Maritime Legacy, Global Context, and the Forgotten Seafaring Heritage

• The Indus Valley Civilization should not be remembered solely for the monumental ruins of Mohenjo-daro or its sophisticated drainage systems. Equally significant was its role as one of the earliest organized maritime trading civilizations of the Bronze Age.

Dr. Nisar Ahmed Solangi

Part III

The Maritime Zenith of the Indus Civilization during the Bronze Age

The maritime achievements of the Indus Valley Civilization were the culmination of a long process of cultural and technological development that began with the early farming communities of Mehrgarh around 7000 BCE. The archeological and genetic consensus confirms that Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) did not appear suddenly but evolved organically, with deep cultural roots in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic tradition established at Mehar Garh between 7000- 2000 BCE. And transition represents a mix of regional cultural evolution and gene flow, rather than an isolated unilinear march from one site.

Over several millennia these communities evolved into one of the world’s largest urban civilizations, extending across nearly one million square kilometers of present-day Pakistan and northwestern India.

By the Mature Harappan period (c. 2600–1900 BCE), the civilization had established an extensive network of planned cities, manufacturing centers, inland waterways, and coastal ports. This infrastructure enabled the movement of goods, people, and ideas across both land and sea, creating an economic system of remarkable sophistication for the third millennium BCE.

Archaeological discoveries demonstrate that Harappan merchants maintained commercial contacts across the Arabian Sea with Oman (ancient Magan), Bahrain (ancient Dilmun), Mesopotamia, and the wider Persian Gulf region. Through these networks flowed not only manufactured goods and raw materials but also technologies, artistic traditions, administrative practices, and cultural influences.

Rather than representing isolated voyages, these interactions formed part of a sustained maritime system that connected South Asia with the broader economic world of the Bronze Age.

The Indus Civilization in Comparison with Contemporary Maritime Civilizations

Several civilizations contributed significantly to maritime commerce during antiquity. Mesopotamia utilized the Tigris and Euphrates river systems to reach the Persian Gulf; Egypt developed navigation along the Nile and the Red Sea; the Minoans established an influential maritime economy in the eastern Mediterranean; and the Phoenicians later became renowned as master navigators and colonizers throughout the Mediterranean basin.

The Indus Civilization occupied a different but equally important geographical sphere. Its maritime activities centered on the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, linking South Asia with Western Asia through well-organized commercial routes.

Chronology is particularly significant in understanding the historical position of these civilizations. The Mature Harappan maritime network flourished between 2600 and 1900 BCE, centuries before the rise of Phoenician maritime dominance after 1200 BCE.

The Minoan civilization was broadly contemporary with the Mature Harappan period, while Egypt and Mesopotamia had already developed important riverine and maritime trading systems. Consequently, the available evidence does not support ranking these civilizations in terms of superiority. Instead, each emerged as a major regional maritime power within its own geographical and historical context.

What distinguishes the Indus Civilization is the remarkable integration of standardized urban planning, industrial production, inland transportation, coastal ports, and overseas commerce into a single economic system. Few Bronze Age civilizations demonstrate such a high degree of uniformity across such a vast geographical area.

A Forgotten Maritime Heritage

For much of modern history, the maritime accomplishments of the Indus Civilization have received less attention than those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, or Phoenicia. This imbalance stems partly from the fact that the Indus script remains undeciphered, limiting our understanding of Harappan political institutions, commercial administration, and historical narratives.

In contrast, the decipherment of Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs has enabled historians to reconstruct their civilizations in considerably greater detail.

Nevertheless, archaeological research conducted over the past half-century has significantly transformed our understanding of the Indus world. Excavations at coastal settlements, studies of Harappan craft industries, geochemical analyses of traded materials, underwater archaeology, and renewed interpretations of Mesopotamian texts have collectively revealed the extent of Harappan participation in long-distance maritime exchange.

Today, most archaeologists agree that the Indus Civilization was one of the principal economic centers of the Bronze Age. Its standardized manufacturing, regulated systems of weights and measures, sophisticated urban planning, and extensive maritime connections distinguish it as one of humanity’s earliest examples of an integrated commercial civilization.

Legacy for World History

The significance of the Indus Civilization extends beyond archaeology. Its achievements illustrate how technological innovation, urban organization, and maritime connectivity could sustain economic prosperity more than four thousand years ago.

The Harappans demonstrated that successful commerce required more than ships and ports. It depended equally upon standardized production, reliable systems of measurement, administrative coordination, skilled craftsmanship, and mutual trust between trading partners.

Many of these principles remain fundamental to international commerce today.

Although modern concepts such as globalization or supply-chain management belong to a much later age, they offer useful analytical frameworks for appreciating the remarkable organizational capabilities of the Harappan economy.

Conclusion

The Indus Valley Civilization should not be remembered solely for the monumental ruins of Mohenjo-daro or its sophisticated drainage systems. Equally significant was its role as one of the earliest organized maritime trading civilizations of the Bronze Age.

Its ports, standardized industries, commercial administration, and overseas exchange networks connected South Asia with the civilizations of Western Asia centuries before classical maritime empires emerged.

Current archaeological evidence supports the conclusion that the Indus Civilization was among the world’s earliest large-scale urban economies to integrate manufacturing, inland transportation, maritime commerce, and long-distance international trade into a coherent economic system.

Future archaeological research—including marine archaeology, geoarchaeological investigations, residue analysis, isotopic sourcing of traded materials, and, perhaps most importantly, the eventual decipherment of the Indus script—will undoubtedly deepen our understanding of this remarkable civilization.

Until then, the seafarers of Meluhha deserve recognition not merely as merchants of antiquity but as pioneers whose maritime enterprise helped shape the interconnected world of the Bronze Age.

References (APA 7th Edition)

Chakrabarti, D. K. (1990). The External Trade of the Harappan Civilization. Munshiram Manoharlal.

Kenoyer, J. M. (1998). Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. Oxford University Press.

Law, R. W. (2011). Inter-Regional Interaction and Urbanism in the Ancient Indus Valley. Palgrave Macmillan.

McIntosh, J. (2008). The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO.

Possehl, G. L. (2002). The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective. AltaMira Press.

Ratnagar, S. (2004). Trading Encounters: From the Euphrates to the Indus in the Bronze Age. Oxford University Press.

Rao, S. R. (1985). Lothal and the Indus Civilization. Asia Publishing House.

UNESCO. (2021). Nomination Dossier: Lothal – The Harappan Port City. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Vidale, M. (2010). “Indus Craft Production and Long-Distance Exchange.” In Connections and Complexity: New Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia.

Wright, R. P. (2010). The Ancient Indus: Urbanism, Economy, and Society. Cambridge University Press.

Read: Part-1, Part-2, 

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Dr. Nisar Ahmed Ali Nawaz Solangi is a distinguished Public Health Specialist with over 28 years of experience in primary healthcare, health management, and policy development. Throughout his career, he has served in leadership capacities, He holds MBBS from the University of Sindh and a Master of Public Health from Griffith University, Australia. He is a dedicated polymath committed to the intersection of ancient civilization and emerging technology. He is deeply engaged in the study of the Indus Valley Civilization—focusing on its maritime history, trade networks, and egalitarian governance. Currently based in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Solangi is a tireless advocate for the digital preservation and global dissemination of the Sindhi language and culture. He is actively involved in pioneering initiatives on social media” Our Digital World”. By bridging the gap between historical heritage and digital innovation, he aims to create a new paradigm for cultural representation in the AI era.

