Ancient Indian History Lecture 10_ Harappan Civilisation- Life Aspects _ UPSC History Optional 2025

Good evening students. I hope I'm audible. Shubranil, Abhiram, Norez. Good evening. Right. So, in our last lecture, we were talking about life within the Harappan civilization and we had already talked about their economic life. We had noted the important developments with regards to agriculture, trade commerce, craft production, etc. Now, let us talk about their social life. So, what features do we see in their social life? What kind of a society existed? Was the society a completely flat one or was there economic stratification? Economic stratification was clearly visible. It is easy to discern the distinction between the rich and the poor. How? On the basis of the differences in the houses, the graves, the urban morphology, the distribution of material remains, etc. There exist both palatial, several-roomed bungalows as well as single-roomed apartments. There exist both elaborate graves with extremely valuable materials buried along with their occupants and ordinary graves. There is a clear distinction between the ruling class quarters and the ruled class quarters, upper town and lower town. There exists a clear distinction in the distribution of material resources in the upper town and the lower town. Items of higher value are found in which town? Upper town and of lower value from the lower town. At the same time, the degree of inequality, was it comparable to other Bronze Age civilizations or was it relatively lower degree of inequality? Relatively lower, the society was more egalitarian. Why are we saying this? Yes, that burn bricks were used for the construction of the houses of both the elites as well as the common people. What did the composition of the society look like? Was it homogenous or diverse? Diverse. There coexisted in the Harappan cities multiple races or ethnicities along with multiple faiths. Can we make any announcements with regards to the status of women in society? It appears that women enjoyed relatively higher status or lower status in society? Relatively higher status in the society. Why? Because of the discovery of large numbers of mother goddess, idols and seals. That means female is predominated. However, this particular understanding has been challenged by recent scholarship. Modern anthropologists are saying that simply the deification of women is no guarantee of enjoying a high status in society. Even during the early medieval and medieval periods, there were very powerful Hindu goddesses. But did actual Indian women experience the same kind of respect in society? No, they were treated quite poorly. So, this particular aspect has been challenged more recently. Further, the social culture of the Harappan people, what did it reflect? Did it paint the picture of constant conflict or relative peace? Because from the archaeological findings, there is no evidence to indicate that in order to maintain control over a particular region, some other people had invaded it or knocked down important structures, killed people. So, there is no evidence of a great battle ever having occurred during the Harappan civilization. So, no internal warfare battle strife was taking place. And if such a strife is not happening, what does that tell you? Social bonds within the Harappan society, were they weak and superficial or were they strong? Strong social bonds. So, there was strong social and cultural unity and the society valued cooperation more than conflict. What does this tell us about the nature of the Harappan society and culture? Progressive, cosmopolitan, regressive and walled off, insular, progressive. All this points towards the existence of a progressive, assimilative and cosmopolitan culture. This fact is further driven home by evidence which supports the presence of extensive internal and external trade. Could this have been possible if the Harappan people had been hostile to outsiders and other cultures? It could not have been possible. So, these are the things that we can get to know about the Harappan society from the archaeological remains. Give the heading social life. What could have been the reason for the fortifications if there was peace? So, reasons may have been different. Security is the most obvious reason, but more importantly, more important than that, may have been the need to demarcate clearly the distinction between the ruling class and the ruled class. So, it may have been an ideological tool used by the ruling class to separate themselves from the ordinary class of people and to ideologically impose their domination. That may have been another factor. The Harappan society was a stratified one with clear demarcation between the rich and poor. Merchants, traders and the political elite constituted the upper echelons of the society. On the other hand, craftsmen, labourers and cultivators constituted the common classes. This stratification is clearly visible in the types of houses, graves, urban morphology and distribution of material remains left behind by the Harappans. While distinct economic classes existed, the level of economic inequality seems to be much lower in relation to other Bronze Age civilizations such as Mesopotamia or Egypt. Unlike those cultures, the Harappan elite did not construct grand monuments such as palaces, temples and pyramids. Instead, the fair distribution of wealth was reflected in the widespread use of burnt bricks, the availability of high-quality sanitation and drinking water services to ordinary people, extensive town planning and a high degree of literacy indicated by the widespread use