E-LESSON-3 HISTORY-1

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B.A.English 2 All right are reserved with CU-IDOL HISTORY-I Course Code: BAQ111 Semester: First SLM Unit : 3 E-Lesson: 3 www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111)

HISTORY-I INTRODUCTION 33 OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: Analyse the religious beliefs and practices of Indus people had their urban way of life with Harappan people. at most simplicity and comfortable.Indus people had their urban way of life with at Explain the interest of Indus Valley people in most simplicity and comfortable. Art work. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQQ1110)1) INASlTl ITriUgThEt OarFeDrIeSsTeArNvCeEd AwNitDh OCNUL-IIDNOE LLEARNING

TOPICS TO BE COVERED 4 > ECONOMIC CONDITION HISTORY-I > RELIGIOUS BELIEFS > DECLINE OF HARAPPAN CIVILISATION www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

ECONOMIC CONDITION 5 1. Agriculture : The Indus valley people were chiefly agrarian. They took to the use of agricultural produce like wheat, barley, rice, cotton, vegetables etc There was a great state granary to store food grains. The land of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro was quite fertile and people were prosperous.. 2. Domestication of Animals : Besides agriculture, it was domestication of animals that helped the economic condition of Indus valley people.Bull, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, camel and cow were some most common animals which were domesticated by them. 3. Industrial Achievements : The Indus valley people were engaged in different industries. The discovery of many spindles and spinning wheels in the houses of the valley show that the people of that age had a fairly good knowledge of spinning and weaving of both cotton and woolen cloth. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

ECONOMIC CONDITION 6 Trade and Commerce : The discoveries have confirmed the belief that the Indus valley people had trade relations not only with the people of their own country but also with the traders abroad. Gold, silver, copper and other precious stones, discovered in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, must have been imported while the trade of exporting cloth was carried on by the Indus valley people. For their internal trade they carved out land routes by bullock-carts while commercial relations with the countries abroad were maintained through water-routes. The trade relations with many countries of western Asia, particularly with Mesopotamia, are proved by the different artifacts at Mohenjo-Daro. Weights and Measures : One more factor that shows that economic well-being of the Indus valley people is the discovery of a large number of weights found during the excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro. These weights were of different sizes. Some of them were so big and heavy that they could be lifted only with the help of a rope while others were of very small size which must have been used by the jewelers and goldsmiths. There were also cubical weights which appeared to be common in use. For measurement the Indus valley people used a bronze bar with suspended copper pans. Their industrial achievement in different fields, their trade in export and import clearly show that the Indus valley people were economically prosperous.. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS 7  Cult of Mother Goddess : The chief deity of Indus valley people was Mother Goddess whose worship formed an important part of their religious life. A number of statues have been unearthed. One is a seminude female figure wearing a girdle or band round her loins with fan shaped dress. According to Sir John Marshall, these figurines represent the Mahadevi of the people. As some of the figures are smoke stained, Mackay is of the view that the people must have used some sort of oil or burnt incense before them to please their goddess. Mother Goddess was called by various names, such as, Mata, Amba, Kali, Karali etc. Moreover a long seal discovered at Harappa showing the figure of Mother Goddess with a man with a dagger and women with hands lifted, represent the prevalence of human sacrifice which was made to Mother Goddess by the people of Indus valley.  Worship of Lord Shiva : Lord Shiva was very popular among the male gods of Indus valley people and he was worshipped by all and sundry. The seal which was discovered at Harappa shows a three-faced deity sitting with crossed legs on a throne, wearing a horned dress surrounded by several animals, like elephant, tiger, buffalo etc. Due to these things Sir John Marshall has opined that it is the figure of Lord Shiva. Moreover, these things point to three concepts about Lord Shiva which are: www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS 8 The animals worshipped by the Indus valley people were of three categories : (i) Mythical Animals : They were semi-human or complex animals with the heads of different animals attached to a central body. (ii) Ambiguous Animals : Among the second category there was the strange unicorn which appears to have been the titular deity of the city. (iii) Actual Animals : The actual animals like rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, buffalo, humped bull, zebra etc. fall under the third category which was worshipped by the Indus valley people. Some of the actual animals were also regarded as the vehicle or vahana of the gods Worship of Water : The Great Bath discovered at Mohenjo-Daro indicated that water also played an important role in the religious rituals of Indus valley people. According to some writers, the Great Bath was like the temple of the River god. Worship of Trees and Birds : Trees of peepal and neem appear to have been worshipped by the Indus valley people as shown in seal found during the excavation. Besides this, duck was regarded to b e a sacred bird. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