The post The Masters of Meluhha’s Seas first appeared on Sindh Courier.

 Meluhha, Maritime Commerce, and the Rise of a Bronze Age Trading Economy

Dr. Nisar Ahmed Solangi

Part II

Meluhha: The Indus Civilization in the Records of Mesopotamia

Perhaps the strongest evidence for the international commercial significance of the Indus Valley Civilization comes not from South Asia itself but from the cuneiform inscriptions of ancient Mesopotamia. These texts repeatedly refer to a distant land known as Meluhha, which many archaeologists and Assyriologists identify with the Indus Civilization.

Although a small number of scholars have proposed alternative locations for Meluhha, the prevailing academic consensus associates it with the Indus region because of the convergence of textual, archaeological, and material evidence. Mesopotamian inscriptions from the Akkadian and Ur III periods describe Meluhha as a source of exotic raw materials, luxury goods, and skilled craftsmanship.

One particularly significant reference mentions the existence of a “Meluhha interpreter,” suggesting that merchants from the Indus Valley maintained regular commercial relations with Mesopotamian ports despite linguistic differences. Such evidence implies that trade was neither sporadic nor accidental but sufficiently organized to require professional intermediaries.

These records reveal that the Indus merchants were not merely occasional visitors to foreign ports; they were active participants in an interconnected commercial system that linked the Arabian Sea with the Persian Gulf and the cities of southern Mesopotamia.

A Network of Ports Along the Arabian Sea

While Lothal remains the most celebrated Harappan port, it was only one component of a broader maritime network extending along the Makran and Gujarat coasts.

Archaeological investigations have identified several coastal settlements—including Sutkagen Dor, Balakot, Kuntasi, and Nageshwar—that appear to have served as important centers of maritime exchange and specialized production.

These ports connected the inland cities of the Indus Civilization with the Arabian Sea through an integrated transportation system. Goods produced in urban centers were transported along rivers and overland routes to coastal settlements, where they were loaded onto seagoing vessels destined for overseas markets.

Excavations at several of these sites have uncovered warehouses, industrial workshops, shell-processing facilities, bead-making industries, standardized weights, seals, and residential quarters. Together, these findings indicate that Harappan ports were carefully organized commercial centers rather than simple fishing villages or temporary anchorages.

The existence of multiple ports also suggests that the Indus maritime economy did not depend upon a single harbour. Instead, it operated through a regional network that increased resilience, facilitated specialization, and strengthened long-distance trade.

Exports: Manufactured Goods of Exceptional Quality

The economic strength of the Indus Civilization rested not only on agriculture but also on highly developed craft industries.

Harappan artisans produced an extraordinary range of manufactured goods that were traded across South Asia and beyond. Among the best-known exports were finely woven cotton textiles—the earliest known examples of cotton production in the world—along with expertly crafted carnelian beads, agate ornaments, shell jewellery, ivory carvings, copper and bronze tools, terracotta vessels, timber products, and finely worked semi-precious stones.

The production of etched carnelian beads demonstrates an especially sophisticated level of technological expertise. Their manufacture required carefully controlled heating, engraving, polishing, and drilling techniques, reflecting remarkable craftsmanship.

Archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia have yielded numerous Harappan-style seals, carnelian beads, shell ornaments, and other artefacts originating from the Indus region. Such discoveries provide compelling evidence that Harappan goods were highly valued in foreign markets and circulated widely across the Bronze Age world.

These exports were not merely commodities; they represented the technological knowledge, artistic traditions, and industrial capabilities of one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations.

Imports: Acquiring Strategic Raw Materials

The Indus merchants were not simply exporters. Their commercial success also depended upon the systematic acquisition of raw materials unavailable within the Indus plains.

Copper, an essential component of bronze production, was imported from Oman (ancient Magan) and neighbouring regions of southeastern Arabia. Lapis lazuli, prized throughout the ancient Near East, reached the Indus cities from mines in present-day Afghanistan. Turquoise, silver, tin, gold, and other valuable minerals were acquired through exchange networks extending into Iran and Central Asia.

These imported resources supplied Harappan workshops, where skilled craftsmen transformed raw materials into finished products of exceptional quality before redistributing them through regional and overseas trade.

This pattern demonstrates a sophisticated economic structure characterized by procurement, manufacturing, storage, transportation, and export—a remarkably advanced system for the third millennium BCE.

Standardized Weights, Measures, and Commercial Administration

One of the most remarkable achievements of the Indus Civilization was the establishment of a highly standardized system of weights and measures.

Archaeologists have recovered thousands of carefully calibrated stone weights from sites spread across more than one million square kilometers. Their remarkable consistency suggests the existence of shared commercial standards throughout the civilization.

Similarly, baked bricks were manufactured according to standardized proportions—typically in the ratio of 1:2:4—while seals, storage facilities, workshops, and industrial installations display comparable levels of standardization.

Such uniformity was unlikely to have emerged by chance. Instead, it points toward sophisticated administrative practices capable of regulating production, commerce, and distribution across an immense geographical area.

Standardized measurements would have increased confidence among merchants, reduced commercial disputes, and facilitated trade between cities separated by hundreds of kilometers. These practices represent one of the earliest known examples of economic standardization in human history.

An Integrated Bronze Age Economy

Modern archaeological research increasingly portrays the Indus Civilization as one of the most integrated urban economies of the Bronze Age.

Its cities functioned as manufacturing centers; river systems served as transportation corridors; ports operated as commercial hubs; and maritime routes connected South Asia with distant civilizations across the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Rather than functioning as isolated settlements, Harappan cities formed a coordinated economic network characterized by standardized production, efficient distribution, and long-distance exchange.

From a modern analytical perspective, this interconnected system bears similarities to what economists describe as an integrated supply chain. Although the term itself is modern, it provides a useful framework for understanding how raw materials, manufactured goods, merchants, and information moved through the Harappan economy.

The importance of this system extended beyond commerce alone. Long-distance trade also encouraged the exchange of technologies, artistic motifs, administrative practices, and cultural ideas, contributing to the broader interconnectedness of Bronze Age civilizations.

The evidence available today suggests that the Indus Valley Civilization should be understood not merely as an urban culture of remarkable engineering, but as one of the earliest large-scale commercial economies to combine manufacturing, standardized administration, inland transportation, maritime trade, and international exchange into a coherent and enduring economic system.

References (APA 7th Edition)

Chakrabarti, D. K. (1990). The External Trade of the Harappan Civilization. Munshiram Manoharlal.

Kenoyer, J. M. (1998). Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. Oxford University Press.

Law, R. W. (2011). Inter-Regional Interaction and Urbanism in the Ancient Indus Valley. Palgrave Macmillan.

McIntosh, J. (2008). The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO.

Possehl, G. L. (2002). The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective. AltaMira Press.

Ratnagar, S. (2004). Trading Encounters: From the Euphrates to the Indus in the Bronze Age. Oxford University Press.

Wright, R. P. (2010). The Ancient Indus: Urbanism, Economy, and Society. Cambridge University Press.

Vidale, M. (2010). Indus Crafts and Trade Networks. In Connections and Complexity: New Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia

Read: Part-1

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Dr. Nisar Ahmed Ali Nawaz Solangi is a distinguished Public Health Specialist with over 28 years of experience in primary healthcare, health management, and policy development. Throughout his career, he has served in leadership capacities, He holds MBBS from the University of Sindh and a Master of Public Health from Griffith University, Australia. He is a dedicated polymath committed to the intersection of ancient civilization and emerging technology. He is deeply engaged in the study of the Indus Valley Civilization—focusing on its maritime history, trade networks, and egalitarian governance. Currently based in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Solangi is a tireless advocate for the digital preservation and global dissemination of the Sindhi language and culture. He is actively involved in pioneering initiatives on social media” Our Digital World”. By bridging the gap between historical heritage and digital innovation, he aims to create a new paradigm for cultural representation in the AI era.

