Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BC to 1800 BC)

• Indus Valley civilization is the basic of Indian culture.


• It arose in the north western part of the Indian subcontinent, flourished mainly on the bank of the river Indus.


• The civilization came to light in the period 1920 – 22


• It is called Harappan culture because this civilization was discovered first in 1921 at the modern site of Harappa situated in the province of West Punjab in Pakistan.


• The Harappan culture covered parts of Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh.


• The Indus Valley civilization was brought to light by archaeologists like Sir John Marshal, R.D. Banerjee, Alexander Cunningham, BK Thapar, Dayaram Sahni, MS Vats, Mortimer Wheeler etc.


• Alexander Cunningham is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Archaeology'.


• The most remarkable feature of the Harappan civilization was its urbanization.


• Planned cities and Rectangular town planning were its remarkable features.


• The roads were straight broad and cut each other at right angles.


• Houses were made with burnt bricks. Each house had its own well and toilet. The bathrooms were connected by drains under the main street.


• Harappan script is regarded as pictographic, since its signs represent birds, fish and a variety of human forms. The script was boustrophedon, written from right to left in one line and then from left to right in the next line.


• The remains of a tank found at Mohenjodaro is called Great Bath. To the west of the Great Bath there are remains of a large granary.


• The main occupation of the people of Harappa and Mohenjodaro was agriculture. They cultivated wheat, barley, peas and dates and also sesame and mustard which were used for oil.


• People cultivated rice as early as 1800 BC in Lothal.


• The Harappan were the earliest people to grow cotton and used wooden plough.


• They domesticated many animals including oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs and elephant.


• The camel was rare and horse was not known.


• Barter system was practiced.


• The Harappans had trade contact with Afganistan, Iran and Mesopotamia.


• The Indus people worshipeed mother Goddess and Pashupati (Shiva)


• The reasons for the decline of Indus civilization are floods and earthquakes, change in the course of rivers and Aryan invasion.


• Indus Valley People used a gold – silver mixture called Electrum.


• The northernmost point of Indus Valley civilization was Gumla (Jummu) and the southernmost point was Daimbad.


• The discoverers and the year of Indus Valley sites.

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