of script. The Harappan society appears to be a diverse one composed of several ethnicities, cultural groups and religious communities. It appears that women enjoyed a place of prominence in society due to the large number of mother goddess idols and seals. However, modern anthropologists argue that the simple belief in female deities The Harappan society was a remarkably peaceful one. There is no archaeological evidence to suggest internal warfare among Harappans among Harappans. Additionally, this indicates the existence of an elaborate and efficient political system which did not rely upon force to maintain control. There must have been other mediums for exercising control such as ideology or religion or maybe interdependence on trade or maybe kinship and kinship and kinship ties etc or maybe economic interdependence. Such factors probably facilitate political unity and stability rather than the use of force. But this at the same time also indicates the presence of strong social and cultural bonds of unity between the Harappans. All these things indicate that the Harappan society was a progressive, open and cosmopolitan society. Without this, the Harappans would never have had the flourishing trade that they enjoyed with the Mesopotamians and other foreign cultures. Now, these were the details about their social life. What about their religious life? What were the characteristics of Harappan religion? It seems to be a combination of animism and fertility cult. Were any sacrificial rituals involved? Yes. Philosophical one or materialistic one? Was there any single dominant religion or multiple faiths coexisted? It was a pluralistic society. Does religion seem to be a private affair or something which was observed publicly? It was a private affair. Why? Because from all the sites, we have not found any public temples or shrines. There were seals. There were images of gods and images of gods. Secondly, for religion to be a public affair, you must have public places of worship also. Where were all the places of worship located? Inside the household. These seals or pots were the items of public use or for private use? All these could probably be found either inside the household of private individuals or on their person. Does there appear to be any state religion? No. So, the state was secular. Have images or idols of gods and goddesses been found from the Harappan cities? So, idols or religious icons existed but we do not have any clear indication of idol worship. Even in homes or in temples, whenever idols are worshipped, how are they worshipped? Some garments or flowers or something is offered. All these things leave behind their mark on those idols. But from none of the idols of the Harappan deities have any such marks of worship been discovered. These kinds of things are known to us. Was the Harappan religion a completely rational one or did there exist superstitious beliefs and practices also? Belief in spirits, charms and spells is also evident. From several of the graves, totemic items such as amulets have been found. Then, did the Harappans believe in the concept of life after death? These are the features. Sir, great bath for ritual bathing can't make religious might be public affair in certain pockets. But we don't know on which occasions this kind of ritual bathing took place. Was it actually ritual bathing associated with religion or religious bathing associated with some political structures? Maybe they do ritual bathing in Taj Poshy ceremony etc. These kinds of things. Regarding idol worship, if there have been found no remains of any marks of worship, does it necessarily mean that there was no idol worship? Absence of proof is not proof of absence after all. You are right. And in fact, this has been a major cause of debate between historians. R.S. Sharma is the strongest voice who supports the idea that Harappans worshipped idols. But on the other side, almost all notable historians agree that while idols existed, idol worship was not performed. So, it is a matter of debate even now with the historical opinion weighing down in favour of the absence of idol worship. That is why we have made this clear-cut pronouncement that idol worship was not there. Shubranil, do I clarify your doubt? We are not entirely certain about the ritualistic significance of the great bath. So, that is why we are saying that no public religious structures exist. Yes, ritual was probably used for bathing. But what kind of ritual? We are not sure about. Write down. Give the subheading religious life. Harappan religion was a mixture of animism and fertility worship, This indicates that nature worship was an important component of the Harappan belief system. Next point. Simultaneously, the popularity of the fertility cult is attested to by the widespread representation of the mother goddess, pallic and yoni symbols, male and female reproductive organs, pallic and yoni symbols, fire altars and snakes. Since the ancient period, snake has been a symbol of renewal and fertility. It sheds its skin and grows a new skin as if it is reborn entirely. So, it has become a symbol of fertility. So, this is a combination of animism, nature worship and fertility cult. Next main point, Lekho. The Harappan religion seems to be materialistic. The Harappans probably worshipped different gods and goddesses and performed various rituals. To do what? To fulfill their desire and overcome their fears. To fulfill their desire and perform the various rituals. To fulfill their desires for wealth, fertility, productivity, children, safety, etc. First point. Animals feature prominently on Harappan seals and