The post The Masters of Meluhha’s Seas first appeared on Sindh Courier.

The answer depends on what we do today. Let us raise our voices before it is too late. Let us protect the city that has stood for millennia. Let us honor the people who built it. Let us save Mohenjodaro. Because once it is gone, no amount of regret will bring it back.

Save Mohenjodaro. Save the Indus Civilization. Save the memory of humanity itself.

 Debasree Chakraborti | Kolkata                          

After Rakhaldas Banerji, has there truly been any deep and sincere research on Mohenjo-daro in that real sense?

Yesterday I had a long discussion with Nasir Aijaz Nasir ji about Mohenjo-daro. With great sadness, he said that today there is no longer any research on Mohenjo-daro in that true sense. During the monsoon, when floods occur, nearby landlords cut channels to divert the water toward Mohenjo-daro in order to protect their own agricultural lands. As a result, Mohenjo-daro is suffering irreparable damage.

At one time, an international committee was formed to protect Mohenjo-daro as a “World Heritage” site. Fundraising efforts were also initiated to save Mohenjo-daro. A “Mohenjo-daro Save Committee” was created, headed by a retired Chief Irrigation Engineer. But in reality, nothing came of it. In front of the media, they made grand statements, but inwardly their core attitude was—what is the point of preserving a “Hindu monument”?

Even today, many layers of Mohenjo-daro remain buried beneath the soil. From 1922 to 2026—104 years have passed along the banks of the Indus River. When will we again see research in the spirit of Rakhaldas Banerji? The very person who tried sincerely was removed. Foreign researchers come, write reports based on their own opinions, and leave—this is how so-called research is being conducted today.

Hindu is not a religion; Hindu is a profound philosophy. The people who lived along the banks of the Indus believed in this philosophy. Today, swept away by the currents of change, they are denying the roots of their own civilization, denying their true identity. What could be more terrifying than this?

“These collapsing walls are located on the western side of the H-R Area of the great civilization of Mohenjodaro. They represent the hard work of the American archaeologist George F. Dales, my late maternal uncle Muhammad Waris Abro, and many other laborers and workers. The scene of destruction that you see before you today raises an important question: are the officials of UNESCO not also responsible for this devastation?

First and foremost, I hold the UNESCO delegates and inspectors accountable for the destruction of Mohenjodaro. Whenever they visit, they are welcomed with great ceremony. The Ajrak, a symbol of Mohenjodaro, is draped over their shoulders; traditional caps are placed on their heads; drums, flutes, and various forms of entertainment are arranged for them. Lavish meals are served, gifts are presented, and they are treated with excessive hospitality. In such an atmosphere, they seem to forget their actual responsibilities. They enjoy the festivities, accept gifts, and then return home.

I have often seen visiting experts who appear to know little about mud-brick conservation work. It reminds me of how, here, people with degrees in completely unrelated subjects have been appointed through recommendations and connections, only to become “archaeologists” on paper. The result has been nothing but destruction. Meanwhile, young graduates who have studied Archaeology, Anthropology, and related disciplines at universities are ignored, while politically connected individuals secure appointments.

Mohenjodaro is a World Heritage Site, yet for nearly fifteen to twenty years, no highly experienced senior archaeologist has been appointed here. Instead, inexperienced and politically connected individuals have been recruited, many of whom seem skilled only at signing documents.

When one witnesses the destruction of Mohenjodaro, there is little left to do except shed tears. Millions of rupees are allocated in budgets, but much of that money disappears into paperwork rather than genuine conservation efforts. This is why the walls of Mohenjodaro continue to crack, erode, and collapse.

The hidden lessons and secrets preserved within the ruins have been erased and destroyed. Villages and roads have been constructed on top of ancient archaeological remains. Local residents continue to remove bricks from the site from time to time, while livestock are allowed to wander through and trample the ruins.

Saline and rainwater are being directed toward the ancient remains through drainage channels. The lands surrounding Mohenjodaro have become increasingly fertile due to salinity-related changes, and now the pressure of saline groundwater is advancing toward the site itself. Fish ponds have been dug around Mohenjodaro, and rice cultivation is also taking place despite the risks it poses to the archaeological remains.

If urgent and decisive measures are not taken immediately to protect this great civilization, and if political interference is not brought to an end, then within ten years not a single original wall of Mohenjodaro will remain. Within twenty years, there may not be a single brick on the site untouched by salinity. The entire site could be transformed into reconstructed walls and modern replacement bricks, leaving little of the original ancient city behind.

Perhaps, for the survival of Mohenjodaro, it would be better if the Government of Pakistan were to lease or auction its management to a competent organization. At least then Mohenjodaro might survive. Otherwise, because of those who sit with closed eyes and indifferent hearts, this great heritage of humanity is being destroyed before our very eyes.

As a laborer, guardian, and lover of Mohenjodaro, speaking from fifty-five years of experience, I say this with complete conviction: if my words prove false and I die, then hang garlands of shoes upon my grave.”

– (Meer Abro belongs to a family that has been involved in the excavation activities and heritage conservation efforts at Mohenjodaro for many decades.)

More than 4,500 years ago, when much of the world was still struggling to build organized societies, the people of the Indus Valley Civilization created a magnificent city on the banks of the Indus River. They built streets with remarkable precision, developed advanced drainage systems, traded across vast distances, and created a culture whose mysteries still fascinate the world today.

Today, however, that great city stands in silence.

Its ancient walls are crumbling. Its bricks, once touched by the hands of our ancestors, are slowly being eaten away by time, salinity, climate change, neglect, and human indifference. Every year, a little more of Mohenjodaro disappears. Every fallen brick is a page torn from the book of human history.

The tragedy is not only that Mohenjodaro is dying.

The greater tragedy is that it is dying while the world watches.

Imagine if Mohenjodaro could speak. What would it say to us? Perhaps it would ask why we have abandoned the legacy of those who built one of the world’s earliest cities. Perhaps it would ask why humanity spends billions preserving modern structures but struggles to protect one of the foundations of civilization itself.

Mohenjodaro has survived floods, invasions, wars, and the passage of thousands of years. Yet today its greatest enemy may be neglect.

This ancient city is not just a collection of ruins. It is the voice of our ancestors. It is proof of human creativity, resilience, and achievement. It reminds us that long before modern nations existed, people dreamed, built, loved, traded, and created communities that shaped the course of history.

If Mohenjodaro is lost, we lose more than an archaeological site.

We lose a part of ourselves.

We lose the opportunity for future generations to walk the streets of one of humanity’s earliest urban centers. We lose stories that have not yet been discovered. We lose knowledge that may never be recovered.

The responsibility to save Mohenjodaro belongs to all of us—governments, historians, archaeologists, educators, journalists, students, and ordinary citizens. Conservation efforts must be strengthened. Research must continue. Awareness must grow. The world must recognize that protecting Mohenjodaro is not a luxury; it is a duty.

One day, future generations will ask what we did when this priceless heritage was in danger.

Will they say that we stood by silently as history disappeared?

Or will they say that we came together to protect one of humanity’s greatest treasures?

