as it is often now referred to, and the description of this mighty river that dried up around 1000BC in the Rig Vedas as a mighty one indicates that the Rig Vedas were actually from the first civilisations of the country. The Indic script has not yet been deciphered, but it is evident that the people had acute knowledge of science and technology. Their buildings, roads, sewage systems, planned cities, and tools indicate a highly developed society. Two-storeyed houses with attached baths, manholes, drains, and even baths with inflow and outflow of water, evenly constructed burnt bricks are indicators of such great architectural and mathematical skills.

Scripts and Gods:

Moreover, the Rig Vedas were revived and rewritten by Vyas Dev (now believed to be a collection of writers under the same pseudonym) in a much later era, as mentioned in the written versions and hymns by Vyas Dev. Probably some parts that could give more clues about the civilisation that was in the Harappa Era were lost in translation after so many years. It is mentioned in the Puranas how the Vedic knowledge was lost time and again and revived by great sages. Since the Indus Scripts have not been deciphered, the real names of these magnificent cities of Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Lothal, etc. are unknown. I feel these correspond to large, magnificent cities mentioned in Purana tales and epics from the prehistoric eras. Even pre-Indus Valley sites found at Mehrgarh prove that cities and civilisation did not start in India with the Indus Valley, but much before that, so Rama or even Manu's cities and civilisation could be true.

Also, coming to the gods of that time, there is mention of Mother Goddess, who is the later version of Laxmi, Pashupatinath, the later age Shiva and Thunder God King Indra, Water God Varuna, Fire God Agni and worship of Rivers as mother goddesses in both the Harappan era as well as in the Rig Vedas. This can only prove the time estimation of the origin of the Vedas to be similar to that of this civilisation. The Vedic age in India was actually the early Kali Yuga, as Maha Padma Nanda ushered in the first Vedic empire post the Hastinapur era. 
Note here, Padma Nanda claims to be a direct descendant of the Pandavas, while many kings, including various Rajputs and even the Southern Indian medieval king Rajaraja Chola, claim to be descendants of Lord Rama, thus legitimising the existence of the otherwise mythical epics.
Bull Seal of Mohenjo-Daro


Science and Developments:

Some eminent scientists claim that fragments of what could have been a nuclear explosion can be found in the lost cities of the Indus Valley. If we read the Puranas or the Mahabharata, we know about Brahmastras that could potentially destroy the world. It is not at all difficult to think that ancient Indians, who discovered many scientific wonders, could create a scientific explosion that way, as described time and again in texts. Also, if we see the epics, the Mahabharata had many such advanced weapons, including iron-made ones, but the Ramayana has only basic weapons with a few wondrous scientific discoveries like flying machines (Pushpak Rath). The First landing grounds are claimed to be found among the ruins of what was Ravana's palace in Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

Lothal and Dwarka were ancient port cities of the Sarasvati Civilisation. Dwarka contains many such relics still under the water from the Later Harappan era, and even Indic Scripts similar to those found in many other sites. This proves it was, in fact, a city built around 1500BC or later and helps us determine the period of the civilisation. Dwarka sites contain many relics like Stages, Lions used as signs of royalty as described in the Mahabharata, Pillars of what could have been royal houses, etc. Even the present temple at Dwarka is believed to be atop the city that was built by Lord Krishna. Anchors found in ruins suggest shipping and trading with other contemporary civilisations in Egypt or Mesopotamia.
The area of Rama's Bridge

Actual Facts:

Geologists suggest that the climate of the Thar started changing from tropical to Desert mainly after the drying up of the Sarasvati basins. The lack of water made people move further south and establish civilisation to the east, where Ayodhya and Rama lived for many eras before the Mahabharata, as per our epics. There are satellite images imagined of Srilanka's movement away from the main Indian Lands that can establish the construction of the bridge across the Palk Strait by Rama's army. The Island was not far from the mainland then, but the technology of creating bridges was well known by the people of the (Vanara) native tribes. States like Anga, Magadha and Videha are mentioned in both epics as well as many other texts, suggesting their existence, while historically these states and places played major roles in the politics of ancient India.

