INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Origin, date and extent

Indus valley Civilization that flourished in India on the banks of river Indus. frontiers extending from Manda on river chenab near Jammu in the north to Daimabad  but on the godavari in Ahmednagar in the south.  Covered  more than 1299600 sq km  from the borders of Baluchistan to the deserts of Rajasthan from the Himalayan foothills to the southern trip of Gujarat. Scholars are of the opinion that the civilization was a creation of both the dravidian and the Aryans also it theory that it was created by the sumerians. Discovery of Indus valley Civilization in 1922 to 1924, occurred by sheer accident and revolutioniesd  the concept of the antiquity of Indian history.  The excavation of the ruined cities of harappa and mohenjo-daro brought to light and accepted ancient civilization. discovery of the great urban centres of the Indus valley civilization at once to the beginning of Indian history almost to millennia further back to the past.  mohenjo daro and harappa were the main offspring  of the Civilization that live in the vicinity of the Indus and thus came to be known as the Indus valley civilization.

Extent of the civilization

the Indus valley civilization extended from the valley of the Saraswati sutlej along the Indus into saurashtra. An extension of over 1500 miles  with a 100 sites clustered in three chief sectors. mohenjo daro and harappa explore by the Indian archaeological survey archaeologist sir J Marshall. Chanhudaro explored by   Americanarchaeologist Dr. Ernest mackay. Wheeler calls it " the most extensive pre classical civilization". Though the civilization is called Indus valley into the ganga yamuna doab on the east and   to Gujarat in the south. It is the distance of 1600 km from sutlej.

    MAIN CITIES OF INDUS VALLEY    CIVILIZATION

Mohenjo daro:  It what's the most important centre of the Indus valley civilization situated along west bank of river Indus. North Karachi in Pakistan. Two major areas here :  yeh hai citadel to the west consisting of a large granary and a water tank or bath and a lower city of domestic dweling to the East-- this was the residential unit constructed on grid pattern. Urban planning, uniform and carefully executed layouts for water supply and drainage. Baked brick houses facing the street; houses had a courtyard with rooms around it. Some houses were two- storeyed.

Hadappa: It is an Indus valley urban  centre lies on river Ravi,  north west of mohenjo-daro in Punjab province of Pakistan. City was supported by extensive agricultural production and commerce. Trade with summer in southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). Harappa too follows plan of small high citadel to the west and a lower City to the East. Streets arranged in a rectilinear grid pattern. North of heavily fortified citadel at Harappa, two sets of barrack- like dwellings for labourers and an enormous granary for city's food supply.

Kali bangan:  It is situated on southern Bank of the Ghaggar  river in ganga nagar, district of Rajasthan. It has witnessed both pre Harappan and Harappan culture phase. Most important pre Harappan phase discovery is the citadel with well laid out houses. Excavation have revealed the evidence of the ploughed field knowledge of copper technology and research remains of earthern vessels. Evidence of a platform with a well and rectangular pit, brick fire altar containing bones of cattle and deer indicating animal sacrifices. Kali bangan has given the evidence of earliest (2800 BC), ploughed agricultural field if for revealed through excavation. Kali bangan name translate to black bangles.

Dholavira:. It is considered as grandest of the cities of the time, located on khadir bet island in the Kutch desert wildlife sanctuary in great rann of Kutch. It has an area of more than 100 acre. dholavira was an important centre of trade between settlements in South Gujarat, Sindh, Punjab and Western Asia.

Lothal:  It is on the top of the gulf of cambay in Gujarat, near sabarmati river and the Arabian Sea. A bead  factory and the Mesopotamian seal found here. The citadel called the Acropolis by the excavator was roughly trapezoidal in plan. 65 terracotta sealings with impressions of needs, woven fibre, matting and twisted cords were found here. The most distinctive feature of lothal is the dockyard, which lies on the eastern edge of the site. This is a trapezoidal basin enclosed by walls of  burnt bricks.

Rakhigarhi: It is recently discovered city in Haryana in India. As large as Harappa and mohenjo daro, gives evidence of a planned settlement and mud- brick structure in early  Harappan period  I. Artefacts included uninscribed seals, pottery  with graffiti, terracotta wheels,  carts, rattles and bull figurines,  chert blades, weights, a bone point and Muller. A lot of animal bones were found during excavations, indicating the importance of animal husbandry.

Ganeriwala: It is situated in Punjab, Pakistan near Indian border, near a dry bed of the Ghaggar or Saraswati river and has not been excavated. It may have been an urban centre of a third  Indus valley region.

Daimabad:  Discoveries at Daimabad suggest that the late Harappan culture extended into the Decan. Daimabad (Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra) is a deserted village on the banks of the pravara, tributary of the Godavari. This important site has a long. 

Chanhudaro: It  is situated in sindh,  about 130 km south of Mohenjo-daro. The traces  of atleast 3 streets have been identified. Chanhudaro was clearly an important center of craft activity. Some of the houses yielded raw material such as  carnelian, agate, amethyst, crystal as well as  finished and unfinished beads and drills. Copper objects like daggers, knives and agricultural tools also found. Most striking was Discovery of a  bead factory.

Banawali:  In Hissar district ( Haryana), is a fortified site about 300×500 cm close to the dry bed of Rangoi river. Witnessed early, mature and late Harappan phases. The citadel was semi-elliptical in plan and had its own mud-brick fortifications, surrounded by a moat. The mud-brick houses had raised platforms(chabutras) outside. A house with large number of beads of gold, lapis lazuli and carnelian, tiny weights and a 'touchstone' showing streaks of gold was excavated here may have been a jweller's house. Several houses at Banawali gave evidence of fire altars in one place, these altars were associated with an apsidal structure, which may have had some sort of ritualistic function. 

Allahdino: It is a small unfortify village site about 40 km East of Karachi. Houses made of mud-brick, often resting on stone foundation. The most spectacular Discovery was a small terracotta jar with golt, silver and bronze ornaments.