The answer depends on what we do today.

Let us raise our voices before it is too late.

Let us protect the city that has stood for millennia.

Let us honor the people who built it.

Let us save Mohenjodaro.

Because once it is gone, no amount of regret will bring it back.

Save Mohenjodaro. Save the Indus Civilization. Save the memory of humanity itself.

Read: Tracing a Name Lost to Time

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date, was published last year and translated by Nasir Aijaz into Sindhi language.

The post Save Mohenjo-daro Before It Fades first appeared on Sindh Courier.

• Let us begin this journey with the movement to recognize Sindhi as a national language, strengthening not only Sindhi but all languages rooted in the Indus/ Sindhu Civilization.

Jagdeesh Ahuja

These days, a narrative echoes everywhere that Iran is not being defeated by the United States and Israel because Iran is not merely a country; it is a civilization, six thousand years old civilization, the civilization of Persia, which once ruled over us as well. Before British rule, Persian was the official, literary, and scholarly language of Sindh and Punjab. To break free from this intellectual subjugation, the great Sindhi poet Shah Abdul Latif raised a silent rebellion.

In defiance of prevailing norms, Shah Latif composed his entire poetry in Sindhi instead of Persian, and went further to openly declare:

“جي تون سکئين فارسي، گولو تون غلام.’

“If you learn Persian, you become a slave.”

Shah Latif understood that the Sindhi language is the language of a great civilization, one whose foundation rests upon hard work, craftsmanship, and trade. Throughout history, various invaders have attacked its freedom, progress, and culture, yet Sindh has always absorbed them into its own civilizational stream, preserving the grandeur of the Indus/Sindhu Civilization.

One of the most remarkable features of the Sindhu Civilization is that its people never invaded others. From Mohenjo-daro to Rakhigarhi, among hundreds of archaeological sites, not a single one has yielded weapons of war, massacre, or organized violence. The Sindhu Civilization stands as a unique example in human history, demonstrating that a civilization can flourish without war, violence, armies, kings, or weapons. In fact, a truly humane and peace oriented civilization is one whose spirit is rooted in the welfare and prosperity of all humanity.

Echoing this spirit, Shah Latif says:

“O my Lord, bestow* *prosperity on Sindh forever,”

O my beloved friend, shower blessings on the entire world.”

Nations, civilizations, individuals, and families all go through cycles of rise and fall. The great Sindhu Civilization and its language have also experienced many such phases, yet each time they re-emerge in renewed forms. The present era, too, marks a rebirth of the Sindhu Civilization. Its new rise starts in 1922 with the excavation of Mohenjo-daro, which revealed ancient origins of Sindhu Civilization to the world.

Today, from Harvard to Hind, leading researchers are studying the DNA of an Indian woman of Sindhu Civilization discovered in a grave at Rakhigarhi, demonstrating that the creators of the Indus/Indian/Sindhian Civilization were its own inhabitants. The Indus valley genetic heritage is now widely recognized as a scientific reality in South Asian research.

Yet one mystery still challenges scholars, the origin of the Sindhi language, the language of Mohenjo-daro, the ancient Sindhi language and script. Ironically, more research is being conducted on it outside Sindh than within. Sindh itself appears absent from the global research landscape, a result of historical upheavals, invasions, betrayals, and the trauma of partition. Nevertheless, Sindh will rise again and rediscover the roots of its language.

What, then, is our responsibility?

Guiding us, Shah Latif, through the voice of Sassui, says:

“My beloved will come on his own,

but let me also take a step forward,

Lest he say I made no effort.”

Here, Shah Latif not only teaches us to promote Sindhi among both the masses and the elite but also urges us to undertake the tough journey like Sassui crossing mountains in search of her beloved.

The Sindhi language did not vanish with the decline of Mohen jo Daro alone; it was trampled under the hooves of successive invaders. Yet its Indus essence, the essy of Sindhu Civilization ensured that it was reborn after every fall.

The most devastating blow to Sindh, its language, and civilization came in the 8th century with the Arab conquest. This severed Sindh’s connection with its ancient literary past, so completely that today not a single scholar in Sindh can read the ancient form of the language.

It is deeply ironic that after the Rig Veda, one of the oldest texts of the region, the first historical account we are taught about Sindh is Tuhfat-ul-Kiram, a chronicle of conquests. We know almost nothing about the literature, administrative language, script, or educational texts of the Rai dynasty, Chach, or Raja Dahir. It is as if Sindh had no language or literature before 712 CE.

Modern Sindhi literary history largely begins after Arab and Persian influence. While traces of Sindhi in Devanagari survive in merchant records only. In the landscape of Sindhi language and literature Persian influence is apparent everywhere. It was later poets of eighteenth century, Shah Latif, Sachal Sarmast, and Sami, who brought Sindhi back to its roots. Earlier still, during the Samma period, poets like Qazi Qadan appear.

However, adopting the Perso-Arabic script led to a major loss, it disconnected Sindhi from the linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions of the broader Indian subcontinent, with which it had long been intertwined.

After 712 CE, Sindhi’s official revival came in 1852, when British administrators in Sindh replaced Persian with Sindhi as the official language and required their officers to learn it. This period of official growth lasted until 1947. Thereafter, Sindhi entered a new phase of struggle, deprived of state patronage but preserved in the hearts of its people.

A movement for recognition emerged. While Sindhi was not declared a national language in Pakistan, it gained recognition in India, where displaced Sindhis worked to secure its status. On April 10, 1967, Sindhi was officially recognized as one of India’s national languages through a constitutional amendment.

In contrast, even the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan did not grant Sindhi national language status, despite being presented by a Sindhi Prime Minister Z. A. Bhutto, a legacy that continues to this day.

In this historical context, just as February 21 is celebrated globally as International Mother Language Day, April 10 should be recognized as World Sindhi Language Day, the day Sindhi received official recognition. Sindhis worldwide should unite to declare this day and renew their struggle for recognition of Sindhi as a national language in Pakistan also.

Language binds a nation beyond all divisions. If Sindhis across the world raise their voice together on April 10, demanding recognition of

“Sindhi Language as a National Language”, then achieving this goal is not impossible.

Today, the world is engulfed in violence, conflict, and crises. At such a time, ‘the Sindhu civilizational philosophy of world peace, unity of humanity, and collective progress’ (امن عالم اتحاد انساني ترقي بني آدم) propounded by G M Syed، the great, is not only essential for Sindh but for all humanity. No civilization can flourish without its language; thus, the growth of Sindhi and other Indus languages is vital for the welfare of all.

Let us begin this journey with the movement to recognize Sindhi as a national language, strengthening not only Sindhi but all languages rooted in the Indus/ Sindhu Civilization.

Let all Sindhis across the world declare April 10 as Global Sindhi Language Day and raise their voice:

“Sindhi Language is a National Language.”

Read: The Future of Sindhi Language

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Hailing from Larkana, Jagdeesh Ahuja is based in Karachi, Sindh. Politics, history, international relations, and philosophy are his areas of interest. He is a columnist and author of several books. Additionally, he is the founding president of the Sindhu Vas Foundation and a leader of the Sindh United Party. He played the lead role in the documentary film Still Standing (‘اڃان بہ قائم’), produced by the British company Pinch Media, which focuses on Sindh and the Sindhi community.

The post Sindhi language: The Thread of Civilization first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aziz Kingrani

The statue or sculpture of a woman was discovered during the 1926 excavation of Mohenjo Daro, a major city of the Indus Valley Civilization. It was named the Dancing Girl by John Marshall. However, many historians and archaeologists have expressed disagreement with this interpretation. The renowned archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler remarked, “We may not be certain that she was a dancer” (Possehl, 2002: 114).

Some experts argue that John Marshall named her the Dancing Girl because “he thought that she had the air of a semi-impudent nautch girl, hand on hip, beating time to the music with her feet. The name has stuck. But the dancing girl may not have been dancing at all, and even if she was, she may not represent a professional dancer” (Singh, 2008: 162). Raising the question of her identity, Balaji writes, “Who is the person represented by the dancing girl—was she a priestess or courtesan?” (Sadasivan, 2011: 6).

Some scholars believe that the figure might represent a fertility goddess, as she holds a bowl in one hand (Vatsyayan, 1982: 18). Meanwhile, “some archaeologists think that the statue could well be of a queen or some other important woman in the life of Mohenjo Daro, judging by the authority the figure commands” (Gupte, 2011). Other historical accounts refer to her as a temple dancer of Mohenjo Daro (Prasad, 2000: xxiii).

There are numerous references, both direct and indirect, that challenge John Marshall’s interpretation. Based on these scholarly opinions, I also believe that this is not the statue of a dancing girl. Most likely, it is the representation of a sacred woman—possibly a high-ranking figure associated with religious, spiritual, or elite circles.

This debate opens another question: how did archaeologists determine that the figure was a teenager? The posture, with one hand on the hip and the other resting on the thigh, does not clearly indicate a dancing gesture. Furthermore, unless remnants of a temple or a dedicated dance space have been unearthed at Mohenjo Daro, labeling her a temple dancer remains speculative. While dance may have played a role in ritual or social settings, this statue does not explicitly represent dance.

In support of this view, I have discovered a figure of a dancing woman engraved on rock in the Kirthar Range, Sindh, Pakistan—approximately 150 km southwest of Mohenjo Daro. This site also features symbols resembling the Indus script etched into stones, suggesting that dance was indeed part of Indus Valley culture. However, the Mohenjo Daro statue seems to reflect a different societal or spiritual role rather than dance.

Refrences

Gregory L. Possehl, 2002, Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective

Singh, Upinder, 2008, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India

Sadasivan, Balaji, 2011, The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India

Vatsyayan, Kapila, 1982, Dance in Indian Painting

Gupte, Sunila, 2011, The Adventure of the Missing Dancing Girls

Prasad, Kali, 2000, Devadāsī: Dancing Damsel

Read: Journey through Time at Tharro Hill

__________________

Aziz 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. 

The post Dancing Girl or Sacred Woman? first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Your waters whispered through space and time.

From mountains high to oceans wide,

You nurtured lands on either side.

Raphic Burdo, a poet from Sindh, the Land of Indus Civilization shares his poem

Ode to the Indus

O Mother Indus, river divine,

Your waters whispered through space and time.

From mountains high to oceans wide,

You nurtured lands on either side.

Through desert sands and verdant plains,

You carried life where hope remains.

Cities rose where your currents gleamed,

Dreams were built, and futures dreamed.

Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa’s might,

Were born of your life-giving light.

You fed the fields, you quenched the land,

A river eternal, mighty, and grand.

But now your song grows faint and frail,

Your currents dwindle, your spirits pale.

The skies grow warmer, the glaciers retreat,

Your pulse is fading, your heart grows weak.

O Mother, your children have turned away,

Forgotten the gifts you gave each day.

They poisoned your soul, they scarred your face,

And left you weeping in empty space.

Yet still, we hope, and still, we vow,

To heal your wounds, to save you now.

We’ll plant new forests, let rains return,

And honor the lessons we failed to learn.

Rise again, O river of lore,

Flow with strength forevermore.

For you are the thread, the timeless guide,

Mother Indus, our soul, our pride.

______________  

Read: Ode to the Indus Valley Civilization

The post Poem: Ode to the Indus first appeared on Sindh Courier.

• Satellite imagery has traced the Hakro River’s buried courses, and isotope analysis says ancient water still stored under the Thar Desert.

Dr. Khataumal

Several thousand years ago, the Indian subcontinent experienced significant upheavals. The northwest region transitioned into an arid zone, and the courses of rivers were greatly affected by erosion and tectonic events. One of the river courses disappeared was Hakro. British officials rediscovered it in the early nineteenth century through topographic exploration. Recently, geological and climatological experts have probed its evolution and disappearance. At the same time, satellite imagery has traced the river’s buried courses, and isotope analysis says ancient water still stored under the Thar Desert.

Hakro/ Ghaggar was a fifteen hundred kilometers long perennial river from the Shivlaks hills of Haryana Punjab and terminated at Sea at Rann of Kutch

The Indus civilization, which was the subcontinent’s first urban society, did not benefit from the Indus River alone. Since Aurel Stein’s expedition in 1940, hundreds of Harappan sites have been identified in the now-dry Saraswati basin. The rich technological, artistic, and cultural legacy of the Harappan civilization laid the foundation for developing newer civilizations in the Indian subcontinent.

Hakro/ Ghaggar was a fifteen hundred kilometers long perennial river from the Shivlaks hills of Haryana Punjab and terminated at Sea at Rann of Kutch. However, it was connected with Yumna in East Punjab, Sutlej in Cholistan Bahawalpur and Indus at Reti Ghotki. It led to the emergence of human settlements all over the route and thus became a significant stakeholder in the Harappan-Hakra civilization. Later, the Britishers built the east Nara canal over it. Ghaghar Hakra was rescued by discharging excessive flood water into the sea. Perennial crops like sugarcane and other seasonal crops were growing along its route. It has been established that the Melluhas (Mallah from the Arabic language adopted from the Babylonian language) were trading through boats between the Harappan Valley and Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Read: Where is the River Saraswati?

During the third millennium BC, there was uplifting of Doab and Kutch due to tectonic and seismic reasons, and Ghaghar Hakra became seasonal and disconnected from the Yumna in Haryana, which was part of the Ganges. And finally, after the diversion of the Indus in the thirteenth century, the Hakra ceased to flow. Due to the above, there was a drastic reduction in trade within and from Harappa, making artisans jobless.

There is a contrarian view as well. According to the well-known mediaevalist historian Irfan Habib, the Saraswati as a river never existed except in the Rishis and our imagination. The Ghaggar and Saraswati were separate rivers and didn’t join each other before, but Feroz Tughlaq forced such a junction in the fourteenth century by digging a canal from Ghaggar to the fort of Sirsa in Haryana.

It may seem strange, but it is indeed true that the bangles worn in the Indian subcontinent, the vermilion applied on the parting of women’s hair, the practice of yoga, the binary system of weights and measures, and the basic architecture of houses can all be traced back to the Harappan / Indus civilization.

Read: Wango ….From Wanga Bazaar to Wango Turn

___________

Dr. Khataumal is based in Mithi, the district headquarter town of Tharparkar. He can be accessed at drkhataumal@gmail.com

The post Hakro – The Disappeared River of Sindh first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aziz Kingrani

Introduction

This article deals with the Indus Script etched in stones in Khirthar mountain range of Sindh, Pakistan. The Indus Script is explored first time in Sindh out of Mohen-Jo-Daro Inscribed on rocks beside the rock art of Sindh. While working on rock art of Sindh in Khirthar Mountain Range near Wahi Pandhi, taluka Johi, District Dadu Sindh, Pakistan, I judged the inscriptions of different types of scripts including Indus Script. I started to sort out Indus Script symbols in my collected pictorial stuff in the light of Asko Parpola and John Marshall research based Indus Script prepared by Shabir Kunbhar and issued by Culture Department of Sindh including the Indus Script on Indus seals. I got success to discover the symbols of Indus Script and variant of Indus Script in rock carvings of Sindh, Pakistan.