painted pottery along with depictions of trees such as the peepal tree. This indicates that nature worship was an important component of the Harappan belief system. Materialistic. Then, next right, next main point. The Harappan society was a pluralistic one. With multiple faiths and belief systems flourishing side by side. Flourishing side by side. Full stop. Top point. This is indicated by the discovery of a large variety of burial practices, cultic objects and images and idols of different gods and goddesses. There were multiple faiths and a pluralistic society. Next main point, Lekho. It appears that religion was a matter of personal faith and did not feature prominently in public life. Full stop. Sub point. This is indicated by the absence of any public shrines or temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses. Next sub point. Harappans worshipped different gods by offering small sacrifices to them within their houses. Within their houses. All these things are usually found inside the household, not outside. Next point. Next main point. It appears that the Harappan state did not have any state religion. Did not have any state religion. And the society was a secular one. Was a secular one. Full stop. Sub point. This is proved by the absence. This is proved by the absence of any type of religious public monument. Religious public monument in the entirety of the Harappan civilization. In the entirety of the Harappan civilization. Full stop. Next main point. While idols, while idols were present, were present in the Harappan civilization, in the Harappan civilization, according to most historians, idol worship was not practiced, was not practiced. Full stop. Sub point. This argument is supported by, this argument is supported by the absence of, the absence of any marks, any marks on the idols, in brackets you can write, such as incense burns, such as that they were objects of worship, that they were objects of worship. Next main point. The Harappan belief system, the Harappan belief system was not entirely rational. Was not entirely rational. Superstitions. Full stop. Superstitions prevailed. And Harappans believed in spirits, magic, charms and spells. Spirit, magic, charms and spells. Sub point. The discovery of, the discovery of totemic items such as, such as amulets and charms, worn by Harappan people, worn by the Harappan people, have been discovered from their graves, have been discovered from their graves. And last main point. The Harappans, the Harappans also believed in the concept of life after death, in the concept of life after death, as indicated by the discovery of grave goods, such as pottery, wood grains, slaughtered animal bones, tools, ornaments and other items of common use from their graves, from their graves. The purpose of burying them was so that these things could be used by the occupant of the grave in the afterlife, such as food for eating, those other things for living the daily lives. Clear? So, these were the main features of their religious life. Take down a question. Highlighting the essential characteristics of Harappan religious life, compare it to the early Vedic religion. Word limit 215 marks. Right? Now, one portion of this question you will be able to answer. You will be able to highlight the essential characteristics of Harappan religious life. Comparison with early Vedic religion. For that, first we need to cover the early Vedic age. By the time you end that chapter, you should be able to construct a satisfactory answer. Second portion will be possible after that. So, this was the religious life during the Harappan civilization. Then, moving on to Harappan art. How did the Harappans express their artistic creativity? By making seals, beads, bronze art, terracotta figurines, and stone sculpture. What were the characteristics of the Harappan seals? They were square or rectangular in shape, roughly two square inch in size, made out of soft riverine stone, which was usually excavated from the riverbeds. Then, were these featureless or did they have certain etchings on them, certain carvings? Intaglio carvings or relief carvings? No, intaglio carvings. They were covered in intaglio carvings. What are intaglio carvings and relief carvings? Is the carved portion raised or is it depressed? Raised, right? So, it appears that the material has been removed from the background, flattening it, while leaving behind the raised portion, the actual object. Relief carvings. Where the background is left alone and the actual object is made by removing certain material, that is known as intaglio carving. So, intaglio carvings were made on it. What do we get from intaglio carvings? Animal figures, we find, right? Most prominent animal figure, most frequently found, the bull, right? Then, we find figures of trees. Which tree is most frequently depicted? The peepal tree. We find the figures of different gods and goddesses, deities. Most frequently, mother goddess is depicted. Do we find any human figure? Yes, human figures are also found. And along with all this, almost all scripts, sorry, almost all seals also carry an inscription in the Harappan script. Now, why are we putting seals under the category of Harappan art? Because of the existence of these carvings. The Harappans depicted what they felt was culturally important to them, right? Then, we have jewelry made of beads. What is that activity called in the bead making industry? Lapidary. Most significant center of lapidary activities? Chanhudaro. Another important center for bead making and jewelry making? Lothal. What were the kinds of stones that were used? Semi-precious stones.