Brief Summary
This video provides an overview of the art and architecture of the Indus Valley Civilization, which existed around 3200-1500 BC. It covers the well-planned cities, architectural features like houses, public buildings, and drainage systems, as well as sculptures, seals, bronze figures, pottery, and jewelry. The video also highlights important sites of the civilization and their archaeological findings.
- The Indus Valley Civilization was known for its advanced urban planning and engineering.
- Art and architecture provide insights into the culture and lifestyle of the time.
- The civilization's artifacts include seals, bronze figures, pottery, and jewelry.
Introduction to Indus Valley Civilization
The video introduces Indian art and culture, starting with the Indus Valley Civilization (3200 BC - 1500 BC). It outlines the plan to explore Morian and post-Morian architecture and sculpture, Hindu temple architecture, and art and architecture from the Medieval period to modern times. The Indus Valley Civilization is described as an important ancient urban civilization of West and South Asia, discovered by Charles Mason in 1920. Art and architecture are crucial for understanding the evolution, culture, and lifestyle of our ancestors.
Architectural Features of the Harappan Civilization
The Harappan Civilization, which emerged around 2500 BC on the banks of the Indus River, spanned large parts of northwestern and western India. The civilization was known for its vivid imagination and artistic sensibilities, evident in sculptures, seals, pottery, and jewelry. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are considered the earliest examples of urban planning, featuring a planned network of roads, houses, and drainage systems. Towns were set up in a rectangular grid pattern with roads intersecting at right angles. The excavated sites reveal three types of buildings: houses, public buildings, and public baths. Burnt mud bricks with standardized dimensions were used for construction, joined with gypsum mortar. Cities were divided into an elevated citadel and a lower part, with the citadel containing larger buildings like granaries and administrative structures. Granaries were designed with air ducts and raised platforms to protect from pests. Public baths, like the Great Bath at Mohenjo Daro, demonstrate the importance of ritualistic cleansing and the engineering capabilities of the time. The lower part of the city contained small one-room houses for the working class, some of which were double-story. Buildings had private wells, bathrooms, and proper ventilation. The advanced drainage system, with small drains connecting to larger drains alongside main roads, was a striking feature. Cesspits were built at regular intervals for sewage, highlighting the importance of personal and public hygiene.
Sculptures of the Harappan Civilization
Harappan sculptors were proficient in three-dimensional volumes, with common finds including seals, bronze figures, and pottery. Seals were of various shapes and sizes, with square shapes being the most common. Steatite was the most commonly used material, along with copper fins and terracotta. Some seals contained inscriptions in pictographic script, which have not yet been deciphered, and animal impressions, generally featuring five animals such as unicorns, bulls, rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, buffaloes, and crocodiles. No evidence of crows has been found on any seal. Some seals also featured imagined animals. These seals were used for commercial purposes, trade, amulets, and possibly educational purposes. Symbols resembling the swastika design have also been found. The Pashupati Seal and Unicorn Seal of Mohenjo-daro are famous examples. Bronze casting was widely practiced using the lost wax technique. The Dancing Girl at Mohenjo Daro is the world's oldest bronze sculpture, depicting a girl wearing bangles and standing in a Tribhanga dancing posture. Terracotta figures were made using fire-baked clay, mainly found in Gujarat and Kali Bangan, and were made using the pinch method.
Pottery and Ornaments of the Harappan Civilization
The pottery found in the Harappan civilization was of two types: plain pottery and painted pottery, also known as Red and Black Pottery. Red was used to paint the background, and black paint was used to create designs featuring trees, birds, animal figures, and geometric patterns. Most pottery was fine wheel-made wares, with handmade pottery being rare. Pottery was mainly used for household purposes, decoration, and possibly for making liquor. The Harappan people used a variety of materials, including precious metals, gemstones, bronze, and baked clay, to make ornaments. Both men and women wore ornaments such as necklaces, fillets, armlets, and finger rings, while rings, guards, earrings, and anklets were worn only by women. Beads made from carnelian, amethyst, quartz, and other precious stones were popular and produced on a large scale, with evidence found in factories at Chano-daro and Lothal. Harappans used cotton and wool for fabric, worn by both the rich and the poor. People were fashion-conscious, as seen in their varied hairstyles and beards. The statue of the Bearded Priest is an excellent example of stone figures, depicting a bearded man covered with a shawl featuring a trifoil pattern.
Important Sites of the Harappan Civilization
Harappa, located in present-day Pakistan on the banks of the Ravi River, is famous for its six granaries, stone symbols of lingam and yoni, Mother Goddess figures, wheat and barley found inside a wooden mortar, dice, copper scales, mirrors, a bronze sculpture of a dog chasing a deer, and the red sandstone Male Torso. Mohenjo-daro, also in present-day Pakistan on the banks of the Indus River, features the Citadel, Great Bath, Great Granary, a post-cremation burial, the statue of a dancing girl, and the Pashupati seal. Dholavira, in Gujarat, has remains of a giant water reservoir, a unique water harnessing system, stadium dams, embankments, and ten large-sized stone inscriptions. Lothal, also in Gujarat, has rice husk, fire alters, painted chess figures, and evidence of horses and ships. Instruments for measuring 45, 90, and 180-degree angles have also been found. Rakhigarhi, in Haryana, is one of the largest sites of the Indus Valley Civilization, with granaries, cemeteries, drains, and terracotta bricks. Ropar, in Punjab, features a dog buried with a human in an oval pit burial and copper axes. Balthar and Kalibangan, in Rajasthan, have bangle factories, toy carts, camel bones, decorated bricks, and a Citadel and Lower Town. Surkotada, in Gujarat, has remains of the first horse bones. Banawali, in Haryana, has toy plows, barley grains, lapis lazuli, fire alters, and oval-shaped settlements, with streets in a radial pattern. Alamgirpur, in Uttar Pradesh, is the easternmost site, with a broken copper blade and ceramic items. Mehrgarh, in present-day Pakistan, is said to be the origin of the Indus Valley Civilization, with pottery and copper tools.
Conclusion
The artisans and sculptors of the Harappan Civilization reached new heights in architecture and sculpture, leaving behind a legacy of skill and craftsmanship. Houses and housing patterns made of bricks resonate with today's modern urban environment, featuring a detailed, planned drainage system and an efficient water supply system, showcasing the metropolitan culture of the Harappan civilization. The Archaeological Survey of India is continuously engaged in the findings of its cities, and we will continue to receive more details in the future.