The inscriptions of the Indus seals script are inscribed in large quantity here in rock art of Sindh. These can be considered as evidence concerning the linkage of urban society of the Indus valley civilization with its towns, villages and other remote areas in Sindh. Therefore, probably Indus Script or writing system of Indus civilization was widespread here in remote areas of Sindh during the period of Indus civilization. Furthermore, the Variant Indus script is also discussed which is some different from Indus script found from Indus seals. Most likely, variant of Indus script was commonly in use here in the backward localities of Sindh. Possibly, the Indus Script and its variant continued here in remote areas in Vedic period and before the development and evolution of Brahmi and other scripts after fall down of Indus Valley Civilization. The variant Indus script either was variant form of Indus script or it was developed from the Indus script in late periods. In all probabilities, the variant Indus script was developed from Indus script before or during the Vedic period after the rapid disappearance of Indus civilization. It is believed that Brahmi or other scripts of Dravidian and Indo-Aryan languages had been developed from this variant of Indus script. The most ancient engraved religious symbols of Yoni-Lingam nearby the Indus seal script and its variant provide evidence that the Indus script and its variant were prevalent here in this area of Sindh before the development of other scripts of India and the dominance of Mauryan, Rai and Brahman dynasties on Sindh. It is supposed that the Buddhists and Brahmans were as well unaware of the Indus Script and variant Indus script. Accordingly, they implemented early Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts. So, maybe the links of variant Indus script as well as Indus seal script vanished.

Indus seal script

Sindh is one of the most ancient lands of the world and the archaeological evidences have attested that it has been remaining civilized since earliest ages. The Indus valley civilization is recognized in whole the world as one of the earliest cradles of civilizations. The Indus-Saraswati traditions of writing system culminating in Indus script have been traced back to about 7000 BC. The evidence has been explored from Mehrgarh (Kok: 1993:375). Three stages of development of Indus civilization have been described. First was about 7000–4300 BCE, second about 4300–3200 BCE and third about 3200–2600 BCE. While its magnificent urban life in which writing system was developed about 2600–1900 BCE (Parpola: 2005:29). Kenoyer writes, the Indus Script was invented around 2600 BCE which reflects the fundamental changes in social, political and ritual organization that accompanied the formation and consolidation of cities (Kenoyer: 1997:69).

Parpola also holds that Indus script was invented in 2500 BCE (Parpola, Dani: 1981:118). David indicates to tradition of inscribing on rocks in very old time. The phenomenon of pertoglyphs combined with inscriptions indicates that the tradition of executing rock carving was already in use when nomadic tribes who lived at the periphery of complex agriculture societies pushed forward into the Indus Valley (David: 2001:771). Later, the tradition of writing system might have been continued, especially in the form of inscriptions, particularly on rocks and pottery from the Vedic period to medieval period. Some samples of inscriptions have also been discovered, inscribed on rocks and ancient bricks from ancient archaeological sites of Sindh, Pakistan.

The symbols of the Indus seals are inscribed at a large scale in the rock art of Sindh combined with depictions of animals and other social and religious representations. Several symbols have become too dim due to rains, climatic change and other natural disasters. Lots of symbols of Indus seal script are not inscribed accurately in rock art of Sindh, comparing to symbols Inscribed on Indus seals. According to my point of view there may be two reasons. First, the inscribing symbol on rock was more difficult than on clay material or such other objects. Secondly, after the collapse of Indus Civilization, Indus script might have been continued but perhaps due to gap the later engraver might have engraved some symbols according to his memory. Therefore, some inaccuracies seem to be appeared in the form of Indus seal symbols into stones. Thus, it has been considered as variant of Indus script.

The Indus seal signs inscribed here in stones in rock art of Sindh can be measured as an evidence of linkage of urban society with its remote areas in Sindh during the period of Indus valley civilization. Probably, Indus Script or writing system of Indus valley civilization was prevalent herein towns, villages and distant areas of Sindh during its survival. The historians have declared that more than thousand settlements of Indus civilization have been discovered over an area of some 1.25 million square kilometers, longer than today’s Pakistan or the Egyptian and Mesopotamian empires of the third millennium BC (Parpola: 1994:6).

Most examples (around 3,700) of Indus writing come from the excavations of Mohen-Jo-Daro and Harappa but some 60 different sites throughout the Indus Valley have contributed one or more objects with the script (Kenoyer: 1997:70). According to some research scholars, the Indus valley civilization (2600 to 1900 BCE) left behind its undeciphered script on several small, inscribed objects (Yadav: 2013:67). The majority of historians have linked Brahmi with Indus script and its language with earlier Vedic Sanskrit. The language of Indus script is an early Vedic Sanskrit which we may call Gandharic (Richter: 1997: 8). But the history reveals that Aryans are the authors of Rig-Veda and its language is early Sanskrit.

The Vedic culture flourished in the subcontinent in between 1900 to 800 BCE. Vedas have been passed from generation to generation by oral traditions and Scholars differ about the age of composition of Rig-Veda (Sardar: 2007: 52). Here question arises that if Rig-Veda was passed orally to generations then how can we link its language with Indus script or its language with Indus script? There is a gap of centuries between the composition of Rig-Veda and collapse of Indus valley civilization and even there is big gap between period of Rig-Veda and historical record till 4th century BCE. Some scholars have obviously determined that Rig-Veda, the oldest of four, was composed sometime between 1700 to 1100 BCE, codified about 600 BCE and was finally committed to writing in 300 BCE. (Slawitt: 2015:5).

It has been explained that the dating of Rig-Veda has been and likely to remain a matter of contention and reconsideration because as yet little has been uncovered in the material record or in the hymns themselves that allow us to date the period of Rig-Veda hymns (Jamison:. 2014:3-5). Ninan’s opinion just like supports Slawit’s and Jamison’s by saying that the bibliographical evidences indicate that the Vedas are written in the Grantha and Nagari scripts and according to tradition Veda Vyasa, a Dravidian, compiled and wrote the Vedas. The Grantha script belongs to the southern group of scripts and Veda Vyasa being Dravidian would certainly have used it. Since the earliest evidence for Grantha is only in the 5th century AD, the Vedas were written rather late (Ninan: 2018:199).

Consequently, compilation and writing of rig-Veda by a Dravidian in other scripts, it can be supposed that probably having no script of its own; the Vedic Sanskrit might not have been connected with early Vedic Sindhi language and Indus script. Perhaps, a Dravidian might have given preference to Sanskrit because Sanskrit was language of elites. And being elite’s language Sanskrit might have influenced Sindhi language as well. Meanwhile, the initial portions of the Persian version include the early history of Sindh prior to Sindhi’s connection with Mahabharata heroes (Panikar: 1997:491). The other accounts inform that during the early period of Sindhi literature or even one or two centuries prior to it, the study of Sanskrit literature flourished in Sindh (Datta: 1988:1710).

