Chalcolithic and Harappan Age Mains Test
Mains Test Series
Chalcolithic and Harappan Age
Q1. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to present-day urbanisation? Discuss. [UPSC CSE (M) 2014], (200 words)
Answer:
Civilisation refers to materially advanced culture. It illuminates culture in its physical form through architecture, literature, arts, life patterns, etc. The Harappan Civilisation (3300 BCE – 1300 BCE) is the earliest Civilisation in India’s civilisational history.
Every Civilisation will necessarily have a culture associated with it, but every culture may not have civilisational dimensions.
Reasons why Harappan culture is considered the earliest Civilisation:
- Well-Defined Architecture: Harappan civilisation had a grid pattern of town planning with two-tier settlements, public spaces, drainage systems, etc., which makes it a civilised system.
- Arts: We are unaware of performing arts, but we see pottery, sculpture making, metal works, the bead industry, etc. Although figures like dancing girls also give some sense of performing art.
- Trade and commerce: Harappans traded amongst themselves, as evident from the distribution of artefacts throughout the Civilisation. Further, they also dealt with Mesopotamia.
- Writing: We see a kind of pictographic writing on the seals, plates and pottery.
- Religion: We find terracotta figurines of something similar to mother goddess all over the Civilisation, places like great baths which could have some ceremonial significance and fire altars at many places. However, we are not sure.
However, there are a few counterarguments against the consideration of Harappan civilisation as India’s first Civilisation.
- Writing but No Literature:
- Although there was writing in the Harappan civilisation, no literature has been produced or has survived.
- It is also difficult to hold if it is even possible to write literature with the Harappan pictographic script.
- The Harappan civilisation did not produce civilisational literature such as Vedic literature under the Vedic Civilisation.
- Political Organisation: There is no clear idea about the political organisation of the Harapan people. The stealite beard priest statue indicates that a class of merchants ruled them. On the other hand, Mesopotamians may have witnessed the rise of kingdoms.
Nevertheless, Historians agree that Harappan Culture wasn’t simply a culture but a fullfledged civilisation. Despite
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