Great Bath: a Public Water Tank Found in Mohenjo Daro

History 1.4.2.2

GLOSSARY

Harappan Civilization: A Bronze Age civilization discovered in the Indian sub-continent along the Indus; it was believed to have flourished over a period of 2200 years between 3500 B.C. and 1300 B.C.

Great Bath: A public water tank found in Mohenjo Daro.

Citadel: A fortress adjoining the settlements and meant for defence purposes.

Acropolis: A raised area holding a building or a cluster of buildings meant for fortification of the city.

Mature Harappan phase: The period from 2600 BC to 1900 BC of the Harappan Civilization that is characterized by the rise of urban centres.

Adobe bricks:Bricks made from sand, clay, water and some organic material (straw, manure, and sticks) and dried in the sun.

Sluice gates:Metal plates that slide in grooves on the side of the water channel to control the water level of a channel.

Pass: Gap between two mountains that allows for passage.

Ballast: A device used on ships to control buoyancy and stability.

Inscription: Writing, printing, carving on durable material.

OBJECTIVES

The students will

• Learn about the characteristic features of the Indus cities.
• Appreciate the uniqueness of some of the important cities of the Indus Civilization.

SUMMARY

The genesis of the Indus Civilization is still shrouded in mystery. While some historians conjecture that nomads from Africa settled in this area as they found green pastures and fertile land, others say that they were indigenouspeople,with some others saying that they were actually colonies of some western empire.

Upon close examination of the cities it is observed that there appeared to be some sort of dominance of Mohenjo Daro on the various other towns. Prior to 2500 B.C. all these cities were autonomous city states. But after 2500 B.C. there is evidence of a very striking uniformity among all the sites of the Indus Civilization especially with regard to Kalibangan.

It is quite evident that the Indus Civilization was an agrarian civilization with both internal and external trade. They are all well integrated, as evidence of exchange of commodities has been revealed. Mohenjo Daro seems to emerge as the dominant power.

FAQs

1. Mention some of the controversies surrounding the Indus Civilization.

Some historians say that the creators of the Indus Civilization were nomads who came in from Africa some 40000 years ago and settled there as they found green pastures and fertile land.Others say that the people of this civilization were indigenous. Another section of historians say it was colony of some western empire.

2. What is the major problem regarding excavations at Mohenjo Daro?

There was a particular problem with regard to the findings at Mohenjo Daro. The water level had risen so high at Mohenjo Daro that it was not possible to determine whether it was on an early Indus level or merely virgin soil.

3. What is the controversy surrounding the Great Bath of Mohenjo Daro?

There is an interesting difference in opinion amongst historians regarding the purpose of theGreat bath. According to Prof. Irfan Habib this Great Bath was built only for the elite class in the city. On the other hand Prof. D.K. Chakraborty says that the Great Bath was like a sacrosanct tank that accompanied a typical Hindu temple where one can take a ritual bath before entering the portals of the temple.

4. Why do historians believe that Lothal was a port town?

Lothal had a huge unique basin that was placed in the center of the city. It measured 770 feet in length 120 feet in width,and was 15 feet deep.It had two openings on either side resembling sluice gates. Underneath the basin there were two huge round stones with holes in them,which may have served as anchors for ships that came from far off. Historians have surmised that the basin was probably used as a dock.

5. What do historians conjecture regarding the governance of the Indus towns?

There is evidence of the dominance of Mohenjodaro from the Mature Harappan Phase. Prior to 2500 B.C. all these cities appear to have been autonomous city states not dominated by any particular political power. But after 2500 B.C. there is evidence of a very striking uniformity among all the sites of Indus Civilization. Wars and conquests may have led to domination by Mohenjodaro. The sudden decline of Kalibangan in 2550 B.C. and its reconstruction in the uniform Harappan style about 50 to 100 years later also seems to point in this direction prompting historians to conclude that Mohenjo Daro may have been the dominating city.

6. What do historians think the pillared hall at Mohenjo Daro to be?

Historians conjecture that the large pillared hall at Mohenjo Daro was either an Assembly Hall or a Town Hall or a Market Hall.

7. When was Lothal founded and devastated?

Lothal is believed to have been founded in 2200 B.C. Its decline set in during some time around 1850 B.C. and the city came to an end by 1700 B.C.

8. Describe the town of Dholavira.

Dholavira was like any other typical Indus cities. It had a walled acropolis like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. Its walls and buildings were made of mud bricks, though some use of stones as a substitute for fire bricks may be observed. It had the typical Indus town-planning,-- parallel roads, water supply through tanks and wells.

9. When was Kalibangan built and rebuilt?

Kalibangan was founded in the year 2900 B.C. Suddenly in 2650 B. C. it seems to have been abandoned by its inhabitants. Fifty or hundred years later, the place began to be reconstructed and it survived until1800 B.C.

10. Describe the enclosure near Sutkagen Dor.

Close to Sutkagen Dor there is a fortified enclosure that is made by joining two natural ridges by thick walls that are made with stone blocks set in mud.

QUIZ complete

1. Mohenjo Daro gives smooth access to the

A) Bolan Pass B) Persian Gulf C) Silk Route

2. The very first article to be unearthed of Indus Civilization was a A) Pot B) Necklace C) Seal

3.The Great Bath was found in

A) Mohenjo Daro B) Harappa C) Lothal

4. Sotka Koh is on the river

A) Ghaggar B) Dasht C) Yamuna

5. Kalibangan was reconstructed after the city of

A) Harappa B) Dholavira C) Mohenjo Daro

6. Mohenjo Daro is situated in

A) Sindh B) Kathiawar C) Amri

7. ‘Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization’ is a book written by A) Irfan Habib B) D.K. Chakraborty C) Jonathan Kenoyer

8. The granary at Harappa is so called based on presence of

A) Burnt grains B) Fire altars C) Drainage system.

9. Kalibangan was built on the banks of a river called

A) Ghaggar B) Indus C) Yamuna

10. Excavations at Mohenjo Daro were started by

A) Rakhaldas Banerjee B) John Marshall C) E. Mackey

ASSIGNMENT

1. Describe the town planning of Mohenjo Daro.

2.Highlight the controversy surrounding the granary complex at Harappa.

3. Describe the town planning of Kalibangan before and after its reconstruction.

4. Why is Lothal considered to be a highly prosperous city?

5. Elucidate the characteristic features of the Indus towns.

History 1.4.2.2

The origin of the Indus Civilization is still steeped in mystery. While some say that the earliest settlers of this region were nomads who came in from Africa some 40000 years ago and settled here as they found green pastures and fertile land, others say that the people of this civilization were indigenous. As regards their culture some say it was colony of some western empire while others say it was definitely indigenous. Perhaps this controversy will continue for some more time to come but none can deny that the Indus Civilization was spread out across a wide terrain.

Mohenjo Daro

A morphological study of the sites of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa provide the best examples of the unique pattern of structures of the Indus cities. Mohenjo Daro happens to be the principle site of the Indus Civilization in Sindh. It comprises an area of 200 hectares and it has been described as the finest tract in the entire province. It gives free access to the Bolan Pass and Kachchi Plain. Excavations began here in 1922 under Rakhaldas Banerjee and continued till 1931 under John Marshall and E. Mackey.

The archaeologists working at Mohenjodaro had to face a problem as the water level here had risen so high that it was not possible to determine whether it was on an early Indus level or on virgin soil.

At Mohenjo Daro one comes across two distinct mounds that are separated by a 200 meter wide open space. It was a planned city where there was evidence of meticulous town planning. The acropolis or citadel is built upon a high platform of clay. There are long, broad, unpaved roads running parallel to other roads and lanes, which invariably meet at right angles. Buildings are made of mud bricks but are raised on fire brick foundation walls. The most important feature of Mohenjo Daro's urban planning is that it had an extremely advanced drainage system, which is considered to be the hallmark of an advanced civilization.

Another feature is the Great Bath which is a rectangular in shape measuring 12 into 7 meters and 2.4 meters deep. There is a well nearby which may have been used to supply water to this tank. There is an interesting difference of opinion amongst historians about the purpose of constructing this Great Bath. According to Prof. Irfan Habib it was built only for the elite class in the city. Prof. D.K. Chakraborty however differs in his analysis of the Great Bath which according to him was like a sacrosanct tank that accompanies a typical Hindu temple where you take a ritual bath before entering the portals of the temple. It is difficult to decide which interpretation is accurate.

Close to the Great Bath was a Granary,about which there is unanimity among scholars as being used expressly for purposes related of a granary complex. Prof. D.K. Chakraborty feels that this was the best possible explanation for this complex.

Apart from this there is a large pillared hall,whas again been interpreted differently as an Assembly Hall, or Town Hall, or sometimes even as a Market Hall also. Its extent is 750 square meters.

Evidence of about 2000 to 3000 houses has been found in Mohenjo Daro along with as many as 700 wells. The structure of these wells is oval and were probably used either to fill water into the Great Bath or were private wells. The peepal leaf shape of the wells may have been of some significance to its builder. Whatever the purpose of the wells was people look into them with bemused wonder. Maybe they hide within them secrets that are yet to be known. Excavations have left the walls of the wells exposed. A lot of planning, organization, and labour must have gone into building such a complex city as Mohenjodaro.

Harappa

Sir Alexander Cunningham first excavated the site of Harappa in 1872-73,when he was removing ballast for the railway lines,in the process discovering the seal later identified with the Harappa Civilization. It was Rai Bahadur Dayaram Sahni who carried out extensive archaeological excavations here in 1920.Soon after this he started work at Mohenjo Daro thus drawing the attention of the world to the oldest civilization of the Indian sub-continent.