Invasion Theories:

The coming of the Aryans from Central Asia to India during various phases of the Indus Saraswati  Civilisations suggests that no conflict existed between them and the advanced Natives. They adopted each other's cultures and blended together to form Hinduism (which was initially called Sindhuism or simply the way of life of the Sindh, a term used by Greeks for native Indians). The Natives of these cities adopted horses, bulls, donkeys and other wild animals, taming them as a mode of transport and chariots, learning the trick from the nomadic Aryans. Together, they adopted their exchanged beliefs and started cremating their dead like the Indus people instead of burying them as found in the early Harappan burials. The later Harappan eras witnessed the Aryan population outnumbering the natives, as well as Interracial mixing, and then came the strictness of the Varna (Caste), Jati (Religion) and birth (Creed). However, one should remember that the Indus script is yet to be deciphered, and it somehow prevents us from knowing basic knowledge of the civilisation, including the facts of whether these caste or creed systems prevailed in their society, how the society functioned, or who was the chief of their cities and settlements. Most IVC is still assumed theories. The natives of India became what the British refer to as "Dravidians", while in reality, no purebreds exist now in the subcontinent after years of intermixing. For over 3000 years, groups of nomadic tribes came and settled in India and blended into its culture. India, or rather appropriately, the subcontinent of India, was also a global centre during ancient India, inviting many foreigners who settled here to form other mixed races like the Indo-Greeks, who played an active part in the politics of the time. The " Invasion " theory is a flaw in many cases, as no signs of war or calamity are found in most sites. Dwarka and a few other sites have artefacts in the shapes of various weapons, probably meant to protect themselves, but bones and bodies found dumped in the sites suggest no diseases or war injuries. The Invasion theory also does not apply because the Aryans came in different phases of the Civilisation, not all at once, as often imagined. Thus, it proves they had no fear of making enemies in this land. And logically, a nomadic tribe in search of ground to settle would not dare to attack a more advanced civilisation. Having said that, we should also understand that the Indus Valley Civilisation was not an isolated civilisation of people in the subcontinent. The rest of the subcontinent also may have had civilisations or nomadic tribes who were not in communication with the IVC and were thus in a different stage of development. Bone fragments found in the Soan Valley and later in parts of Southern India proved human ancestors lived in various parts of the subcontinent even before the IVC.

The Rig Vedas, the River Sarasvati, and the Indus Valley Civilisation are, in fact, part of the same puzzle. What made them so superior and intelligent, and what caused such a vast civilisation to end and usher in the Vedic eras, is still a mystery. However, I strongly oppose the Alien Invasion theories that are made to prove that the people were not advanced. It was a society more advanced than ours and a civilisation that was the best among its contemporaries. Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians adopted many technologies from the Indus Civilisation itself and vice versa. The alien theories are not only baseless but also not scientifically approved.
The famous bust of Priest King, Mohenjo-Daro

 

Affecting the epics:

The two major epics believed to be coinciding with this time are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, both texts describing Aryavarta as the land of the Aryans and the South of the River Narmada as Dravidian or native land. However, there was no such distinction or invasion that occurred because it has been proved that the nomadic Aryans were in fact less advanced in weaponry than the Natives who built the first cities. The two coexisted, and inter-race marriages were a norm, as was found in the DNA of natives. No Indian, as previously believed, is a pure-bred Aryan or Dravidian. It has to be noted that the two epics were Shruti Rachna, or told from person to person for many hundreds of years, until the Gupta age, when they were officially written down. A lot of aspects of the era including the caste system, rigidity of creed, and superiority of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, otherwise absent in the era of the epics, were incorporated in the two stories thus giving rise to many theories of war between the Aryans and Dravidian or Ram or Krishna being blue-skinned signifying they were from a different land (some theories suggest they were from the more advanced lands of Egypt or Greece). Such incorporations increased the number of local versions that made sure the epics were followed religiously and added bits and pieces of more moral lessons in stories. In fact, in the earliest scripts of Jaya or Ramayana, there was no mention of godly men or godly powers. Those are simple stories of kings who struggle to make a difference. Rama is witnessed saying, "Man becomes God through his deeds, " which is perhaps how the epics became religious texts. The aspects of the Vishnu avatar were incorporated much later in the Vaishnavism sects when they were in constant conflict with the Shaivites. With the change of stories through eras, and the British influencing most of the history written, we still read Aryan invasion theories, which have long been discarded by historians. 

