HISTORY OF INDIA: Indus Valley Civilization - Society Indus Valley Civilization

Our knowledge of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization is largely based on articles that were found in the cities. The people were essentially employed in agriculture, animal rearing, trade, metal industry and construction. Cotton fabrics were popular and wool was used for warmer garments. Both men and women wore ornaments like necklaces, armlets, finger-rings and bangles. Ornaments like nose rings, ear-rings and anklets were however worn only by women. The ornaments were made of gold, silver, ivory, copper and precious and semi-precious stones. Their household goods were vessels made of earthenware, metal and in some rare cases porcelain. Articles like spindles, axes, fishhooks, razors and combs etc. have also been found. The children played with carved toys like small wheeled carts and chairs, and a dice indicating the possibility of board games. The people had domesticated animals like the

humped bull, the buffalo, sheep, elephant and camel. There are some doubts however on the existence of the horse but the presence of the horse in the carved toys for the children indicates that they were familiar with the animal. Interestingly the weapons of war are essentially offensive in nature, like axes, spears, daggers. No defensive equipment like shields or armor have been found.

Objects found tend to indicate some form of religious beliefs. There has been evidence that the people of the Indus Valley Civilization believed in some form of animal and nature worship. The figures of deities on the seals indicates that they worshipped gods and

goddesses in the human form. No major sculpture survives but for a bust thought to be of a major priest and the stunning bronze dancing girl. The Divine Mother appears to have been an important goddess, due to the countless terra-cotta statues of her that were found. It follows a school of thought that would become prevalent later as well, of the female energy being regarded as the source of all creation. What is most interesting is the

existence of a male god which has been identified as a proto-type of an important God of the religion of Hinduism, lord Shiv. The fact that the same God is still worshipped today, and has been for the last five thousand years is one of the remarkable features of Indian culture. Even evidence of the Bhakti cult (loving devotion to a personal God) has been found at Indus Valley Civilization sites, and the Bhakti cult also has a large following even today. It can therefore be concluded that there is a close relationship between the beliefs of the Indus Valley Civilization and that of modern Hinduism.

Our knowledge of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization is largely based on articles that were found in the cities. The people were essentially employed in agriculture, animal

rearing, trade, metal industry and construction. Cotton fabrics were popular and wool was used for warmer garments. Both men and women wore ornaments like necklaces, armlets, finger-rings and bangles. Ornaments like nose rings, ear-rings and anklets were however worn only by women. The ornaments were made of gold, silver, ivory, copper and precious and semi-precious stones. Their household goods were vessels made of earthenware, metal and in some rare cases porcelain. Articles like spindles, axes, fishhooks, razors and combs etc. have also been found. The children played with carved toys like small wheeled carts and chairs, and a dice indicating the possibility of board

games. The people had domesticated animals like the humped bull, the buffalo, sheep, elephant and camel. There are some doubts however on the existence of the horse but the presence of the horse in the carved toys for the children indicates that they were familiar with the animal. Interestingly the weapons of war are essentially offensive in nature, like axes, spears, daggers. No defensive equipment like shields or armor have been found.