INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
The Indus valley civilization showed its emergence near 4000 and 3000 B.C. Its existence comes to light through archaeological discoveries. the first search discovery of this civilization was made in the valley of the Indus River, thus, it came to be known as Indus Valley Civilization. Later the remains of this Civilization were also found in Punjab. Mainly this Civilization flourished at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Harappa is situated on the bank of the river Ravi in Montgomery district of West Punjab and Mohenjo Daro, a Modern sind word meaning that 'Mound of the dead, lies in Larkana district of Sind. A third city was discovered at chanhu-daro about 130 km from Mohenjo Daro (These cities are now in Pakistan).
Harappa was discovered by Shri R.B. Dayaram Sahni in 1921 and Mohenjo-Daro was excavated by Shri Rakhal Das Banerjee in 1922. Later, Madho Swaroop Vats also excavated Harappa and Sir John Marshal excavated Mohenjo-Daro. initially, it was thought that the Indus valley civilization was confined to Punjab and Sind only but the latest excavations confirm that the extent of the Harappa Empire may have been widely spread throughout the country. Some of the other major sites in India where the ruins of the Indus valley civilization have been unearthed are Rangpur and Ropar in Punjab, Lothal, and Dhaula-Veera at the Gulf of Combay in Gujarat, Alamgirpur in Uttar Pardesh, Kalibangan in Rajasthan, and Banawali in Haryana. The full blossomings of this civilization may be placed between 2500 and 1500 B.C.
The Indus valley civilization was basically an urban Civilization in which people enjoyed a well-advanced and well-developed social life. They lived in well-planned and well-built towns which were also the centers of trade, having wide roads and a well-developed draining system. The residential house lining on both sides of the roads made of baked bricks and were of two or more stories. Farming and trade were made main occupations. People are believed to be worshippers of their Supreme God Pipal and Shiva Pasupati. It seems that they also worshiped Mother Goddess, animals, stones, and trees.
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization were highly skilled in the field of art and architecture also. The great bath of Mohenjo-Daro is a testimony of their architecture as it has a strong structure and beautiful design. The Indus valley seals too are examples of their highly advanced art. The painting on the earthenwares and beautiful sculptures of stone, metals, and terracottas are proof of their highly developed art.
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