Introduction

Sites of the harrappan civilisation

Mohenjo-daro :courtyard and alley
Dolavira : main features and sign board
Lothal
Chanhudaro : craft industry and facts and artefacts
Harrappan seals : indication of seals and importants
seals.
End of civilisation
Conclusion
Bibliography
Harappan civilisation was discovered in
1920-22 when two of its most important
Sites were excavated .these were harappa on
the banks of the river ravi and mohanjo daro
On the banks of the indus. The first was
excavated by D.R Sahani and the second by
R.D Bannerji.
On the basis of the arcoelogical findings the
harappan civilisation has been dated
between 2600BC _1900BC,
and is one of the oldest civilisation of the
world .it is olso sometimes referred to as the
‘indus valley civilisation’ becouse in the
beginning majority of its settlements
discovered were in and around the plains of
the river indus and its tributatries . But
today it is termed as th;e harappan
civilisation becouse harappan was the first
site,which brout to lite the presence of th
civilisation.
 Harappa
 Mohenjo-daro
 Banawali
 Rakhigarhi
 Kotdiji
 Chanudaro
 Dholovira
 Lothal
 Balakot
 Kalibangan
 Nageshwar
Mohenjo-daro or “mount of the dead” is and
ancient indus valley civilisation city that
flourished between 2600-1900 BCE. It was one of
the first world and ancient indian ciites. The site
was discovered in the 1920s and lies in pakistan
sind province. Mohenjo-daro is an ancient
plenned city laid out on a grid of steets. An
orthogonal street layout was oriented toward the
north –south and east direction the widest street
run north-south ,straight through town;
secondary street run east west sometimes in a
staggerd direction secondary street are about half
the width of the main streets; smaller alleys are a
third to a quarter of the width of the main streets.
The house was planned as a serious of rooms
opening on to a central coutyard providing an
open space inside for community activities.
There were no opening towards the main stret
–only rather small openings to the side
streets . Brick stairways providing acces to
the upper floars or rooftop gardens the
houses are believed to have flat,timber roots.
Houses built with a perimeter wall and
adjacent houses were seprated by a narroud
space of land
The large platform ,called the ‘citadel’ is presumed
to be the administrative seat.other public
buildings are temples and public baths . There are
also granaries where the stories are elevated
above bricks platforms that have ventilation ducts
seprated from the domestic areas are the artisan
workshops.
The street layout shows an understanding of the
basic principles of traffic,with rounded corners to
allow the turning of carts easily. The drains are
covered the probably had around 35,000 residents
Being one among the five largest harappan cities in the
subcontinent , dholavira has yielded many first in
respect of indus civilization. Fourteen fields seasons
of excavation trough an enormous deposit caused by
the successive settlements at the site for over 1500 years
during all through the 3rd millennium and unto the
middle of the 2nd millennium BC have revealed seven
significant cultural stages documentry the rise and fall
of the indus civilization in addition to bringing to light
a major , a modal city which is remark able for its
exquiste planning,
Manumental structures , aesthetic architecture ,
amazing water harvesting system and a variety
in feunerary architecture.
The salient component of the full grown city scape a of a
bipartite ‘citadel’ a ‘middle town’ and a ‘lower town’
two ‘stadia’, annexe a series of reservoirs all set with in
an enormous fortification running on all four
sides,interestingly,inside the city ,too there was an
intricate system of fortification.the city was perhaps,
configerd like a large parallelogram boldly outlined by
massive walls with their longer axis being from the east
to west.the citadel at dholavira,unlike its counterparts
at mohenjodaro,harappa and kalibangan but like that
at banawali,was laid out in the south of the city area.
Genrall y harappan inscription are short containig only four
letters or less then four letters. Howewer this above given
sign board of dholavira is different ,it contains 10 letters
and is quit lengthy compred to inscription on seal of
harappan civilisation .analysis of this inscription shows
that most probably the objective of thwe sign board is
different . From the regular indus seals encounted so far .
The place of finding of an object in the archaeological site
is important to interpret the nature of an object.
Historians interpretation is that “dholavira” is a “burial