Some scholars take Indus script to be of Dravidian origin while others believe that it was imported from Sumeria or Egypt. Probably, Indus script has roots in Indo-Aryan languages but as for Sanskrit is concerned, the earliest preserved records of Sanskrit language are in other scripts derived from Brahmi while written records in Brahmi and in Kharosthi date back to 3rd century BCE, strange as it may seem, Sanskrit Language has no script of its own (Benerji: 1989:672). No record has been explored which may prove relationship between Sanskrit and Indus script. Ninan has argued that Buddha was advised to translate his teachings in to the learned man’s (Elite’s) tongue (language) the “Chandasa”. There is no mention of Sanskrit. Buddha refused by preferring the Prakrit. There is not even single reference in any contemporary Buddhist texts to the word Sanskrit. The word Sanskrit occurs for the first time as referring to a language in Ramayana. It is noted that the extant version (in record) of Ramayana (of the epic period) dates only to the centuries AD (Ninan: 2008: 94).

In present days Devanagari is considered as the main script for Sanskrit but Brahmi the most ancient script of India served as a national script for a long ( Datta: 1987:143). Renowned historians have also refused that the culture recited in the Rig-Vedic hymns is quite dissimilar from the Indus Civilization (Parpola: 2005:.46). About the relationship between Indus script and Brahmi or Karoshthi, Kenoyer says when they first appeared; these newly invented scripts represented fully developed writing systems with no direct connection to the earlier Indus script (Kenoyer: 1997:78). About Dravidian language, it is mentioned that the Indus Valley writing is not a multilingual system of writing. The writing indicates that this population was literate and spoke a Dravidian language. The study also indicates that the Indus Valley writing was not used to write an Indo-Aryan language, because the Aryans did not arrive in India until after 1600 BC (Winters: 2012:2019).

Kenoyer’s assessment can be considered as worth able that the traces of Dravidian words are still found in the southern Indus Valley in the form of river names, (Sindhu or Sindhi?) and many Dravidian loan words are found in ancient Sanskrit, the Indo-Aryan languages of Rig-Veda. After the end of Indus cities, Indo-Aryan languages must have spread throughout the regions once dominated by the Indus Dravidian Language (Kenoyer: 1997:78). However, In this regard, if there was a possibility of minor link between Vedic Sanskrit and Indus script, then up till now Indus script must have been easily deciphered. Most of the opinions have been given that the Indus script was written from right to left and in some instances it is noted that Indus script was written from left to right. I think, while referring Kenoyer is also confused that first line proceeds from right to left and the next line reads left to right (Kenoyer: 1997:72).

Ghosh is also of the same opinion that Indus script writing occurs on a variety of objects found at the site of Indus civilization, the script consisting of individual signs and their variant was in use almost throughout the area of content and during the period of the existence of civilization as an evident from the discovery of objects containing writing script from many sites located over wide area of its spread. The largest numbers of inscribed objects are from Mohen-Jo-Daro. It is generally agreed that direction of the script is right to left; this has also been conclusively demonstrated by scholars. Some of the inscriptions suggest a left-to-right direction (Ghosh: 1990: 360,361).

It has been too supposed that maybe the direction of Indus writing system was from upward to downward or from downward to upward. Because, when we think over the components of compound Indus symbols they are connected either from upward to downward or from downward to upward. As for the time period, it has been already suggested that comparative study of Sindhi language with other languages and loaned words in ancient literatures may connect Sindhi Language with early Vedic period including Indus script. The sites where the Indus script signs inscribed in stone have been explored are of approximately located at a distance 150 kilometers from MohenJo-Daro.

In the light of inscriptions of Indus seal script and its variant inscribed on rocks herein rock art of Sindh close to Mohen-Jo-Daro, an opinion can be made that probably Indus seal script might have survived unconnectedly from early Sanskrit in the Vedic period and almost certainly, the Indus seal script might have continued up to 5th or 4th century BC (Frawley: 1993:255) in the form of a variant Indus script. Here in the mountain region of Johi, District Dadu the Indus seals can be explored along the routes which led to western countries in past.

The inverse signs of Indus script

Many symbols of Indus seal script together with variant Indus script are inscribed inversely comparing to signs found on Indus seals. Probably, during the carving process the engraver might have Indus seals before him on which inverse signs were carved. As a result, inscriber engraved signs inversely on rock panels. Because, the script stuck on Indus seals might have been seen inverse system of Indus It is also believed that such were actual forms of symbols in ancient writing system of Indus Valley Civilization. Many depictions of same symbols of Indus script and animals inscribed on Indus seals have also been discovered in which animals and signs have obverse or inverse directions. However, I am of the opinion that conceivably usage of obverse and inverse characters was prevalent in writing system of Indus Valley Civilization.

The variant of Indus script

The term variant Indus script has been used for such script which is some different from Indus seal script and as well as Indus seal script inscribed in rock art of Sindh. The variant Indus script is inscribed in rock art of Sindh in a large quantity. It resembles only to the Indus script. Although, some characters of early Brahmi Kharosthi and Pali are mixed with it which might have been loaned from Indus script but it is quite dissimilar to these scripts. The variant Indus script does not match by all means with early Brahmi, Kharosthi and other Sanskritic scripts of India. It is already discussed that there is probability that after the fall down or vanishing of Indus valley civilization, Indus script continued in other towns, villages and far-away regions of Indus valley civilization. Discussing gradual disappearance of urban life of Indus civilization the historians are of the opinion that the Indus civilization came into an end around 2600-1900 BCE but some latest and definitely recognized samples of Indus script found near Mumbai, belong to 1800 BCE (Parpola: 2015:22).

It points towards the continuity of Indus script in later periods. The variant Indus script is inscribed close by the Indus seal script in the rock art of Sindh. It also appears that there may have been one or more Early Indus Scripts (Kenoyer: 1997:69) and numerous writing systems may have been invented by individual spiritual leaders to record myths or by merchants to keep track of their goods (Kenoyer: 1997:70). This opinion clarifies that variant Indus script may be another form of Indus script. Sharma describes that the load bearer sign of Indus script has 57 variants and some authors have deciphered it as name ‘Bharat’ who was perhaps name of  king of Indus valley  empire (Sharma: 2000:59). The opinions of scholars support us on the topic of variance of Indus script and invented various forms of Indus script. The sites of rock art in Khirthar Range, Sindh, Pakistan which are rich in inscriptions of Indus seal script and variant Indus script are not far from Mohen-Jo-Daro. These are situated towards west-south of the great city of Indus Valley Civilization. It seems the area was connected with great city of Indus valley civilization. Probably, trading caravans were used to travel through the trade routes leading from this mountainous region from Indus Civilization to the cities of Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and Sumerian civilization. And trade caravans might have halted here in mountainous area. It is already conversed that many ancient trade routes used to lead from Sindh to western countries in ancient times from this region (Shedai: 2008:48). The engravers might have observed Indus seals and thus they inscribed the signs of Indus seal and variant Indus script etched in stone.

Probably, from Indus Valley civilization to Vedic era the Indus script seems to be continued here in this region of Sindh. This variant Indus script is not another form Indus script and variance appeared in later periods then it is believed that the variant Indus script developed or evolved directly from Indus seal script. As a result, variance appeared during evolution and development. After the end of Indus cities, Indo-Aryan language must have spread throughout the regions one dominated by the Indus-Dravidian language (Kenoyer: 1997: 78). It is also proposed that the Indus script was used in parts of India as late as 500 BCE thus showing its continuity and usage with probably Indo-Aryan languages (Frawley: 1993:255). Winters says that it would appear that they (Dravidians) introduced writing to the Indus Valley. They continued to use this writing on their pottery in South India and later punch-marked coins. This is supported by the discovery of writing in South India dating back to before 600 BC (Winters: 2012:2019) Probably, the Indus script or  its variant script continued up to Buddhist period during 4th century BCE in Sindh and afterward it was replaced by the usage of newly evolved Brahmi, Kharosthi and other Indian scripts.

