New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released the Social Science textbook of Class 6 named ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’. In the book, the Harappan Civilisation has been referred to as the ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation.’ Popularly known as the Indus Valley Civilisation, it was one of the oldest civilisations in the world it flourished during the Bronze Age in South Asia’s northwestern regions. The civilisation lasted from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE and it reportedly hit its peak from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. It was more widespread than the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian Civilisations as its area included most of the northwestern India, modern-day Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan.
Why is it called the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation?
The Harappan or the Indus Valley Civilisation was discovered in India’s northwestern part after the excavations at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Today, there are 1400 known settlements of this civilisation in Baluchistan, Sindh and Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, a part of the Ganga Basin, banks of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, and the Narmada River’s valley. Out of the 1400 settlements, India has 925 while Pakistan has 475 of them and they cover a total area of about 12,50,000 sq. km.
If we take a look at the distribution pattern of the 1400 settlements, we will find that around 80 per cent of them are located on a vast plain between the Ganges and the Indus rivers. Most of the settlements are located on the Sarasvati river’s bank and the water body dried up around 1500 BCE. It shifted the civilisation’s epicentre towards the Saraswati River and its tributaries and it led to the origin of names like ‘Indus-Sarasvati’ or ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati’ civilization for the Indus Valley Civilisation. Also, it must be kept in mind that the Indus river was also known as the Sindhu river in the Indian subcontinent. Notably, the name Sindhu has been mentioned in the Rigveda to denote a river thought to be the present-day Indus River.
The Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization was extremely advanced with highly developed architecture, agriculture, and urbanization. People there created advanced pottery. The construction of houses with burnt bricks and the planned drainage system of the settlements point to a well-developed civic organization that was responsible for town planning and also the maintenance of public halls and baths along with other urban infrastructures, and granaries. It had trade relations with two other contemporary and important civilisations, Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The Harappan or the Indus Valley Civilisation was discovered in India’s northwestern part after the excavations at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Today, there are 1400 known settlements of this civilisation. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
