Major Sites and Interaction Networks of the Indus Tradition

Major Sites and Interaction Networks of the Indus Tradition, Harappan Phase, 2600-1900 BCE, courtesy of J. M. Kenoyer. Six large Indus cities have been discovered. In Pakistan, Harappa was excavated extensively in the 1920-30s, 1960s, and from 1986-2010. Mohenjo Daro was excavated extensively in the 1920-30s, with smaller projects in the 1940s and 1960s. Ganweriwala was discovered in the 1970s and has not been excavated. Lakhanjo Daro was discovered in 1986 but only recent excavations in 2009-2014 have shown that it is probably as big as Mohenjo Daro. In India, Dholavira was excavated in the 1990s and Rakigarhi excavations were begun in the 1990s and resumed in 2013-14.

Two gold beads found Harappa in 2000

Two gold beads originally part of the same ornament found in Harappa in 2000. Thin gold foil was placed over the outside of a sandy core around a copper tube.

A rhinoceros seal from Mohenjo-daro

a rhinoceros seal from Mohenjo-daro. This dangerous animal would have been familiar to people living at the edge of the thick jungles and swampy grasslands of the Indus plain and probably revered as a totemic animal, closely associated with important myths and legends.

Narrow streets and lanes in Mohenjo-daro

Narrow streets and lanes, DK-G Area, Mohenjo-daro. Buildings and streets were aligned along a north-south and east-west grid with minor variations introduced as new buildings were constructed. The corbeled arch in the background was built to cover a street drain, but was eventually blocked as the cross streets were filled with debris

Alabaster screen fragments in Mohenjo-daro

An Indus House #3 of 3: Alabaster screen fragments from House 13, VS Area, Mohenjo-daro. "One of the finds from the former room [13] consisted of fragments of a pierced lattice of alabaster which presumably filled the windows or ventilators at the top of the wall. Perforated screens with geometric patterns have been met with before in Kushan and Gupta buildings. It is now patent that perforated lattices were known and employed in the Indus valley in the prehistoric period," (Marshall, Mohenjo-daro, Vol. 1, 1931, p. 219).

A Large Indus House internal view

A Large Indus House #2 of 3: Drawing of the Interior of Hall 76, House XIII, VS Area [of Mohenjo-daro], one of 28 rooms in a well-preserved building. "There is nothing that we know of in prehistoric Egypt or Mesopotamia or anywhere else in western Asia to compare with the well-built baths and commodious houses of the citizens of Mohenjodaro" wrote John Marshall. "One of the finds from this [room] consisted of fragments of a pierced lattice of alabaster which presumably filled the windows or ventilators at the top of the wall" (Marshall, Mohenjo-daro Vol. 1, pgs. vi, 219). Tomorrow: The Lattice Pieces.

A Large Indus House in 3D view

A Large Indus House #1 of 3: "House 13 in the VS Area [of Mohenjo-daro] has a more elaborate plan . . . On its ground floor are four fair-sized courts, ten smaller rooms, three staircases, a porter's lodge, and a well-chamber. The front is towards First Street, and here there are three entrances side by side, the principal one of which is plainly the middle, since this is the only one provided with a porter's lodge. . .. Entering the house by the main door one finds oneself in a small vestibule (Room 68), with a porter's lodge to the right and a second doorway directly opposite leading to the open Court 67. A feature of the porter's lodge worth observing is the way in which the east wall is at once cleaver and practical, and shows, like many other features, that the architect must have given a good deal of thought to the planning of the house," (Marshall, Mohenjo-daro, p. 20). Tomorrow: Inside Room 76, (the X in the image).

Deity fighting off two tigers on seal from Mohenjo-daro.

Deity fighting off two tigers on seal from Mohenjo-daro. This drama is depicted on at least two other seals from the ancient Indus metropolis. In other scenes from Harappa, this is a female deity standing on an elephant with a spoked wheel sign above her head (March 7th, below). Asko Parpola writes: "The 'contest' motif is one of the most convincing and widely accepted parallels between Harappan and Near Eastern glyptic art. A considerable number of Harappan seals depict a manly hero, each hand grasping a tiger by the throat. In Mesopotamian art, the fight with lions and / or bulls is the most popular motif. The Harappan substitution of tigers for lions merely reconciles the scene with the fauna of the Indus Valley. . . The six dots around the head of the Harappan hero are a significant detail, since they may correspond to the six locks of hair characteristic of the Mesopotamian hero, from Jemdet Nasr to Akkadian times," (Deciphering the Indus Script, pp. 246-7).

