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Melluha Country and Mohen-jo-Daro

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Melluha Country and Mohen-jo-Daro

Proper and serious research attempts must be made to verify whether Melluha was ancient name of Mohen-jo-Daro or it was another site of Indus Valley Civilization.

Aziz Kingrani

Where was Melluha? This question has well been discussed by the historians in the light of trade relations of Melluha with Sumerian and Mesopotamian civilizations, but none of them could reach at the conclusion on the exact location of Melluha.

According to Sumerian writings Dilmun or Delmon of Bahrain and Makan (Makran?) were between Sumerian and Melluha. Whereas, the Mesopotamian scripts show its location in an area of India (the name derived from Indus) including Indus Valley.

The Mesopotamian’s textual location and description could be an indication of Melluha as Mohen-jo- Daro but more historical references are needed for authentic opinion.

Map courtesy: Wikipedia

Prof. Karunyakara Lella, Dean, School of Culture at Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, India in a book ‘Modernization of Buddhism’ – 2003 (p-169) states that “the Mesopotamians used Melluha for Indus region. The ancient name of Indus River was Melluha.” His contention has weight as Indus River had been known with various names like ‘Mihraň’.

The map of Melluha Country given by another Indian writer Ghose Sanujit in his book ‘Legend of Ram’ (2004) shows Melluha as the entire Indus Valley. The Indus site ‘Chanhun Jo Daro’ is mentioned in this map. Chanhun Jo Daro is located near Nawabshah, Sindh, Pakistan at a distance of about 200 km southeast of Mohen-jo-Daro.

Tahir Naeem mentions in his book ‘Melluhas of the Indus Valley: 8000 BC – 500 BC’ – 2008 (p-64,120) states that “Its role was significant in trade. Various varieties of shells have been found in the area of Melluha influence; these shells include ‘fasciolara’ ramosus and ‘Chicorcus’ ramosus, except for “mother of pearl” which has been found in Indus sites. At that time Dravidian languages were spoken beyond their present location, particularly in western India (Gujarat) and possibly in southern Pakistan (Sindh)”.

Melluha-MohenJoDaro-2Indian researchers Prakash Sharma, Madhuri Sharma and Kadambini Pandey write in their book ‘The lost Saraswati Civilization (2008) that “Tosi goes a step further and would have us believe that Indus merchants had settled in Sumer at the end of third millennium BC and became increasingly assimilated there, as we learn from Mesopotamian texts of the late third millennium and early second millennium BC i.e. between the time of Sagon of Akkad and end of the Ur III Dynasty (2330 to 2000 BC). As evidence, they quote an inscription which mentions that the Melluhas contributed to the construction of new temple built in Lagash state by the Southern Mesopotamian ruler Gudea by supplying wood and other raw materials, from their distant land. It is also  mentioned that by the end of third millennium, when direct trade with Melluha fades from textual evidence, a Melluha village (e-duru me-luha-ha) and Melluha sons (Duma meluh-ha) are mentioned in a dozen of economic texts of Ur III Dynasty, listing persons and debts or dealing and delivers of cereals”.

According to the book  ‘the lost Sarswati civilization by Prakash and Madhuri – 2008 (p-92) and’ The Dawn of Indian Civilization’ by Chandra, Pandey, 2010, (p-333) “in another text it is mentioned that “Melluha sons (Duma meluh-ha) a man from Melluha (Land), has remitted to Urur, son of Amar – Luku, 10 shekels of silver as payment for broken tooth”.

Melluha-MohenJoDaro-3Certain historians have written that Su-ilisu was interpreter or translator of Meluhhan language who is shown on Mesopotamian cylinder seal. His period has been assumed around 2020 BCE.

Agarwal Dharma Pal describes in book ‘Ancient Metal Technology and Archaeology of South Asia’, 2008, (p-100) that “On the basis of the Mesopotamian literary references Muhly also makes a detailed list of items imported by Mesopotamia from Melluha, which has been generally associated with the Indus Civilization: lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold, silver, copper, ebony, ivory, tortoise shell, a bird thought to be some chicken, peacock, dog, cat and monkey”.

Tahir Naeem also reveals in his above quoted book (p-4) that “clearly there seems to have emerged a consensus that Melluha, geographically, covered most of the provinces now included in Pakistan as Punjab and Sindh.”

Melluha-MohenJoDaro-1The question, where was Melluha? is just answered by Brain Fagan and Nadia Durrani in book  ‘People of Earth’, 2015 (p-358) that “owning to such evidence as the presence of Indus Valley seal in Mesopotamia, it is now generally accepted to have been Indus Valley region”.

The Mega year book 2019 shows on page no:2 that in Sumerian text it is mentioned that Melluha was in Sindh and it was connected to Sumerian civilization with trade routes and between them the Dilmun and Makan (Makran?) were situated.

Gevendish Marshall explains in book ‘the world and its people’, 2006 (p-312) that “writing of Mesopotamian state the trade with Makran and Melluha which were in India (Indus, Sindh). The city or site of Melluha would be considered as Mohen-jo-Daro or Harappa. The textual information of Mesopotamia further shows that Melluha is the name of a civilization and culture where there were abundant of water, water baths in every house and a central pool (great bath?) of water.

Archaeologist Ahmed Hasan Dani in book ‘History of Pakistan through the ages’ writes that certainly Melluha denotes ‘Mallah’ or ‘Muhana’ who were the men of river or sea”.

Melluha-MohenJoDaroThe journal “The Archaeological Review (vol. 4, 1995, p-205) supports the opinion of Dani and mentions that “the relation of the site with the Muhanas is pretty persuasive. It is Melluha which is now generally being identified with the Indus Civilization”.

Undoubtedly, Mallah or Muhano is a tribe called due to fishing and sailing boats in river or sea. There might have been many settlements or hamlets of Mallah tribe along Indus River or in Indus Valley but Melluha might have been a main and big settlement of Mallahs or Muhanas which was probably called Melluha village or country by Mesopotamians and Sumerians.

The statement of Marshall Gavendish clearly suggests to be believed that Mohen-jo-Daro was settlement of Melluha having great bath and abundance of water in houses.

Most probably, in 3rd millennium BCE the settlement of Mohen-jo-Daro was called as ‘Mallahen’, ‘Meloheina’ Melohein or ‘Moheina’ but Mesopotamian and Sumerian might have pronounced it as Melluha or Meluha Meluh-ha according to their dialect or language.

The symbols of Indus script including some other remains have also been found from Mesopotamia and Sumerian civilizations. However, the proper and serious research attempts must be made to clarify and identify that Melluha was ancient name of Mohen-jo-Daro or it was another site of Indus Valley Civilization.

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Aziz-Kingrani-Sindh-CourierAziz Kingrani, hailing from village Haji Manik Kingrani, Johi, Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan, is poet, short story writer, playwright and a researcher. He has been contributing in the fields of history and literature. He has served as a professor as well. His 17 books are published in English and Sindhi language.