Characteristic Of The Indus Valley Civilization

 CHARACTERISTIC OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION 

Hallmark of the Indus was town planning, fortification wall and a well-designed system of drains. The Indus cities were marked by a remarkable planning unheard of elsewhere in 3rd millennium BC. The streets were laid at right angles to each other. The settlement was divided into a citadel, on higher ground and lower town. The layout of either town was a gridiron pattern of streets about 30 feet wide, running in North South and East West directions. The most important aspect of the Indus civilization is the urban life style apparently maintained in the cites. These were built according to grid plans, and contained efficient sewerage systems; public edifices, such as baths and granaries, that required considerable building technique; and living quarters that suggest strongly structured social groups. All this helped to confirm the city as the center of power. Among the other features of Indus Civilization is the artifact of stone, copper & bronze equipments, ornaments and pottery.

CAUSES AND DOWN FALL OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION 

The great urban civilization of Indus endured for centuries of peaceful life unaffected by the outside world. But how this metropolis came to an end? Attempts have been made to explain this enigmatic phenomenon by accusing Indra, the mightiest god of the Rig-Veda, and the warrior exalting tribes of from the north, but with little convincing results. Among the causes for desertion of the ancient cities of the Indus after 1800 BC, progressive aridness of the Valley may have been one. Another possibility may be the growing danger of floods which compelled the inhabitants to evacuate these cities. The floods, however, could not have accounted entirely for the desertion of these cities, though possibly climatic changes and gradual decline in the material prosperity of the Harappa could have been the contributory causes. There is a remarkable dearth of weapons of defense and war and it is probable that those rich cities with their un-warlike mercantile population, were either ransacked by the invading tribes from the neighboring hilly regions or that the inhabitant were compelled to migrate to more fertile valleys when dry and arid climatic conditions started prevailing of the Indus Valley.

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS 

1. When and how were the traces of the Indus civilization found? Discuss. 
2. Why are Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro named as the twin cities of the Indus civilization? 
3. Highlight the important features of the Indus Valley Civilization. 
4. Discuss the main characteristics of Indus Civilization. 
5. Write a note on the architectural features of the Indus Valley Civilization. 
6. What do you know about the town planning of the Indus Valley Civilization? 
7. What do you know about the art of the Indus Valley Civilization? 
8. How did the Indus Valley Civilization decline? Discuss.