The art and architecture of the Indus Valley Civilisation (circa 2500 BCE) reflect its cultural sophistication and technological advancements.

•  Key sites like Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Lothal, and Dholavira provide significant insights into their artistry, craftsmanship, and urban planning.

Sculptures and Terracotta Figures in Indus Valley Civilization

• Stone Sculptures:
  • The red sandstone torso and the soapstone bust of a bearded man from Mohenjodaro exhibit skill in handling three-dimensional volumes. The bearded man’s half-closed eyes suggest meditation, while his embroidered cloak indicates priestly status.
• Terracotta Figures:
  • These figures, though less refined than stone and bronze works, include Mother Goddess representations, rigid male figures believed to depict deities, and masks of horned deities.
  • Toys such as carts with wheels, whistles, and animal figurines highlight everyday life and recreational activities.

Bronze Casting During Indus Valley Civilization

The “lost wax” technique was used extensively for bronze statues.

• Key Examples:
  • The “Dancing Girl,” a bronze statue, portrays a nude female with her right arm on her hip and left arm in a dance pose. She is adorned with numerous bangles, reflecting societal aesthetics.
  • Animal figures such as buffaloes with uplifted heads and goats display artistic merit.
• Metal-cast sculptures at Daimabad show that this tradition persisted into the late Harappan period.

Seals During Indus Valley Civilization

Over 2,000 seals, mostly square-shaped and made of steatite, have been found at sites like Mohenjodaro.

• Designs:
  • Seals depict animals like the Indian bison, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, and composite creatures.
  • The “Pashupati Seal” portrays a three-headed figure in a yogic posture surrounded by animals, interpreted as an early form of Lord Pashupati (Lord of Beasts).
• Seals often feature undeciphered pictographic scripts, believed to represent ideograms.

Pottery During Indus Valley Civilization

The pottery, mostly wheel-made, showcases advanced craftsmanship.

• Types:
  • Plain red clay pottery, with or without slips.
  • Painted pottery features geometric designs and animal motifs in black paint over red slip.
  • Perforated pottery, likely used for straining beverages, and rare polychrome pottery with vibrant patterns in red, black, green, and occasionally white and yellow.

Beads and Ornaments During Indus Valley Civilization

Bead-making was highly developed, with factories unearthed at Chanhudaro and Lothal.

• Materials:
  • Carnelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, gold, silver, terracotta, and shell.
  • Shapes included cylindrical, segmented, and disc forms.
• Intricate carvings of animals, such as monkeys and squirrels, adorned beads and ornaments.

Technological Advancements During Indus Valley Civilization

• Metallurgy:
  • Evidence of metallurgy dates back to 6500 BCE at Mehrgarh, where a tiny copper bead was discovered in a child’s grave.
  • The Harappans extensively used copper, bronze, tin, silver, and alloys like arsenic and lead.
  • Innovations included tools like saws and needles, showcasing advanced techniques.
• Spinning and Textiles:
  • Spindle whorls and spindles found at Harappan sites suggest the commonality of cotton and wool spinning.
  • Attire consisted of two separate garments resembling the modern dhoti and shawl.

Architecture During Indus Valley Civilization

• Urban Planning:
  • Cities followed a meticulous grid pattern with well-organized streets and drainage systems.
• Major Constructions:
  • Dockyard: The dockyard at Lothal signifies the civilisation’s maritime prowess and trade links.
  • Great Granary: Large storage facilities at Harappa were used for grain storage.
  • Great Bath: A prominent structure at Mohenjodaro, likely used for religious or ceremonial bathing.

Water Management During Indus Valley Civilization

• Advanced water management systems were seen at sites like Dholavira, showcasing reservoirs and channels for rainwater harvesting.

Script and Literacy During Indus Valley Civilization

• Harappans were literate, with a script comprising about 400 signs.
• Written from right to left, it remains undeciphered but is believed to involve ideograms.

Key Sites During Indus Valley Civilization

• Mohenjodaro:
  • Clay storage jar
  • Terracotta Mother Goddess
  • Jade necklace
  • Steatite seal with bull design
  • Bronze dancing girl figurine
  • Stone sculpture of a bearded man
  • Pasupati seal
  • Cotton and woven cloth
  • Granary
  • Citadel and lower town
  • Great Bath
• Kalibangan:
  • Black bangles
  • Fire altars
  • Oldest ploughed field
• Banawali:
  • Terracotta plough
  • Beads
  • Barley
• Harappa:
  • Granary
  • Citadel and lower town
  • Houses made of burnt bricks
  • Mud mortar and gypsum cement
  • Bullock carts
• Lothal:
  • Dockyard
  • Granary
  • Rice evidence (husks found in pottery)
  • Joint burial
• Chanhudaro:
  • Bead making
  • Lipstick
• Kot-Diji (Sind):
  • Defensive wall
  • Wheel-made pottery
  • Knowledge of metallurgy
  • Blade industry and houses of stone
• Amri (Sindh):
  • Evidence of antelope ditches
  • Shopping complex
  • Traces of drainage and platforms
  • Bronze tools and knives
• Alamgirpur, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh):
  • Pottery (Black ware, Red ware)
  • Plant fossils
  • Animal bone
  • Copper tools
• Sutkagendor (Baluchistan):
  • Westernmost site
  • Evidence of horse
  • Trade point between Harappa and Babylon (situated on natural rock)
• Surkotada (Gujarat):
  • Bones of horse
  • Bead making shops
  • Flourishing urban centers
  • Pot burials
  • Elaborate fortification
  • Shipping complex
  • Large stone-age jar with a short inscription
  • Antimony rod
• Dholavira (Gujarat):
  • Stadium
  • Three parts of the city
  • Unique water management (giant water reservoirs, water harnessing systems)
  • First evidence of stone architecture
  • Largest Harappan inscription
  • Use of fire-altars
• Rangpur (Gujarat):
  • Surrounded by a fort
  • Local Rangpur pottery (red ware, lustrous red ware)
  • Plant remains (rice, millets, and possibly bajra)
  • Copper rod
• Ropar (Punjab):
  • Evidence of dog burying below human burial
  • Beads and bangles of faience
  • Triangular terracotta cakes
  • Ware with and without slip
  • Black and red ware
  • Ochre-colored wares
  • Copper objects