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DECLINE OF HARAPPAN CIVILISATION • Aryan invasion 10 Aryan invasion theory was proposed by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1953. He said that the invasion of an Indo- European tribe from Central Asia, the “Aryans”, caused the decline of the Indus Civilisation. As evidence, he cited a group of 37 skeletons identified in various parts of Mohenjo-Daro. He uses Rigveda as a source of historical information for this theory –  Rigvedic mention of conflicts was equated to war between the incoming Aryans and the indigenous Harappans;  Reference to fortress of the ‘Dasas’ and ‘Dasyus’ was equated to the Harappan fortification walls as the geographical area of the Rigvedic Aryans correspond to the core area of the habitational sites of the Indus, that is, the Punjab and Ghaggar-Hakra region, and remains of no other historical Civilisation have been identified during the above period;  Mention of Indra, the Aryan war-god, as puramdara ‘fort-destroyer’ who shatters ‘ninety forts’ for his Aryan protege, Divodasa; and  Mention of Hariyupia located on the banks of the Yabyabati (possibly Ravi River) where the Aryans had fought a battle was thought to be mentioned of Harappa www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

However, this theory has been criticised on a number of grounds. 11  Chronologically, the Harappan Civilisation came to an end around 1800 B.C. while the Rigveda is believed to be written around 1000 B.C. even though the exact chronology of the Rigvedic Aryans has not yet been established.  Historically, further, the exact nature of the historical content of the Rigveda has also not been established, though it is reasonably supposed that there is some important historical information in this text.  Skeletally, scientific analysis of the skeletal remains from Mohenjo-Daro does not show any signs of trauma due to massacre, they appear to be just hasty interments. The skeletons show phenotypic differences from other Harappan populations indicating a heterogenous population, but they do not show evidence for the ‘introduction of a novel phenotypic pattern’ just before or after the decline of the Harappans suggestive of new groups migrating into the region. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

 Culturally, Harappa had a final stylistic phase that seems to reflect some foreign influence, particularly 12 from Iran. But there was no radical replacement or change that might indicate an invasion. Many scholars have cited continuities in architectural traditions and technologies, and artistic and religious symbols. It would appear that if indeed Aryan’s attacked India, then there would be indication of a completely diverse sort of religion, craft making, significant changes in art and social structure. But none of this has been identified. What changes have occurred, were hugely due to internal factors. Floods There have been records of flooding at Mohenjo-Daro, Kalibangan and Dholavira, as cited in the excavation reports. This was inferred from collapsed buildings and houses and streets covered with silt clay intervening actual periods of occupation. This clay is thought to be left by the receding flood waters. At Mohenjo-Daro these abnormal floods and consequent rebuilding of the town seems to have happened at least thrice. Chanhudaro was also twice-destroyed by ‘massive’ inundations. The devastating floods obstructed the normal process of irrigation, leading in turn to the economic decline of some of the Harappan settlements. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE RIG VEDIC PERIOD 13  Aryan Gods : The Aryans worshipped Indra, Varuna and surya. There were no hereditary priests but head of the family acted as priest. Gods were of different kinds but there was no ranking among the gods  Sacrifices : In those days the people used to perform daily sacrifices in which ghee and flesh were used.  Worship of Nature : The Aryans had no temples where they could worship. They believed in the worship of nature. Surya, Indra, Agni and Prithivi were their common gods.  Idea of one God : According to the Aryans, God is one; He was most powerful and strong and moved the universe.  Yajnas : In almost every Aryan family, Yajnas were daily performed. These Yajnas were very simple and did not take much time. Sometimes however, costly yajnas were also performed. These yajnas continued for days and sometimes for months together. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