Depiction of the Mahabharata in Cave 16 of Ellora


Conclusion:

The tales of the Puranas and Vedas, and Epics are, in fact, the tales of the Indus Valley Civilisation lost in translation over the years. Reviving those is next to impossible, but if revived, they will give the details of the most magnificent of ancient civilisations in the world. The tales of the epics have changed dramatically and conveniently through eras, as the saying goes, "History is what you believe it to be." 

Further Reads:
  • Land of the Seven Rivers: History of India's Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal
  • The Lost River: On the Trail of Saraswati by Michel Danino
  • Vedic People by Rakesh Menon


Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Prince of Mewar

By
Born on 16 March 1559 in the Kumbha Palace of Chittorgarh Fort, Bhanwar Amar Singh was the eldest son of Kunwar Pratap Singh (later Maharana Pratap) and Kunwarani Ajabdeh Punwar. As the first grandson of Udai Singh I, his birth prompted the Maharana's celebratory hunting expedition, during which a sage forewarned of impending danger. Heeding this, Udai Singh established a new palace by Lake Pichola, founding Udaipur as Mewar's capital. Amar Singh exhibited extraordinary valour from a young age, inheriting his father's martial skills and his mother's reputed compassion. His training commenced early; according to James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, he participated in his first battle alongside Pratap at age eight. By ten, amid Chittorgarh's fall and familial divisions, he assumed responsibility for his siblings. Historical accounts recount his defence of the queens' entourage against enemy soldiers en route to Kumbhalgarh fortress. He shared a clo...
Read more

The Annals of Rajputana

By
Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklore, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories, and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan; however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai; howev...
Read more

Neel Kanth

By
In the vast tapestry of Hindu mythology, Neelkanth Sasti holds a significant place, as it honours Lord Shiva’s act of supreme compassion and courage. According to the Puranas, this day commemorates the pivotal moment during the Samudra Manthan, the cosmic churning of the ocean, when the deadly poison Halahal emerged. Halahal, described as the collective essence of all the universe’s negativity and toxicity, began to spread destruction among both Devas and Asuras. Its effects were so perilous that even the gods could not approach it, symbolising the universal truth that adversity and suffering make no distinction between divine or mortal beings. With the balance of creation at risk and the churning brought to a standstill, Mahadev Lord Shiva, the Destroyer and Transformer within the Hindu Trinity, was invoked for help. In an act of unparalleled self-sacrifice, he consumed the Halahal to protect all existence from annihilation. However, the potency of the poison was such that it threaten...
Read more

Bijolia: Her Home

By
Journey to Bijolia: Lost Kingdoms and Timeless Temples of Mewar Bijoliya translates to a stop between two cities. Nestled in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Bijolia sits 55km from Bundi and 105km from Chittorgarh on the well-travelled Bundi-Chittorgarh road. Once part of Mewar, this seemingly sleepy town guards a rich and layered past: it was ruled from the 11th to the 13th century by the Punwars (or Parmar Rajputs) before falling under the Chauhan dynasty, who shifted the region’s capital to Bhilwara and constructed the imposing fort there. After a brief Chauhan rule, Bijolia was reclaimed by Rana Kumbha and became an integral part of the Mewar kingdom, with the Parmars serving as local Raos, representatives and stewards of the royal house. Despite its history and the famed Bijolia inscriptions (a treasure for historians), Bijolia has never found a seat on Rajasthan’s primary tourist circuit, especially if you’re venturing out by public transport or private car. While a handful of...
Read more