Inscribed more than one symbol at one place

Herein Khirthar mountain range the symbols are inscribed at one place close to each other but these are not etched in proper sequence like sequence of Indus script symbols on Indus seals. To me, the reason seems that inscribing on rock similar to seal was too difficult. Therefore the inscribers inscribed the symbols close to each other.

As for decipherment of Indus Script, there is controversy over it. No attempt of any scholar of the world has become completely successful to decipher the script yet. Maybe, the inscriptions of Indus seal script in rock art of Sindh may provide the Rosetta stone plate which may become helpful to decipher Indus script. I have tried to provide evidences of etched symbols of Indus Script etched in stones in rock art of Sindh. Concerning the ancientness of etched symbols of Indus Script in stones herein stones, it is believed that these symbols were etched in stones from Bronze Age including early Iron Age.

Also read: The documental ancientness of Sindhi Language

References

1. Kok C Subhash, 24 May 1993, Evolution of early writings in India, Indian journal of history of science
2. Parpola Asko 2005, Study of the Indus Script1, Paper read at the 50th ICES Tokyo Session on 19 May 2005 in Tokyo
3. Parpola Asko, Dani A.H, 1981, Indus Civilization New Perspective, Qaid-eAzam University Islamabad
4. Kenoyer Jonathan Mark, 1997, Ancient Cities of The Indus Valley Civilization, American Institute of Pakistan Studies Oxford University Press
5. Parpola Asko, 1994, Deciphering the Indus script, Cambridge University Press
6. David S. Whitley, 2001 Handbook of Rock art research, Rowman and Littlefield
7. Yadav Nisha (September 2013): Sensitivity of Indus Script to Site and Type of Object, SCRIPTA, volume: 5 67-103
8. Richter-Ushanas Egbert, 1997 The Indus Script and the Ṛg-Veda Motilal Banarsidass Publ ISBN8120814053, 9788120814059
9. Sardar, B., (2012). Rock art in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Ancient Asia. Vol.3
10. Slavitt David R. 20015, The Rig-Veda, Anaphora Literary Press, Georgia
11. Jamison Stephanie W. 2014 the Rig-Veda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India, Oxford University Press
12. Paniker K Ayyappa, 1997, Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections, Sahitya Akademi, India
13. Datta Amaresh. 1988, Encyclopedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti, Volume 2, Sahitya Akademi India
14. Benerji Sures Chandra, 1989, A companion to Sanskrit Language, Motilal Banarsidass publication India
15. Ninan M.M, 2008, The Development of Hinduism, Madathil Mammen Ninan, ISBN: 1438228201, 9781438228204
16. Datta Amresh, 1987, Encyclopedia of Indian literature vol.1, Sahitya Akademi India
17. Winters, Clyde, November 2012, Dravidian is the language of the Indus writing, Current Science volume 103
18. Ghosh Amalananda, 1990, An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, BRILL, ISBN: 9004092641, 9789004092648
19. Frawley David, 1993, Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization, Motilal Banarsidass Publication

20           Parpola Asko, 2015, The roots of Hinduism, Oxford University Press

21           Kenoyer Jonathan Mark, 1997, Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, American Institute of Pakistan Studies Oxford University Press

22           Sharma Deo Prakash, 2000, Indus Script: On Its Way to Decipherment, Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, originally the University of Michigan

23           Shidai Maulai, 2008, Janatul Sindh, Sindhica Academy Karachi, Sindh

24           Winters, Clyde, November 2012, Dravidian is the language of the Indus writing, Current Science volume 103

25           Frawley David, 1993, Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization, Motilal Banarsidass Publication

__________________

Aziz 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. 

The post Indus Script etched in Stones first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Kutch Villagers’ hunt for gold has led to discovery of a new Indus Civilization site in Gujarat state of India. Named as ‘Morodharo’, the new archaeological site of Indus Civilization is located near Lodrani village in Gujarat, situated 51 kilometers from the Dholavira World Heritage site in Kutch had long been rumored to harbor hidden gold.

Some five years ago, a group of enterprising individuals joined forces to embark on a quest for the elusive treasure.

What they uncovered, and what archaeologists later unearthed as they assumed control of the excavation following initial discoveries, is a fortified settlement of the Indus/Harappan civilization.

The Indus Civilization, also known as Harappan Civilization, thrived during the Bronze Age in the northwestern areas of South Asia. It endured from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, with its mature phase spanning from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.

“Villagers believed there was a medieval fortress and buried treasure. But when we examined the site, we found a Harappan settlement where life was flourishing some 4,500 years ago,” said Ajay Yadav, who was one of the lead archaeologists in this discovery.

Ajay Yadav, a research scholar, collaborated with his professor, Damian Robinson, both affiliated with Oxford’s School of Archaeology, in making this breakthrough.

Contrary to the previous perception of Lodrani as a mere stone-rubble settlement, their investigation revealed architectural details at the site remarkably similar to those found in Dholavira.

“Our most important observation is that this site and Dholavira both depended on the sea. As it’s so close to the Rann (desert), it can be safely presumed that at that time what became a desert later must have been navigable,” Yadav said.

Morodharo’s proximity to the sea and its location near the Rann of Kutch suggests that the area was navigable during ancient times, contributing to trade and connectivity.

The site was formally identified in January and named Morodharo.

The following are the features of the Harappan site Morodharo:

Morodharo is a fortified settlement of the Harappan era, with the fortification measuring 102 m to the west and 58 m north to the south. The thickness of the wall is 3.3 m on an average.

Morodhara has a 10×10 m platform on the south-west side and a well on the north-east side.

Burial cairns have been found at Morodharo. A cairn is an intentionally constructed mound of stones, typically created for marking a location or serving as a burial mound.

Also read: Ancient Rock Art of Sindh’s Seeta valley

Harappan pottery with perforated jar sherds, reserved slipware and terracotta cakes have also been unearthed.

All these objects bear a notable resemblance to those discovered in Dholavira.

The site might never have been discovered if it weren’t for the villagers searching for gold.

The discovery of the fortified settlement near Dholavira, named Morodharo, is a significant archaeological find that sheds light on the ancient civilization’s expansion and influence in the region.

According to Indian media, the discovery of Morodharo adds to understanding of the extent and influence of the Indus civilization in the region and highlights the importance of local initiatives in uncovering archaeological treasures.

Earlier surveys conducted in 1967-68 by archaeologist J.P. Joshi hinted at the presence of an Indus or Harappan site in Lodrani, but concrete evidence was lacking at that time.

The recent discovery underscores the value of ongoing archaeological research and community involvement in uncovering India’s rich antiquity.

Also read: Sindhi monks had attended 2nd and 3rd Buddhist councils in 278 and 253 B.C.

The discovery was significant enough that archaeologists from Oxford University joined the quest after initial signs of the discovery.

The site has yielded a considerable amount of Indus or Harappan pottery that is similar to the findings at Dholavira, indicating a connection between the two settlements. Experts suggest that Morodharo displays the characteristics of a mature to late Harappan period (2,600-1,300 BCE), which sheds light on the ancient chronology of the region.

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Source: IASGYAN, India Times, Vajiramandravi, India Today and Utkarsh  

The post Kutch Villagers’ hunt for gold leads to discovery of a new Indus Civilization site first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Hailing from Naudero, