(Online Course) History for IAS Mains: Indus Valley Civilization - Origin

Indus Valley Civilization

Answer: When a well developed urban civilisation came to light the issue of its origin appeared to be a controversial issue. It was due to the fact that there was the lack of sufficient source material.. Infect we are not having the support of literary evidence because Harappan script hasn’t still been decipherel. Apart from that even archeological evidence is insufficient due to the dearth of horizontal-excavation.

As the civilisation was e well developed urban civilisation, so some scholars have tried to prove that this urban civilisation was not having its antecedent in preceding cultures in. India. It. was one at basis they tried to prove the henry of Mesopotamian origin.

Morteemer Wheeler believes that like idea even civilisation has its wings. So the elements of urbanism have directly been imported from Mesopotamia to Indus region. On the basis of analogy in wooden structure in Indus region. and that in Mesopotamia this theory was emphasised:D.D. Kosambi believes that the authors of Mesopotamian civilisation, Egyptian civilisation, & Harappan civilisation, belong to the same stock. Likewise H.D. Sankalia tried to find out the similarity between mounds like structure in Baluchistan with Z Ziggurates (temples) in Mesopotamia. But later the view has been rejected. When we observe minutely we find certain differences between Mesopotamian civilisation and Harappan one. Firstly-we find the difference in the nature of town planning. For example Harappan cities have been built on chess board pattern end the routes intersect each other at right angles. But Mesopotamian towns have been built in haphazard manner. Secondly, in Harappa burnt bricks have been used on large scale.

But in Mesopotamian civilisation baked bricks were in use. Thirdly, there were different type of seals and scripts used its Mesopotamia. and those in Harappa. For example, Indus seals were rectangular or square shaped but Mesopotamian seals were cylindrical.

Likewise Indus script was pictographic while-Mesoppotamian in script was cuneiform the instruments and weapons in Mesopotamian in civilisation, appeared to be more efficient than what we find under Harappan civilisation For example Mesopotamian people were -using midrib in' their weapons but v e don t find such an evidence, in Indus.

Finally We find clear evidence of temples in Mesopotamia but under Harappan civilisation so far we haven't traced any structure which can clearly been identified with a The theory of Dravidian origin
Argument in favour:

1. On the basis: of the majority of the Mediterranean race in Harappan civilisation because - Dravidian people were belonging to Mediterranean race.
2. Similarity between Dravidian people and Indus people in religious periception the cult of mother 'Goddess, Lord Shiva, etc.

Argument against the theory of Dravidian origin

1. Harappan Civilisation was an urban civilisation while Dravidian civilisation was a rural culture.

Theory of Aryan Origin :

According to this theory Aryans were the founder of civilisation Argument in favour :

1. Sapta Saindhava region was even the core regions of Harappan civilisation.
2. The evidence of fire altars from Lothal, Kalibangan; Banwali; Rakhigarhi, etc.
3. Likewise some scholars tried to trace out even the evidence of horse from Harappan sites.

Argument against this view Nature of Harappan civilisation and that of vedic civilisation was quite different from each other. Vedic civilisation was a rural civilisation on the other hand It ii app ii n civilisation was an urban one.

The Theory of gradual Origin

Harappan Civilisation was the product of gradual development. In fact we should observe village culture in Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Sind, Rajasthan and Punjab, as an antecedent to Harappan civilisation.
We can focus over village culture at Kuli, K Diji, Maria, Tarki qila,-Mehrgarh etc. We find that in these regions there was gradial fermentation- The, alluvial field of Indus region was much productive. But the region was flooded every year. Gradually the people learnt' the technique of controlling the flood. They used to sow the crops in, November when flood water receded and then they reaped the crops before flood situation in April. The 'region was quite productive, so surplus grain production started. As a result of this some prosperous village settlements appeared in this region for example Mundigak in Afghanistan,. Kiligul Muham'mad in Baluchistan and Jalilpur in Punjab.

During pre-Harappan phase, which started from 3500 B.C., we underline some specific development in this region. The people started to exploit the mines. The use of wheel started leading up to the development of better transportation as-well as the production of potteries. It Was during phase that the people came to the metal in the form of Copper. As we know that in the adjoining region of prosperous village community there were shifting cultivators as well as the nomadic people. Due to their presence there was the possibility of conflict and collision. Apart from that there was a conflict even among different village communities to have the possession over the better quality of land. From the earlier phase of kot Diji and Kalibanga were trace the evidence of fire. It aptly shows that the protection was the need of hour for the prosperous village community. So due to this reason high protective wall were constructed.

Nomadic people were settled in high land of Baluchistan and in search of pasture land they used to travel form one region on another. Sometimes they came to valley region and then again they returned to highland. This nomadic people got involved into trade and commerce. One strong incentive behind this trade and commerce. One strong incentive behind this trade was the demand of luxury goods by elite class. Thus started long distance trade.

In the process of social and technological integration a grater Indus Society developed. The group of priest in a village became the part of the priest class spread to the vast Indus region, this same process occurred even in case o metallurgists and craftsmen. In this process of development, Harappan people developed some symbols’ also which made them different from other contemporary society as well as pre Harappan and late Harappan people. Form the vast region of north-west we can trace the antecedent of Harappan civilization: