Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

ARCHAEOLOGY

From the point of evolution of Indus script almost all seal-inscrip- tions of Dholavira are written in the cursive script with hardly any true picture retained, thereby confirming the simplification of Indus writing in later phase as in Lothal, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. But this change is noticeable in the mature Harappan phase itself at Dholavira. Although there is a pre-Harappan phase of occupation of the site the planning of the town seems to have taken place later than in other major Harappan settlements. An important contribu- tion made by the Harappans at Dholavira is cremation of the dead which was also noticeable at Harappa, Mehi and Damb Bhuti. A more careful excavation of the remaining part of the mound may yield structural remains of ritualistic significance such as altars for fire-worship and animal sacrifice comparable to those of Lothal and Kalibangan. The decline of the Harappa Culture clearly visible in the material remains of Lothal, Rangpur and Prabhasa is noticeable in the last days of Dholavira, but it does not go as far as it is seen in Rangpur where the rejuvenation of the culture in the form of Lustrous Red Ware is patent. The decline of Dholavira is attribut- able partly to siltation and partly to earthquake. Banawali This small Harappan town on the northern bank of the Hakra, the former Sarasvati, in Punjab (India) is noted for three cultural periods, namely the Pre-Harappa (Period I), Harappa (Period II) and Late Harappa (Period III), assigned by the excavator R.S. Bisht to 2500-2200 B.C., 2200-1700 B.C., and 1700 - 1500 B.C., respectively. The assemblage of pottery and other artefacts of Period I bears resemblance to that of Kalibangan I but the pottery survives into the Harappa Culture of Period II along with other typical Harappan wares. The township of Period II was divided into two parts. The south-western part is designated as Citadel and the rest of the settlement as Lower Town. A mud brick wall encloses the whole town which is entered through two passages. Although the buildings within are not very impressive, the occurrence of a curved fire place in a house of 11 rooms and the location of a fire- place near the worship room in another building throw light on the religion of the Harappans. An apsidal brick temple with an altar proves that temples for worship were built in the later phase of Harappa Culture. The absence of sanitary arrangements, and the

Fig : 18 - Dholavira: A large inscription inlaid in wood

mounds and three smaller ones, the latter being noted for suburban settlements. The main town is 800m east-west and 650m north- south. B.S. Bhist, who excavated the site, has identified three sectors of the town as the Citadel or Castle, Middle Town and Lower Town which correspond in Rig Vedic terminology to parama, madhyama and avama used for denoting three different orders or types of settlements mentioned in the Vedic literature. The citadel, 300 X 140-160m has four gateways and is insu- lated by wide, open areas which are further enclosed by massive stone walls, 15-18m in height. The western gateway leads to the Middle Town, the eastern to the Lower Town and the northern to the open space. The Middle Town, 360 X 250 m, is separated from the outer walls by open areas. The buildings within the three quad- rangles of the citadel are reduced to debris due to natural calamity, which in this case is supposed to be an earthquake.- The most striking architectural feature of Dholavira is the Gateway complex in the northern arm of the citadel. It is reached by a flight of steps and guard rooms on either side. A sunken passage leads to cham- bers at the higher level. There is also an impressive terrace. A large wooden board was inlaid with Indus signs of faience, 37 cm long and 27 cm wide. The clearly visible signs convey the meaning "Lord of Lords or Protector of Protectors", indicating thereby that Dholavira was politically important. The massive fortifi- cations with bastions, the imposing entrance to the palace em- bellished with polished limestone bases, shafts and capitals and the procession path overlooking the Lower Town are sug- gestive of the political and strategic importance of the town, situated in the delta.of the ancient Sarasvati river which was not only sacred but also the arterial line connecting the Gangetic valley with the Gulf of Kutch. Ships could go from there to Lothal on the one hand and Bahrain on the other. What is however baffling is that despite its strategic and political im- portance its commercial importance was far less than that of Lothal, the most important sea port of the Indus Civilisation. The number of seals and sealings found at Dholavira is meagre compared to its size. Lothal has yielded 217 seals and sealings while Dholavira has only 35 of these long distance trade mechanisms. The only significant industry of Dholavira was bead-making. The use of stone for construction of fort walls and other buildings unlike in Lothal and Indus valley has re- tained much of the architectural features of this important town.

Fig : 19 - Banawali: Plan of a typical house