Imagine going back more than 4,500 years to a world where individuals resided in clean cities with well-planned streets, had private bathrooms in their homes, and were engaged in trade that linked them with distant lands like Mesopotamia. This was not some vision of the future—it was the Indus Valley Civilization/ Harappa Civilisation, one of the oldest and most sophisticated civilizations in the ancient world. they were more religious than the Vedic period but still they did not leave any evidence which can help archeologists to understand their religious factors.
Where Did This Civilization Exist?
The Indus Valley civilization folk constructed their existence on the banks of the Indus River and its creeks. The Indus culture inhabited present-day Pakistan and northwestern India—Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana.
This wasn’t a tiny culture either—it spanned more than a million square kilometers, making it one of the largest ancient civilizations, even larger than Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Some of the Renowned Cities:
- Harappa (Pakistan) – the civilization derives its second name: Harappan Civilization.
- Mohenjo-Daro – famous for its Great Bath and city planning.
- Dholavira – a city with intelligent water management and an unusual design.
- Lothal – boasted a dockyard, which indicates how tied they were to each other through trade.
- Rakhigarhi – the largest discovered site in India to date.
Life in an Indus Valley City
If you entered an Indus Valley city, you’d be impressed. The streets were straight, the houses were in rows, and nearly every house had fresh water and toilets—yep, 4,000 years ago
City Features:
Cities were divided into two areas: a citadel (an upper section for important structures) and a lower town (where ordinary people lived).
They planned roads in a grid, similar to today’s cities.
Underground drains along the roads are covered and regularly cleaned.
Public wells, private toilets, and drainage systems indicate how much they value cleanliness.
The Great Bath was at the center of Mohenjo-Daro—a huge, watertight tank where individuals might have congregated for ritual bathing or social gatherings. It’s one of the world’s oldest public water tanks.
How Did They Earn Their Livelihood?
The Harappans were practical and industrious. Their livelihood rested on agriculture, crafts, and trade.
Farming:
They cultivated wheat, barley, mustard, cotton, and peas.
Plowed fields are evidenced in some sites—the first ever of such kind.
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Buffaloes, sheep, and goats were domesticated at the time of the Indus Valley civilization
Craftmanship:
They use portraits on the wall which tell us about them.
They were amazing artisans who used these skills to make beads, pottery, bronze tools, and terracotta toys. Which was famous during that time.
Lothal became a famous center for bread-making using these arts
Some metals were also developed by them like Copper, bronze, silver, and gold were used with skills.
Trade:
They engaged with neighboring villages and countries and distant empires by trading mostly Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq)
Various Goods such as cotton fabric, gems, ivory, and ceramics were exported and they impost mostly tin and silver from other places to fulfill their needs.
What Did They Believe In?
The Harappans left no temples or religious writings, but they did leave hints.
Terracotta figurines of a Mother Goddess indicate that they worshipped fertility.
The well-known Pashupati seal depicts a man seated in a yogic position, surrounded by animals—it reminds us of Shiva, a Hindu deity.
They had a reverence for nature and animals—bulls, elephants, and trees feature frequently in their art.
In Kalibangan, archaeologists discovered fire altars, which suggest early religious rituals.
When individuals died, they were buried with their possessions—with care—implying a belief in the afterlife.
Their Script – A Mystery Waiting to Be Solved
Harappans also created their writing system or Indus script. It consisted of symbols—some resembled animals, others resembled shapes or lines.
Existing primarily on seals, pottery, and tablets.
Unfortunately, we still can’t read it. Unlike Egyptian hieroglyphs, there is no bilingual “Rosetta Stone” to decipher it for us.
As a result, much about their thoughts, their stories, and their everyday life remains a secret.
What About Their Government and Society?
.They did not construct massive palaces or statues of kings. This has made historians think that the Harappans may have had local governments or councils rather than monarchs.
What We Know:
Uniform city planning indicates some form of central planning.
Houses varied in size, so there must have been some social hierarchy, but no huge gap.
Everybody appeared to have the usual rules of building and commerce—there was a common system of weights and measures.
Why Did the Civilization Fall?
By about 1900 BCE, things started to go wrong. Cities were gradually deserted, and inhabitants migrated towards the eastern and central regions of India.
Probable Reasons:
Climate change – The rivers could have dried up or shifted course.
Flooding – Mohenjo-Daro has evidence of frequent floods.
Drought – The monsoon could have lost strength over time.
Collapse of trade – Loss of connection with other civilizations undermined the economy.
Natural catastrophes – Earthquakes may have been responsible.
There is no record of invasion or war on a massive scale, despite earlier theories regarding Aryan conquest.
What Did They Leave Behind?
Though the Indus Valley people vanished, their presence is still felt in contemporary South Asia.
Their Legacy:
First to cultivate cotton and produce textiles.
Their urban planning and sewerage are still the envy of engineers.
Cultural concepts such as yoga-style positions, animal symbolism, and goddesses were incorporated into subsequent Indian cultures.
They paved the way for the Vedic culture and the other Indian cultures that succeeded them.
Conclusion –
The history of the Indus Valley Civilization is not merely a page from our far-off past—it’s a testament to how civilized, caring, and planned were the early human settlements. Well before the skyscraper, smartphone, or satellite, the Harappans were masters of town planning, sanitation, craftsmanship, and commerce.
In an age when we tend to imagine progress as something new, the Indus Valley signals us that wisdom, planning, and reconciliation with the natural world were cherished by others more than four millennia ago. Theirs is a legacy quietly making its way through time—such as the ancient rivers that once flowed through it—into the modern South Asian culture, values, and inventions.