This chapter introduces the Indus-Sarasvatī (Harappan) Civilisation, the earliest known civilisation of the Indian Subcontinent. It explains what a civilisation is and describes how farming villages gradually developed into well-planned cities around 2600 BCE. The Harappans built remarkable towns with wide roads, brick houses, advanced drainage systems, reservoirs, wells, warehouses, and organised administration.
The chapter also highlights their achievements in agriculture, crafts, trade, writing, metallurgy, water management, and town planning. Harappans traded with distant regions by land and sea, produced beautiful ornaments and seals, and followed a peaceful and organised way of life. Around 1900 BCE, climatic changes and the drying up of the Sarasvatī River led to the decline of the civilisation, but many of its ideas and technologies continued to influence later Indian civilisation.
Key Points
• Civilisation – An advanced society with organised government, cities, trade, writing, agriculture, crafts, and culture.
• Earliest Indian Civilisation – The Indus-Sarasvatī (Harappan) Civilisation was India's first urban civilisation.
• Time Period – It flourished from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.
• Different Names – Also called the Harappan, Indus, or Sindhu-Sarasvatī Civilisation.
• First Urbanisation – It marks the first growth of planned cities in India.
• Major Cities – Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan and Lothal.
• Town Planning – Cities had wide streets, brick houses, fortifications, upper and lower towns.
• Great Bath – Mohenjo-daro had a famous waterproof public structure called the Great Bath.
• Water Management – Harappans built wells, covered drains, reservoirs and excellent drainage systems.
• Agriculture – Farmers grew wheat, barley, millets, rice, pulses, vegetables and cotton.
• Cotton Cultivation – Harappans were among the first people in Eurasia to grow cotton.
• Animal Husbandry – They reared animals and also caught fish from rivers and the sea.
• Trade – Active trade took place within India and with foreign regions.
• Lothal Dockyard – Lothal had one of the world's earliest known dockyards for sea trade.
• Craftsmanship – Harappans produced beads, jewellery, pottery, bronze tools and shell bangles.
• Writing System – They developed a script that remains undeciphered.
• Seals – Stone seals with animal figures were probably used in trade and identification.
• Peaceful Society – There is little evidence of wars or military invasions.
• Decline – Climate change and drying of the Sarasvatī River contributed to the civilisation's decline.
• Legacy – Many Harappan ideas influenced later Indian civilisation.
👉 👉The Harappans teach us the importance of good planning, cleanliness, water conservation, cooperation, peaceful living, skilled craftsmanship, and sustainable use of natural resources. Their achievements continue to inspire modern society.