Indus valley civilization

indus valley

1. Architecture of indus valley civilization is contained in structure of Mohan- jodaro which were found by the archaeologists ( by J. Fleet, prompting an excavation campaign under Sir John Hubert Marshall in 1921-22 and resulting in the discovery of the civilization at Harappa by Sir John Marshall) and in the existence of Harappan city . INTRODUCTION Indus River valley flourished in 2,6 00 B.C.E It is the largest of the four ancient urban civilization of Egypt , Mesopotamia, india and china . Harappa supported of population 50,000 Excavation continue in 1920’s

2. The Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1300 BC, flowered 2600–1900 BC) was an ancient civilization thriving along the Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra River in what is now Pakistan and north-western India. The two greatest cities, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, emerged circa 2600 BCE along the Indus River valley in Punjab and Sindh . The Indus Valley Civilisation is also known as the Harappan Civilisation , after Harappa , the first of its sites to be excavated in the 1920s

3. Town Planning A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture is evident in the Indus Valley Civilization. The streets of major cities such as Mohenjodaro or Harappa were laid out in perfect grid patterns and crossed by others at right angles. They have well laid plumbing and drainage systems, including indoor toilets. The houses were protected from noise, odors , and thieves. Houses opened only to inner courtyards and smaller lanes.

4. The buildings were made by burnt bricks which were devoid of decoration There were no windows & entrances were placed in narrow by ways. Each & every street had its brick-lined drainage channel and small lane.

5. GREAT BATH STREETS GRANARY WELLS

6. The great public bath was made of burnt brick The Great Bath is one of the best-known structures among the ruins of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization at Mohenjo-daro in Sindh , Pakistan Measures approximately 12 meters north-south and 7 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 2.4 meters Two wide staircases lead down into the tank The floor of the tank is water tight due to finely fitted bricks laid on edge with gypsum plaster and the side walls were constructed in a similar manner. To make the tank even more water tight, a thick layer of bitumen (natural tar) was laid along the sides of the tank and presumably also beneath the floor GREAT BATH

7. MOHENJO-DARO AND HARAPPA The city was laid out in a grid iron with the main streets about 30 feet wide The streets were all aligned from east to west or from north to south This would suck the stagnant air out of the smaller street and lanes running at the angles thereby amply ventilating them

8. It is a brick structure that was built on a massive brick foundation over 45 meters north south and 45 meters east-west. Two rows of six rooms that appear to be foundations are arranged along a central passageway that is about 7 meters wide and partly paved with baked bricks. Each room measures 15.2 by 6.1 meters and has three sleeper walls with air space between them. GRANARY AT HARAPPA

9. This ancient town had more than 700 wells, and most houses in Mohenjo-Daro had at least one private well.

10. DRAINAGE SYSTEM

11. Materials from distant regions were used in the cities for constructing seals, beads and other objects. The seals have images of animals, gods and other types of inscriptions. Some of the seals were used to stamp clay on trade goods and most probably had other uses.

12. A stone staircase in the Siddikui area of the ancient Indus Valley civilization of Mohenjo-Daro Dated ca. 3rd-2nd century B.C

13. Harappan engineers followed the decimal division of measurement for all practical purposes, including the measurement of mass as revealed by their hexahedron weights. Brick sizes were in a perfect ratio of 4:2:1 and the decimal system was used. Weights were based on units of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500, with each unit weighing approximately 28 grams, similar to the English Imperial ounce or Greek uncia , and smaller objects were weighed in similar ratios with the units of 0.871.

14. Unique Harappan inventions include an instrument which was used to measure whole sections of the horizon and the tidal dock. In addition, Harappans evolved new techniques in metallurgy and produced copper, bronze, lead and tin. The engineering skill of the Harappans was remarkable, especially in building docks after a careful study of tides, waves and currents.

15. Arts, Games and Toys Various sculptures, seals, pottery, gold jewelry and anatomically detailed figurines in terracotta, bronze and steatite have been found at the excavation sites. A number of bronze, terracotta and stone figurines of girls in dancing poses reveal the presence of some dance form. Mother goddess from the Indus Valley civilization.

16. Indus Maze Games and Dice These maze games and dice are from the Indus Valley Civilization and are currently housed in the National Museum of New Delhi.

17. A harp-like instrument depicted on an Indus seal and two shell objects found at Lothal indicate the use of stringed musical instruments . Seals have been found at Mohenjo-daro depicting a figure standing on its head, and one sitting cross-legged A horned figure in an advanced yogic pose has been interpreted as one of the earliest depictions of the Lord Shiva.

18. Sculptures of the Indus Valley The story of Indian art and sculpture dates back to the Indus valley civilization of the 2nd and 3rd millennium BC . Tiny terra-cotta seals discovered from the valley reveal carvings of peepal leaves, deities and animals. These elemental shapes of stones or seals were enshrined and worshipped by the people of the civilization. Indus Valley Seals - The first one shows a Swastika, a prominent symbol in Hinduism.

19. Buddhist Sculptures – e.g S anchi Stupa The Great Stupa at Sanchi is perhaps the finest surviving relic of the Mauryan Empire and is a renowned Buddhist monument . Its finely carved gateways depict Buddhist legends and lifestyles of two thousand years ago. The foundation of the Stupa was laid by Ashoka and he set up monasteries here as a retreat for the Buddhist monks. The Great Stupa is fifty-four feet high and is surrounded by a stone railing and four elaborately carved gateways on each side.

20. The gateway reliefs depict tales of Buddha's incarnations, his life as a prince, his moment of enlightenment, his sermons and his worshippers. This site at Sanchi also includes remains of smaller stupas , pillars and monasteries.

21. Hindu Art this era was also marked by the emergence of innumerable images of popular Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Images of Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, the Sun-God and goddess Durga evolved in this period . The Udaigiri caves in Madhya Pradesh house a colossal image of Vishnu. Here he is presented as the great savior who rescued 'mother earth' from the depths of the ocean, in his incarnation as a varha (boar). Other statues of this period found in various temples and museums are indicative of the various dimensions of early Hindu art and sculpture.

22. Sculpture Head From Indus Valley Settlement The link between dance, drama, literature and art became crucial to aesthetic expressionism in centuries to come . This new era in art and sculpture witnessed a unique fusion, a synthesis embodied in the caves at Ajanta and Ellora and the temples of central and South India.

23. Ajanta and Ellora North-east of Bombay, near Aurangabad are two astonishing series of temples carved out of living rock over the course of fourteen centuries . During the 4th century AD. in a remote valley, work began on the Ajanta caves to create a complex of Buddhist monasteries and prayer halls. As centuries passed, numerous Buddhist monks and artisans excavated a set of twenty-nine caves, some cells, monasteries and Buddhist temples . All of these were carved from the rock cliff at Ajanta. These caves are adorned with elaborate sculptures and paintings which have withstood the ravages of time.

24. The sculptures are finely wrought images of animals, guards and deities while the paintings tell ancient tales of courtly life and depict hundreds of Buddhist legends. Amid the beautiful images and paintings are sculptures of Buddha, calm and serene in contemplation . Pillars, podiums, spires and towers combine to produce an awe-inspiring representation of Shiva's Himalayan abode.

25. Elephanta Caves The most profound aspect of the mighty Shiva is in evidence at the Shiva temple in the Elephanta caves. Situated near Bombay, these caves present an introduction to some most exquisitely carved temples. One can witness a symphony in stone in praise of Lord Shiva, created by India's expert stone carvers of the sixth century .

26. The central attraction here is a twenty-foot high bust of the deity in three-headed form. The Maheshamurti is built deep into a recess and looms up from the darkness to fill the full height of the cave .