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Trade and Religion of the Harappan Civilization — 2017 Paper II
Question · 2017 · Paper II · 15 Marks
Describe various aspects of trade and religion of Harappan civilization.
Model Answer
VAID ICSApproach
- Demand of Question:Cover both trade and religion with archaeological evidence, distinguishing secure evidence from speculative interpretation because the script remains undeciphered.
- Structuring the Response:Trade: production, weights, seals, routes, external contacts -> Religion: ritual architecture, figurines/seals, fire installations, burials -> cautious conclusion.
- Key Dimensions to Cover:standardized weights/measures; craft centres; Lothal/Dholavira/Harappa/Mohenjo-daro; Mesopotamian “Meluhha”; carnelian, shell, metals; Great Bath; Kalibangan fire-altars; seals, pipal/unicorn/horned figure; burial variability; interpretative caution.
Model Answer
Introduction The Mature Harappan civilization (c. 2600-1900 BCE) represents India's first urbanism, characterized by intensive regional integration and shared symbolic practices. Because the Indus script remains undeciphered, anthropologists and archaeologists reconstruct its trade networks with strong empirical certainty, while religious practices are inferred more cautiously through material culture.
Body (Draw a split map of the Indus region: Mark Lothal (port), Harappa/Mohenjo-daro (redistribution), Kalibangan (fire altars), Dholavira (water management), and draw a trade arrow toward Mesopotamia)
- Trade and Exchange (Economic Networks)
- Standardization: The hallmark of Harappan trade was high standardization. Cubical chert weights (in binary and decimal multiples) and steatite seals indicate a highly regulated, centralized system of economic transactions.
- Internal Trade & Craft Production: Cities specialized based on resource proximity. Balakot and Nageshwar specialized in shell-working; Shortughai (Afghanistan) in lapis lazuli; and Lothal/Chanhudaro in carnelian bead-making. Mohenjo-daro and Harappa acted as mega-redistribution centers.
- External/International Trade: Mesopotamian cuneiform texts refer to trade with "Meluhha" (widely accepted as the Indus region). The discovery of Harappan seals, etched carnelian beads, and dice in Ur and Sumer, along with a dockyard at Lothal, confirms a robust maritime trade network via the Persian Gulf.
- Religion and Ritual Beliefs
- Public Ritual Architecture: The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro suggests a strong emphasis on ritual purity and collective water-based ceremonies, a concept that persists in later Indian traditions.
- Fire Worship: Excavations by B.B. Lal at Kalibangan and Lothal revealed rows of brick-lined pits containing ash and animal bones, interpreted as fire-altars indicating sacrificial rituals.
- Iconography and Animism: Steatite seals and terracotta figurines depict a rich symbolic world. The "Pashupati" seal (a horned deity surrounded by animals) is often cautiously termed 'Proto-Shiva'. The reverence for the pipal tree, unicorns, and the widespread presence of terracotta female figurines (hypothesized as Mother Goddesses) suggest elements of animism and fertility cults.
- Mortuary Practices: Burials at cemeteries (like R-37 at Harappa) were generally modest extended inhumations with pottery and limited ornaments. The lack of monumental royal tombs (like Egyptian pyramids) suggests the absence of a highly visible royal mortuary cult.
Conclusion While Harappan trade reveals a highly sophisticated, standardized, and far-reaching economic network, religious reconstructions require evidence-led caution. The material symbols clearly demonstrate a complex ritual life focused on purity, fertility, and nature, laying foundational elements for later subcontinental religious traditions.
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