Pictures of potteries and other items found in Harrapa

To view the pictures of Harrapa, click the link below
http://www.harappa.com/indus4/index.html

Occupation in ancient india

This ancient civilization must have had marvelous craftsmen, skilled in pottery, weaving, and metal working. The pottery that has been found is of very high quality, with unusually beautiful designs. Several small figures of animals, such as monkeys, have been found. These small figures could be objects of art or toys.

There are also small statues of what they think are female gods. So far, scientists have found no large statues. They have found bowls made of bronze and silver, and many beads and ornaments. The metals used to make these things are not found in the Indus Valley. So, either the people who lived in this ancient civilization had to import all of these items from some other place, or more probably, had to import the metals they used to make these beautiful things from somewhere else.

Decline

Floods broke out in the Indus valley civilization. The cause of flood resulted in loss of properties and crops. This may be one of the reason of the decline of Indus valley. Historians have calculated that the result of flood could have lead to an outbreak of mosquitoes.

However, there may be many reasons but the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization speeded up the invasion of the Aryans(nomads).

Arts~Taj Mahal

The origin of the name the "Taj Mahal" is not clear. Court histories from Shah Jehan's reign only call it the rauza (tomb) of Mumtaz Mahal. It is believed that "Taj Mahal" (usually translated as either "Crown Palace" or "Crown of the Palace") is an abbreviated version of her name, Mumtaz Mahal (Exalted One of the Palace).The Taj Mahal is a deserving resting palace for an Emperor's Empress.

The Taj Mahal lies on the banks of the river Yamuna. It serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She is a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. Taj Mahal is a beautiful and royal place which is visited by people from all walks of life!

The Aryans

The Aryans were nomadic herders who left their homeland in the steppes of southern Russia around 1800 B.C. and migrated southwestwards. They arrived in the Indus Valley at about the time the civilization there collapsed.
Once in the Indus Valley the Aryans began to settle in tribal villagers. At first, they counted thier wealth in cattle and sheep and often raided other people's herds. Gradually, they spread as far as the Ganges Valley and started to plough the land and grow wheat and rice as well as keep animals.
The Aryans had come from a harsh climate and so they were physically tougher than the earlier people of this area had been. They enjoyed fighting, chariot racing and gambling, as well as eating plenty of meat and drinking wine

Architecture

Ajanta Caves
These caves are the most magnificent examples of rock cut architectures and cave paintings. The Ellora caves are over 10 centuries old and represent elaborate sculptures of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. The caves at Ajanta dates back to the 5th century and contain paintings and sculptures of major events in the life of Lord Buddha.

Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
Mahabalipuram is located on the Bay of Bengal. Mamallapuram means "the town of Mamalla, the great wrestler". This famous temple site of South India hails as one of the best prototype of the Dravidian Architecture.

Khajuraho Temples
Once a great capital of Chandela Kings, the temple town of Khajuraho has become one of the most visited temple site in India. Out of the once existing eighty-five temples, only twenty-five, strewn amidst the lakes and fields have lasted till today.

Video on ancient India

This is a video about ancient india. Click to watch the video and have a better understanding of Ancient India! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khrXqMa0S0Ucom/watch?v=khrXqMa0S0U

The Writing System

The writings on the stone seals show that the Indus people had a writing system. The stone seals were used as a form of personal identification. Unfortunately, till today, no one can understand or read the Indus writing. The writing has much to tell us, but we cannot understand the writing.

Caste System

Around the year 1500 B.C. a group of people from Central Asia, (modern day Russia) began to settle in the Indus Valley. These people were nomads who rode horses and raised livestock . They were proud, fierce, and deeply religious. As they settled in, they began to grow crops. People started to have occupations.

In each tribe, people belonged to a group. In the beginning these were just occupations. You could move fromone group to another group. This changed over time, until a person’s occupation or group depended on birth. If your father was a farmer, you had to be a farmer. Changing from one group to another became very difficult.

Five rigid social classes evolved from this. They were Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra or Shudra, Untouchable or Dalit (Pariahs) .

Indus Valley Civillisation

Around five thousand years ago, Indus Valley Civilization was the earliest Indian Civilization that developed in ancient india. It started along Indus River. It has two cities, which were incredibly well-planned and were solidly built out of bricks and stones.They had features such as the drainage system, Citadel, Granary, and the Great Bath were the most sophisticated in the ancient world.

The dates of the Indus Valley Culture are approximately 2300-2000 BC and the dates of the earlier Kot Diji cultures, of the pre-Indus period, approximately 3300-2800 BC. They developed systems of weights and trade. They made jewellery and game pieces and toys for their children. From looking at the structures and objects which lasted till today, we are able to learn how the people who lived and worked in these cities so long ago.