place” ,becouse it is being described as “Dholavira bhoot
pradesh”,furthur a skeleton was found in a sitting position
near this “Dholavira sign board”.
A flood distroyed village foundation and settlements
(c.2350BCE). Harappan’s based around lothal and from sindh
took this apportunity to expand their settlements and creat a
planned township on the lines of greater cities in the indus
vally. Lothal planners engaged themselves to protect the area
fom consistent floods.
The city was divides into citadel and lower town . The rulers of
the town lived in the citadel , which featured “Great Bath”,
underground and surface drains and a portable water well.
The lower town was subdivided into two sectors – the north-
south arterial street was the main commercial area-flarred by
shops of rich and ordinary merchants and craftmen.
Chanudaro is an archaeological site belonging to the post –
urban jhukar phase of harappan civilisation . The site is
located 130 kilometers south of mohenjodaro ,in
sindh,pakistan . The settlement was inhabited between
4000 and 1700 BCE , and is considered to have been a
centre for manufacturing cornelian beads.
Evidence of shell working was found at chanudaro and bangles
and ladles were made at this site . Harappan seals were made
genrally in bigger town like harappa , mohenjodaro ,
chanudaro which were involved with administrative network.
An impressive workshop , recognised as seal making factory ,
was found at chanhudaro , which include a furnace. Shell
bagles , beads of many materials , steatite seals and metals
works were manufactured at chanhudaro.
Copper knives , spear , razors , tools , axis , vessels and dishes are
found copperfish nooks were also recoverd frome this site.
Terracotta cart model , small plates , dishes were found.
For building houses , baked bricks were used extensively at
chanhudaro and mohenjodaro.
The harappans wre not on the whole extravagant
in their art . The inner walls of their houses were
coated with mud plaster without painting . The
outer walls facing the streets were apparetly of
plain bricks . Their most notable artistic
achevment was perhaps in their seal engravings
, especialy those of animals eg ; the grat urns
bull with its mony dewlaps , the rehiocers with
knobbles annored hide , the tiger roaring fiercely
, etc . The harappans were expertyt bead
mohers .
The most striking og the figurines is perhaps the
bronze ‘dancing girl’ , found in mohenjodaro .
Seated male sculpture , or “priest king” from
mohenjodaro . Fillet or ribhoe headband
with circular inlaey or naments on the
foehead and similar butsmaller ornaments
on the right upper arm . The two ends of
the fillet fall along the back and through the
hair is carefully combed towards the back
of the head , no bun im prsent . The flat
back of the head may have hels a
seprately carved bun as is traditionally on
the other seated figures or it could have
held a more elaborate horn and plumed
headdress.
Priest king : materials : white,low fired
steatite
Dimensions ; 17.5 cm height , 13 cm
width mohenjodaro
Dancing girls
Dancing girl : c. 2500 bc
Place of origin : mohenjodaro
Material : bronze
One of the rarest atifacts world – over , a unique blend of
antiqueness and art Iindexing the lifestyle taste and
cultural excellence of a people in such remotye past as ,
about five millennium from no3 , the tiny bronze–cast ,
The status of a unanepusly called ‘indus dancing girl’.
Neckles from mohenjodaro made from
gold , agate , jasper , steatite and
green stone. The gold beads are
hollow and the pendant agate and
jasper beads are attached each of the
pendant beads . This necklace
fraznent is only half of the original
orna,ments which was divided b/w
india and pakistan in 1947.
The most intresting part of the discovery relate to the
seal more than 2000 in number made of soapstone ,
terracotta and copper . The seals give us useful
information about the civiliation of indus valley . Some
seals have human or animals figures on them . Most of
the seals have the figures of real animals while a few
bear the figure of mythical animals the seals are
rectangular , circular or even cylindrical
• C , 2500-2400 BC

• Place of origin : mohenjodaro

• This seal with buffalo – horned

figure almost unanimously identified a
shiva in his form As pashupati , lord of
animals
 He has been portrayed as seated cross legged , that is ,
in yogic ‘padmasana’ , and wide armed

 The arms of the image painting towards the earth , the

yogic nature of the wide-lapped stance and the curved
horns
 Natural enemies , wild and virile animals , baffalo ,
leaping tiger , rhinocers and elephants all amicably
surround the figure