The Cortege That Shook The Raj: Kanailal Dutta

By
10th November, 1908 Around late morning, a procession of lacs made their way through the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Some were chanting “Vande Mataram”, others blew conch shells, and Ululation filled the air. Flowers were being showered from all directions, and garlands made their way through the crowd, being thrown at the procession in the middle. Bhagwat Gita and Ananda Math (Novel by Bamkim Chandra) were offered. No, this was no “ Sobha Jatra ” or celebration. There were no religious festivities either. That dawn, the Alipore Jail, which opened only two years back, witnessed the hanging of Kanailal Dutta, a twenty-year-old member of the “Jugantar Dol”, an anarchist group that was set up primarily by Aurobindo Ghosh (Later Rishi Aurobindo), his brother Barindra and their associates. Kanailal hailed from Chandannagore, and although he was not present in most of their meetings in Kolkata, he was still one of their early members from Chandannagore, then a French province. ...
Read more

History: A Political Storytelling

By
History, as we know, is the study of the past. The primary sources of such study include coins, scriptures, seals, weaponry, architecture, things of daily use, palaces, forts, etc. However, when we talk of wars, events, and characters of people in the past, it is very difficult to be accurate about what we are reading hundreds of years later. Nowadays, History has become a hot political topic, changing narratives of what we have known for so long as history and challenging the past. In reality, all versions are somehow biased, and all in their entirety untrue. The art of storytelling plays a major part in the narration of history.  We grow up hearing moral stories all our lives, right and wrong, heroes and villains. Our belief system starts functioning like that, as we believe that in every story there has to be a good and a bad. However, the reality is far from that. In reality, we don’t really have people who are pure evil or pure good like stories often suggest. Herein, the art ...
Read more

Asuras are not Demons

By
Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...
Read more

DAMODAR GANGADHAR RAO : The Ill Fated Heir

By
In the shadowed halls of Jhansi's royal palace, a nine-year-old boy named Ananda Rao stepped into a destiny of struggle he was not born into. Born in 1848 to Vasudeo Rao and his wife, Ananda Rao was surrendered to the childless King Gangadhar Rao and his fierce young queen, Manikarnika (Manu), better known as Rani Laxmi Bai. It was November 19, 1853, on the king's deathbed, amid whispers of adoption rites that bound the boy to a throne teetering on the edge of empire. Queen Laxmi Bai was just nine when she married the 29-year-old widower Gangadhar. She had already endured heartbreak. Her biological son, Damodar Rao, arrived in 1851 but slipped away after three short months. With Gangadhar's death in 1853, Vasudeo, a distant royal relative, was instructed to hand over Ananda's adoption papers. Renamed Damodar Rao, the boy became Jhansi's last hope. But hope was fragile under British eyes. Enter the Doctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie’s ruthless policy that devoured pri...
Read more

Chawand: The Maharana's Capital

By
The road from Udaipur quickly fades into quiet countryside as you head toward Jaisamand Lake and Chavand, a journey that few package tours offer, but one that is forever imprinted on my memory. Just shy of an hour and 59km from the city bustle, you reach Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake), the “Ocean of Victory,” sprawling as Asia’s once-largest man-made lake .  Built in 1685 by Maharana Jai Singh, who followed his father’s legendary tradition of dam-building, this vast sheet of water shimmers in the sunlight. I watched local ferries pass, and marble stairs dip into blue shallows, imagining bygone queens slipping into cooling water beneath the massive embankment. Even today, friendly boatmen linger, eager to usher you onto the lake for a breezy ride. They tell you stories of how once a Maharana roamed these dense forests in search of freedom. Do pause here and soak in the peaceful air before venturing further southwest, toward the forgotten echoes of Mewar’s pride. The drive to Chavand, ...
Read more

Rakhi Tales

By
A Rakhi to the Enemy: The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long, and time was of the essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even R...
Read more