Harappa was relatively smaller than Mohenjo Daro but it was built in the same planned manner. Here too there isevidence of a massive granary around which there are a number of quarters, probably used by the labourers who worked in the granary. The discovery of three stones on both sides seems to raise the query as to whether they functioned as an air inlet. Mortimer Wheeler calls this area the granary complex on the basis of burnt out grains found at the site.

Jonathan Kenoyer in his book entitled "Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization"published in 19980,has put forth a different view,saying that evidence of burnt grains or other articles associated with a granary is not sufficient to conclude that this indeed was a granary.He however does not clarify what this structure could be. According to a some scholars in recent times, this granary theory is based on a comparison with Roman buildings. They point out that this structure came to be called a granary because it resembled Roman granaries,but they also correctly observed that there are no parallels of such buildings in South Asian history. Here again we are faced with another puzzle and another debate.

Unfortunately most of the citadel buildings of Harappa are now destroyed,even more than at Mohenjo Daro is. The lower town however offers some important sites. A boundary wall of mud bricks, a large number of wells, as well as ahighly advanced drainage system with drains from buildings connected to the street drains have been found in the lower town area. The town planning of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa were therefore typically similar.

Kalibangan

Another site, Kalibangan, was built on the banks of a river called Ghaggar that has now dried up. What is significant in Kalibangan is the discovery of certain spots considered to be fire altars. Evidence of a ploughed field,- the first of its kind in the history of civilization-has also been discovered. The particular pattern of ploughing continues in this region even today.Fortunately the early strata at Kalibangan remains excellently preserved.

Kalibangan makes a very interesting study. It was founded in 2900 B.C. It was a seven hundred and fifty feet long planned city in rectangular shape. It used adobe bricks or white clay. Around 2650 B. C. Kalibangan seems to have been abandoned or evacuated suddenly by its inhabitants for reasons still unknown to historians. Then after a gap of fifty to hundred years , (we cannot be certain) the place began to be reconstructed. It is interesting to note that when it was rebuilt, its town planning pattern began to resemble the one that existed in Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.

It may be inferred from these developments that it was coming under the considerable influence and domination of Mohenjo Daro, which may have been in the aftermath of a regular war,though there is no certainty that this had been the case. Kalibangan survived until as late as 1800 B.C. when the Ghaggar River completely dried up and the city lost its agricultural base.

Lothal

Another important site is Lothal a sea port, not far from Khambat or Cambay in Gujarat. It was founded around 2200 B.C. Lothal represents the typical features of Harappan towns. It had advanced drainage system as well as similar roads running parallel to each other.But by far its most remarkable feature was a huge unique basin that was placed in the center of the city. It measured 770 feet in length 120 feet wide, 15 feet deep and it had 2 openings on either side which resembled sluice gates.There is the probability that the basin was used as a dock because underneath the basin there were two huge round stones with holes in them,which may have served to anchor ships that came from far off,although scholars are not in agreement regarding the utility of the basin. Some historians feel that it was a water reservoir for purposes of irrigation or for the use of the city, and not an anchor.Lothal reveals quite an advanced state of a civilization. The citizens here seem to have been quite wealthy because they used jewellery made of beads and other precious stones. Apart from this there are other signs that go to show that Lothal was a prosperous town. It had tools, stone beads and seals, among which the very famous Persian Gulf seal was found here.

Lothal was a also a supplier of raw materials to other cities in the Indus civilization like for instance, it supplied cloth from Gujarat, copper from Rajasthan. So there is no doubt that Lothal had a lucrative and thriving internal trade. That is why Lothal can also be looked upon as a gateway, as an entry point.

It was not a very large city, being 900 feet long and 750 feet wide. But its economic importance was considerably significant. It was a great center of trade and commerce and it was an extremely prosperous area. Its decline set in at some time about 1850 BC as we find a pattern of wild construction with no signs of town planning anymore. Houses would crop up anywhere and everywhere.What exactly caused this deviation is hard to fathom but one reason could be that they sensed that the end was drawing near,as the city had ceased to exist by 1700 B.C.

Dholavira

Dholavira was discovered in 1989-90. It is a situated on an island of Gujarat in the Rann of Kutch. It was a pretty large city,measuring 60 hectares in extent. The most important feature of Dholavira is that it has preserved its stone culture in an excellent way.Like other typical Indus cities it had a walled acropolis like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa with walls and buildings made of mud bricks.As there was plenty of stone available in this area, so stone substitutes for fire bricks. It had the typical Indus town-planning,- parallel roads, water supply through tanks and wells. It also had the largest Indus inscription. Both Dholavira and Lothal seem to have a close proximity to the sea, but the latter was more important as a sea port and commercial point, as is proved by the range of artefacts found here. We come across precious stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian and turquoise in abundance in Lothal. The people of Lothal also knew the art of making holes in beads which is what made this region into a very prosperous area. In Dholavira the excavations have just started (since 1990) so maybe further evidence in the form of artefacts will be revealed, and help to unravel more information about the status of Dholavira.