The grand and rare humped zebu (bos indicus) motif on a pot from Nausharo

The grand and rare humped zebu (bos indicus) motif on a pot from Nausharo (ca. 2600-2500 BCE) and on a square steatite seal from Mohenjo-daro (ca. 2500 BCE). Note how similar they are.

Gold cap shaped ornaments from Harappa

Gold cap shaped ornaments from Harappa found in a hoard of jewelry from Mound F, Trench IV, House 2. Note the tiny hoops on the inside. The loops could have been used to attach the ornament to clothing, as a hair ornament, or to attach them to a fancy necklace

Chess pieces found in Indus Civilization.

It was a kind of chess. Chess pieces and moves controlled by the fall of dice. Later in vedic age, several kings lost their kingdoms. Nala /yudhistra etc. But there were champions too,like the king who taught nala how to count.please check out this blog.Probability Theory, Gambling and the Mahabharata | Metaphorical ..

The dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro in three views.

The dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro in three views. John Marshall writes "the arms and legs . . . are adorned with armlets, bangles, and anklets. These ornaments may sometimes have been made of metal, but in all probability the majority of them were shell. The custom of wearing so many shell bracelets as almost to conceal the whole of the forearm is very common in India at the present day." (Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, 1931, p. 339).

great antiquity and sophistication found in Harapa

Harappa Mound AB Center with the great drain looking out over Punjab. Harappa was first excavated in 1872 by Alexander Cunningham, the original Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Although he named the mounds and found a seal and other implements after digging a handful of trenches, he was in search of a Buddhist city and did not realize that he had come upon a Bronze Age civilization that would push back Indian history 2,000 years. It took until 1921 before Harappa was excavated again by Daya Ram Sahni (inset shows unexcavated mound that year), but even then, it was not until the excavations at Mohenjodaro soon thereafter the great antiquity and sophistication of ancient Indus times was recognized. Najanjot Lahiri's book Finding Forgotten Cities How the Indus Civilization was Discovered (Penguin India) tells this story in exciting detail.

The large horns found in Mohenjo-daro

A incised copper tablet from Mohenjo-daro showing a figure with large horns. The large horns could represent the power or virility of the animal; whoever wore the horns would possess similar attributes. According to J.M. Kenoyer, they may depict powerful hunters, shamans or even some form of water buffalo or cattle deity. Asko Parpola writes "a male deity having similar long eyes and bulls horns, but a goat's beard in addition, is known from several terracotta masks and terracotta statuettes" (Indus Script, p. 234)

Great Bath of Indus Civilization Mohen Jo Daro

 Great Bath, looking north. The tank would have been open to the sky, but the surrounding structures would have been roofed. The sidewalls and parts of the floor have been conserved using modern replica bricks. The original eroded wall and corner are visible on the left and center. The colonnades around the tank have also been reconstructed.

 Lower ledge inside the Great Bath, southern edge, looking east. At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool. People coming down the stairs could move along this ledge without actually stepping into the pool itself. Small sockets at the edges of the stairs could have held wooden planks or treads

 Lower ledge and Drain outlet, Great Bath, looking west. At the southwestern corner of the sloping floor, a small drain first passes through the massive walls of the tank and connects to a corbeled arch drain that curves along the edge of the northern terrace of the granary to the west.

The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, looking north. The side walls of the roughly 12 by 7 meter tank were constructed with finely fitted bricks and a thick layer of bitumen (natural tar) was laid along the sides of the tank to keep water from seeping through the walls and up into the superstructure.

One of the finest ancient Indus painted jars

One of the finest ancient Indus painted jars ever found, excavated at Chanhu-daro during the 1935-36 season led by Ernest MacKay. JM Kenoyer describes it as a "large storage jar with red slip and black painted motifs, including peacocks, vegetation and the famous intersecting-circle design. Such vessels were probably used as marriage gifts or for other ritual occasions, and the motifs undoubtedly represent auspicious blessings on the owner" (Ancient Cities of the Indus Civilization, p. 231). Would the potter who made it have expected it to survive over 4,000 years?

1843 Battle between Amir's of Sindh & General Sir Charles Napier.

 A battle was fought bitween Birtish soldiers & Amir's of Sindh  between 17th Feb: to 24th March 1943 in Miani Forest, to  which was commanded by General Sir Charles Napier,  to take over Hyderabad Fort which was capital of Sindh at that time, after that battle birtish soldiers took over Sindh.

This is the memorial was build by Commander,General Sir Charles Napier,  this is the center place of that battle where it was held.  it is about 5 KM away from Hyderabad city.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_James_Napier