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North Indian Culture Biography
Ancient History of North India
India is the site of one of the famous civilizations of the ancient world, the others being the Mesopotamian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and the Mayan (Central America).
The earliest known civilization in India dates back to about 3000 BC. Discovered in the 1920s, it was largely confined to the valley of the river Indus (which now flows through Pakistan and Ladakh, to name a few places) hence it acquired the name the Indus Valley civilization. This civilization was predominantly an urban concentrated in and around two principal towns, Mohenjodaro and Harappa, the ruins of which still exist.
The Great Bath, Mohenjodaro
Subsequent archaeological excavations established that this civilization was not restricted to the Indus valley but encompassed a wide area in the present day north-western and western India. Thus this civilisation is now familiarly known as the Harappan civilization, its main sites in India being Ropar in Punjab, Lothal in Gujarat and Kalibangan in Rajasthan.
All the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization were well planned and were built with baked bricks of the same size; the streets cut each other at right angles, and had an elaborate system of covered drains. There was a fairly clear division of localities and houses for the upper and lower strata of society. There were also public buildings, the most famous being the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro and the spacious granaries. The people of this civilization knew the use of copper, bronze, lead and tin. The discoveries of bricks prove that burnt bricks were used extensively for both domestic and public buildings.
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization had domesticated animals including camels, goats, buffaloes and fowls. The presence of several seals depicting a humped bull indicate that this animal was known in those ancient times. The Harappans cultivated wheat, barley, peas and sesame and were probably the first to grow cotton for making yarn for clothes.
Humped bull
Trade was an important activity at the Indus Valley and the numerous seals discovered at the site suggest that each merchant or mercantile family had its own seal. These seals are in various quadrangular shapes and sizes, etched with human or animal figures. There is ample evidence that the Harappan civilization had extensive trade relations with the nearby regions in India, besides areas around the Persian Gulf including Sumer (modern Iraq)
The figures of deities on the seals indicate that the people of Harappa worshipped a host of gods and had also evolved a set of rituals and ceremonies. No edifices or monuments survive, but a large number of human figurines have been discovered, including a steatite (gray/grayish-green stone with a soapy feel) bust of a man (probably a priest) and the figure of a dancing girl in bronze.
Dancing girl in bronze,Mohenjodaro
A large number of terracotta statues of the Mother Goddess (shakti) have also been unearthed, suggesting that she was commonly worshipped. Several conical and ring-like pieces of stone have also been found which are considered the rudiments of Shivalingas (phallic symbols of Shiva) and yonis (vulva), depicting the cosmic creative forces.
By about 1700 BC, the Harappan culture began to decline, due to repeated flooding of its towns located on the river banks, coupled with the ecological changes which forced the desert to engulf the arable land. Some historians also claim that invasions by barbarian tribes of the northwest also contributed to the decline of the Harappan civilization.
The initial migrations of the Aryan people into India began around 1500 BC.
The Aryans came down from the Central Asian region, and entered India through the Khyber Pass. They intermingled with the local populace, and assimilated themselves into the social framework. They took up the agricultural lifestyle of their predecessors, and established small agrarian communities across the territory of modern Punjab.
Bust of a man,Mohenjodaro
The Aryans are believed to have brought with them the horse, developed the Sanskrit language (written in Devanagri Script) and made significant inroads into the prevailing faiths of the times. These factors played a crucial role in the shaping of Indian culture.
Sanskrit is the basis of the majority of Indian languages. The religion of the Aryans, which sprung during the Vedic era, with its rich pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, and its storehouse of myths and legends, became the foundation of the Hindu religion as we know it today.
The early religion of the Aryans was basically nature worship. The objects of nature – the sun, moon, water, earth, fire, each had a presiding deity, who had to be propitiated for peace and general well-being.
North Indian Culture Biography
Ancient History of North India
India is the site of one of the famous civilizations of the ancient world, the others being the Mesopotamian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and the Mayan (Central America).
The earliest known civilization in India dates back to about 3000 BC. Discovered in the 1920s, it was largely confined to the valley of the river Indus (which now flows through Pakistan and Ladakh, to name a few places) hence it acquired the name the Indus Valley civilization. This civilization was predominantly an urban concentrated in and around two principal towns, Mohenjodaro and Harappa, the ruins of which still exist.
The Great Bath, Mohenjodaro
Subsequent archaeological excavations established that this civilization was not restricted to the Indus valley but encompassed a wide area in the present day north-western and western India. Thus this civilisation is now familiarly known as the Harappan civilization, its main sites in India being Ropar in Punjab, Lothal in Gujarat and Kalibangan in Rajasthan.
All the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization were well planned and were built with baked bricks of the same size; the streets cut each other at right angles, and had an elaborate system of covered drains. There was a fairly clear division of localities and houses for the upper and lower strata of society. There were also public buildings, the most famous being the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro and the spacious granaries. The people of this civilization knew the use of copper, bronze, lead and tin. The discoveries of bricks prove that burnt bricks were used extensively for both domestic and public buildings.
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization had domesticated animals including camels, goats, buffaloes and fowls. The presence of several seals depicting a humped bull indicate that this animal was known in those ancient times. The Harappans cultivated wheat, barley, peas and sesame and were probably the first to grow cotton for making yarn for clothes.
Humped bull
Trade was an important activity at the Indus Valley and the numerous seals discovered at the site suggest that each merchant or mercantile family had its own seal. These seals are in various quadrangular shapes and sizes, etched with human or animal figures. There is ample evidence that the Harappan civilization had extensive trade relations with the nearby regions in India, besides areas around the Persian Gulf including Sumer (modern Iraq)
The figures of deities on the seals indicate that the people of Harappa worshipped a host of gods and had also evolved a set of rituals and ceremonies. No edifices or monuments survive, but a large number of human figurines have been discovered, including a steatite (gray/grayish-green stone with a soapy feel) bust of a man (probably a priest) and the figure of a dancing girl in bronze.
Dancing girl in bronze,Mohenjodaro
A large number of terracotta statues of the Mother Goddess (shakti) have also been unearthed, suggesting that she was commonly worshipped. Several conical and ring-like pieces of stone have also been found which are considered the rudiments of Shivalingas (phallic symbols of Shiva) and yonis (vulva), depicting the cosmic creative forces.
By about 1700 BC, the Harappan culture began to decline, due to repeated flooding of its towns located on the river banks, coupled with the ecological changes which forced the desert to engulf the arable land. Some historians also claim that invasions by barbarian tribes of the northwest also contributed to the decline of the Harappan civilization.
The initial migrations of the Aryan people into India began around 1500 BC.
The Aryans came down from the Central Asian region, and entered India through the Khyber Pass. They intermingled with the local populace, and assimilated themselves into the social framework. They took up the agricultural lifestyle of their predecessors, and established small agrarian communities across the territory of modern Punjab.
Bust of a man,Mohenjodaro
The Aryans are believed to have brought with them the horse, developed the Sanskrit language (written in Devanagri Script) and made significant inroads into the prevailing faiths of the times. These factors played a crucial role in the shaping of Indian culture.
Sanskrit is the basis of the majority of Indian languages. The religion of the Aryans, which sprung during the Vedic era, with its rich pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, and its storehouse of myths and legends, became the foundation of the Hindu religion as we know it today.
The early religion of the Aryans was basically nature worship. The objects of nature – the sun, moon, water, earth, fire, each had a presiding deity, who had to be propitiated for peace and general well-being.
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
North Indian Culture
