Connection Between the Harappan and the Vedic Age

Overview of Harappaa and Vedic culture

• Harappa culture- It is the earliest known culture of the Indian subcontinent of the kind now called "urban" (or centered on large municipalities).
• It is the largest of the four ancient civilizations, which also included Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China.

• Time period- The society of the Indus River Valley has been dated from the Bronze Age, the time period from approximately 3500 to 2200 BCE.
• Location- In modern-day India and Pakistan, and covered an area as large as Western Europe.
• Vedic culture- A few centuries after the decline of the Harappan civilization, a new culture flourished in the same region and gradually spread across the Ganga-Yamuna plains.
• There were significant differences between this culture and the culture that preceded it.
• The Aryans settled on the banks of rivers Indus (Sindhu) and Saraswati (which is now nonexistent).
• They composed many hymns in honor of the gods and goddesses they worshipped. These were compiled in four Vedas.

Points of similarity

Rig Veda

Harappan Civilization

Fire

The site of Rakhigarhi has found evidence of ritual platforms and fire altars.

Fire worship is mentioned in Rigvedic texts too.

Saraswati

In Rigvedic text of the area where people lived, there is frequent description of the river Saraswati. The mention of the river is recorded at least 71 times in the Rigvedic text.

A majority of Harappan settlements were along the banks of river Saraswati. Of the nearly 2,000 known Harappan settlements spread over the Indus basin, Saraswati, and in Gujarat, of which almost two-thirds, at least 1,200 are located along the basin of the river Saraswati.

Animal bones

In the Surkotada region of Kutch, Gujarat, bones belonging to a proper domesticated horse were found.

Animal bones being that of a horse finds mention in Rigvedic texts too.

Food and Culture

People of both cultures ate the same type of food. People from both cultures made the same kind of weapons and wore the same kind of clothing. They wore both cotton and wool. The inhabitants of both cultures were jewelers, both men and women were fond of jewelry.

Occupation

13031. occupations of the people of both cultures were farming and animal husbandry. Cows, oxen, dogs, sheep, goats, etc. were both domesticated animals.

Religious front

People from both cultures believed in religious sentiments. People of both cultures incorporated many religious features into later Hinduism. People of both cultures were materially prosperous. However, there were differences in their religious beliefs and customs.

River Saraswati

• It is called the Ghagghar-Hakra river and flows only during the monsoon season.
• It originates from the Shivaliks, the foothills of the Himalayas, then flows through Punjab, Haryana, and a part of Rajasthan before entering what is now Pakistan.
• The Indian part of the river is named the Ghagghar, while the one in Pakistan is the Hakra.