Indus Valley Civilization in Punjab

Indus Valley Civilization

Though Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) began around 3300 BC, it is believed to have flourished in 2500 BC, which is often called the age of matured IVC. Thus, 3300-2500 BC forms the early IVC. The IVC (also known as the Harappan Civilization) was a Bronze Age society extending from modern northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India.

Important Sites of IVC

IVC forms the backbone of India as it is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. It was contemporary to other famous civilizations such as Persian, Mesopotamian and Hwang Ho.

The IVC is known as the Harappan civilization because the very first excavation took place at Harappa in 1921. In the coming years, a few sites were excavated on the banks of river Indus, thus it was designated as Indus Valley Civilization (or Culture) by Sir John Hubert Marshall.

The Harappan ruins were discovered by Daya Ram Sahni under Hubert’s orders. However, Mohenjo-Daro, one of the largest sites, was discovered by R.D. Banerjee in 1922.

As many more sites were discovered in the coming years, it was understood that it is a Bronze Age civilization that encompasses the area of modern-day Pakistan, Southeastern Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, and Northwestern India.

The important sites to be discovered in India in the respective states are:

1. Rajasthan –Kalibangan
2. Haryana –Banawali
3. Gujarat – Dholavira, Lothal, Rangpur, Surkotada
4. Punjab – Ropar
5. The important sites in Pakistan are Harappa (on river Ravi), Mohenjodaro (on Indus River in Sindh), Chanhudaro (in Sindh).

The major observations from these sites are:

1. Systematic Town Planning.
2. Houses made from burnt bricks.
3. A well-managed drainage system.
4. Highly Urbanized.
5. The towns were divided into two parts: Upper Part(Citadel) and Lower Part.
6. Absence of Iron Implements while Copper, Bronze, Tin, Lead, Gold, and Silver were known to them.
7. Major crops were Wheat, Barley, Cotton, Ragi, Dates, and Peas.

IVC Archaeological Sites in Punjab

A few sites belonging to IVC which have been found in Punjab are:

1. Rupnagar: An extensive mound was excavated by Y.D. Sharma in 1952-53 on the bank of river Sutlej. Ropar has the distinction of being the site where the remains of the Harappa civilization were excavated for the first time in post-partition India. The articles found on the site are Earthenware, seals, bricks, bangles, beads, jewelry, cubical weights, cemetery, ete. These are attributed to the period 2000 BC – 1500 BC.
2. Kotla Nihang Khan: Lying about 2 km Southeast of Ropar, the site was initially excavated in 1929 by M.S. Vats and then again in 1955 by Y.D. Sharma. Kotla Nihang Khan continued to be regarded as an outpost of the Harappa culture till the excavation of Ropar.
3. Bara: The excavation at Bara threw important light on the course that the Harappan culture had taken on the upper Sutlej. Apparently, the arrival of the Harappans on the Sutlej was a continuous process, they came in wave after wave, the subsequent incomers bringing new ideas and ceramic traditions. Thus, this culture is often termed as Baran Culture representing the Later Harappan Culture dating 2000-1600 BC. There was a diversity in paintings, pottery shapes, etc. The practice of decorating pots by horizontal or wavy incised lines and other patterns was quite prominent, although this decoration seemed to be confined to large water-jars and cooking vessels.
4. Dher Majra: Dher Majra lies 6 Km east of Ropar, which is another site about Baran Culture. It was excavated by Y.D. Sharma in 1955.
5. Nagiari: This site was excavated by K.K. Rishi. It is a Later Harappan site where an oval hearth and gray pottery was found.
6. Rohira: The site was excavated by G.B. Sharma. The excavations helped in understanding

1. The settlement pattern of the Harappans and Pre-Harappans. 
2. The details of the fortification wall with bricks in the ratio 1:2:4

The Period represented lightweight pottery painted in black. The pottery types were vases, storage jars, bowls, and dishes. Antiquities recovered were terracotta bull figurines and bangles, toy cart wheels, beads of steatite, and bone styli.

1. Sanghol (District Fatehgarh Sahib): Located close to Fatehgarh Sahib, Sanghol provides refuge to historical relics indicating that the Late Harappan Culture flourished here in the past. It consists of a Buddhist monastery complex and a stupa belonging to the 1st and the 2nd century AD. The artifacts unearthed indicate the existence of early Buddhist culture and settlements in this part of Punjab. It is also referred to as ‘UchaPind’ or high village since it is based over a mound, and Sanghol is mentioned in the travelogs of Hiuen Tsang, the famous traveler.
2. Brass: This site was excavated by K.K. Rishi. It is situated about 6 km east of G.T. Road near Rajindergarh. The main antiques found here are pottery such as a mini beaker, miniature pots, and fragments of storage jars. Apart from these, bangles and terracotta objects were also recovered.
3. Dholbaha, Hoshiarpur: Existing since the prehistoric ages, especially since the Pleistocene Period, Dholbaha is believed to be one of the oldest human-inhabited areas of the entire world. This region has seen continuous inhibition until the 7th and 8th centuries AD. Axes, hand tools, statues, temples, ete. have been found at this site. The museum containing these relics is situated in Hoshiarpur city.
4. Sunet: This site was also excavated by G. B. Sharma. It lies about 6 km from Ludhiana.The present village is inhabited over an ancient mound. The artifacts found here are related to Late Harappan Culture. A large number of important seals, coins, coin molds, and human and animal figurines in terracotta have been collected from the site.

Decline of Indus Valley Civilization

The civilization declined rapidly after the 19th century BC for reasons that are still largely unknown. The scholars, however, have come to an understanding of how things might have developed. It is believed by some that the Saraswati River was drying up, others that the region suffered catastrophic floods. The consequences of either event would have had a catastrophic effect on agricultural activity, making the economy no longer sustainable and breaking the civic order of the cities.

Another theory suggests that this drying up caused the movement of the Indo-Aryans towards the Gangetic basin. The next one thousand years of the history of the Punjab (1500-500 BC) were dominated by the Aryans and the population and culture that emerged from their cultural development in the Asian subcontinent.

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