Chapter 6: The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation (History)

The civilisation is called by three names, each telling us something about it:

• Harappan civilisation: after Harappa (in Punjab, Pakistan), the first city of this civilisation to be excavated in the 1920s. Archaeologists often name a culture after the first site where it was found.
• Indus (Valley) civilisation: because many of its cities, like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, grew along the Indus River and its tributaries.
• Indus-Sarasvatī civilisation: because a very large number of its sites (such as Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi and Banawali) lie along the Sarasvatī river (today's seasonal Ghaggar-Hakra), not only along the Indus.

Significance: the names show how our knowledge grew: first one city was found, then the whole Indus valley, and later the many sites along the Sarasvatī. They remind us that it covered a very large area (from Pakistan to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and beyond).

Harappan (after Harappa, the first site excavated), Indus (cities along the Indus) and Indus-Sarasvatī (many sites along the Sarasvatī, now Ghaggar-Hakra); the names show its large area and how discoveries grew.

Achievements of the Indus-Sarasvatī Civilisation

The Indus-Sarasvatī civilisation flourished about 4,500 years ago in the north-western part of the Indian Subcontinent. Its people built well-planned cities such as Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi and Lothal. Streets were laid out in a grid, houses were built of baked bricks of standard sizes, and there were covered drains to carry away waste water, showing great care for hygiene.

They managed water wisely: Mohenjo-daro had hundreds of brick-lined wells, the Great Bath, and Dholavira had a network of reservoirs to store rainwater. They used standard weights and measures, and had a script found on seals, which is still not deciphered.

They were skilled craftspeople: they made beautiful beads, bangles, pottery, bronze figures (like the "dancing girl"), and seals with animals. Trade flourished within the Subcontinent and with faraway lands like Mesopotamia; Lothal had a dockyard. Their farmers grew wheat, barley and cotton, and they were among the first to grow cotton for cloth.

Overall, they built an organised, peaceful and advanced urban life.

Planned cities with grid streets, baked-brick houses and covered drains; wells, the Great Bath and reservoirs; standard weights; a script on seals; fine crafts; long-distance trade; and farming of wheat, barley and cotton.

Harappa (on the Ravi, in Punjab) and Kalibangan (on the Ghaggar, in Rajasthan) are roughly 350–400 km apart. In those days the options would be:

(Today, by car, the trip would take about 7–8 hours, crossing a modern international border.)

About 350–400 km: on foot or by bullock cart roughly 2–3 weeks; partly by river boat perhaps 10–12 days.

1. Fire without wood: a gas stove that lights at a turn of a knob, or an induction cooker.
2. Water from a tap, instead of drawing it from a well, and a refrigerator that keeps food cold.
3. Machines: mixer-grinder, pressure cooker (with its whistle!), microwave, electric lights and fan.
4. Utensils of new materials: steel, aluminium, non-stick pans, plastic containers and glass jars instead of clay pots.
5. New foods from faraway lands: potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, tea and packaged foods in shiny wrappers.

(They might find some things familiar: wheat, barley, lentils, a grinding stone, clay pots, and the sight of a woman wearing bangles!)

Gas stoves, running taps and fridges, electric machines like mixers and pressure cookers, steel and plastic utensils, and new foods like potatoes, tomatoes, chillies and tea.

• Bangles (of shell, terracotta, copper) worn on the arms, as women still do.
• Bead necklaces and ornaments of carnelian and other stones.
• Namaste gesture and figures sitting cross-legged in a yogic posture.
• Sindoor-like red colour in the hair parting (seen on some figurines).
• Terracotta toys and bullock carts, still used in villages.
• Clay pots and jars, grinding stones, dice and board games.
• Weights and measures, and brick houses with drains.

Bangles, bead necklaces, the namaste gesture and yogic postures, terracotta toys, bullock carts, clay pots, grinding stones, dice and board games.

Dholavira is in a dry region of Kutch where rain is scarce. Its people built at least six large reservoirs (some cut into rock) and channels to collect and store rainwater and stream water. This shows:

• Foresight and planning: they planned for dry seasons and droughts.
• Respect for water: they did not waste a scarce resource.
• Engineering knowledge and teamwork: building such a system needed skill, cooperation and organisation of many people.
• Concern for the community: water was managed for the whole town, not just for a few.

A mindset of foresight, careful water conservation, engineering skill and community cooperation in a dry region.

• Easy access to clean water: almost every neighbourhood (and many houses) had its own well, so people did not need to walk far to the river.
• Good knowledge of groundwater and of building brick-lined wells that did not collapse.
• Care for hygiene and health: a steady supply of clean water, together with drains and bathing areas.
• Organised society: keeping 700 wells working for centuries needed regular cleaning and repairs, which means there were rules and people responsible for public works.
• Stable, long-lasting city life: the city was well-managed for a very long time.

It shows easy access to clean water, skill in building wells, concern for hygiene, and an organised society that maintained public works for centuries.

Civic sense means caring for the shared spaces and facilities of a town and following rules for everyone's good.

Why the statement fits: Harappan cities had covered drains along streets, with house drains connected to them; waste was not thrown on the streets; there were public wells, the Great Bath and reservoirs; streets were straight and planned; and standard bricks and weights were used everywhere. All this needed the cooperation of citizens and rules that people followed.

Do I agree? Yes, the evidence of clean, well-planned cities maintained over centuries supports it.

Comparison with today: many citizens in large Indian cities still litter, spit, block drains with plastic, and waste water, and open drains and garbage heaps are common, although we have better technology. If we followed the Harappan example (keeping streets and drains clean, segregating waste, saving water and respecting public property), our cities would be much cleaner and healthier.

Yes: their planned streets, covered drains, public wells and clean cities show citizens who cared for shared spaces; many city dwellers today litter and block drains, so we could learn from them.