KEY WORDS/ABBREVIATIONS 14  Trolley:- Trolley is used for trade and commerce during Indus Valley Civilisation  Agriculture:- The food of the Harappans was provided from wide-ranging areas cultivated in vicinity of the city.  Food:- The food of the Harappans was provided from wide-ranging areas cultivated in vicinity of the city. Rice was possibly grown in the Indus valley.  Downfall:- A downfall is a sudden drop in status or strength. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Learning Activity 15 1. Estimate the influence of the Himalayas and the Great Northern Plains on the course of Indian History ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Discuss the Geographical Extent and Town Planning of the Harappa civilisation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Give a brief account on the origin of the Harappa civilisation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SUMMARY 16 The people were loving ornaments. Both male and female of all classes used necklaces fillets, arm lets, finger rings, and bangles. Girdles nose studs, earrings, and anklets were used by the women alone. Indus valley people had their diverse kinds of pastimes for entertainment during leisure. Among amusements dancing with the accompaniment of the drum, and dice playing was very common. Women in the society were highly respected. The adoration of mother goddess shows that women enjoyed very high position in the society. They were equally treated with their male counterpart in the society. No clear evidence was found about the political organisation of the Indus Valley people. Unlike the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians they have not left behind any inscription unfolding their system of administration. The most outstanding seal found is Pashupati seal in which the three faced male god is displayed seated in a yogic posture, bounded by a rhino and a buffalo on the right, and an elephant and a tiger on the left, make the scholars conclude that the people of those days adored Lord Shiva who is the Lord of the Beast (Pashupati) and the male principle of creation. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Frequently Asked Questions 17 1. What were loved by the Harappan people? (For more information see SLM) Ans: The people were loving ornaments 2. Which was the outstanding seal found ? (For more information see SLM) Ans: The most outstanding seal found is Pashupati seal. 3. Write the new civilisation after the decline of Indus civilisation. (For more information see SLM) Ans: The name of the new civilisation was Vedic Civilisation and its people are known as Aryans. www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Multiple Choice Questions 1.The remarkable site Harappa was excavated in the year 1921 by 18 (a) Daya Ram Sahni (b) R.D. Banerjee (c) J.P. Joshi (d) Dr. A. Ghosh 2. The most fundamental feature of Harappan religion was the worship of (a) Mother Goddess (b) Vishnu (c) Goddess Parvati (d) None of the above 2. Who identified some articles as signs of phallic worship among Harappan people? (a) Charles Masson (b) Dr. A. Ghosh (c) John Marshal (d) R.S. Bisht Answers: 1.(a) 2.(a) 3.(c) www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

References 19  Tripathi, R.S. (2016). Prachin Bharat Ka Itihas : Seventh Edition. Jaipur: Royal Publication.  V.C. Pandey(1986). Political and Cultural History of Ancient India-Part I, Allahabad: Vishal Publication.  Mookerji, R.N. (1947). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsi Das PublishersPvt. Ltd..  Basham, A.L.(1967). The Wonder that was India. London: Arthur Probsthain.  Davies, C.C. (1949). An Historical Atlas of Indian Peninsula. India: Oxford University Press  Majumdar, R.C. (2017). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsilal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.  Dhillon, S.K. (1991). Religious History of Early Medieval Punjab. Punjab: National Book Organisation. Web Resources  https://www.ancient.eu/india/  https://www.culturalindia.net/india-history/ancient-india/index.html www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

20 THANK YOU For queries Email: [email protected] www.cuidol.in Unit-3(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL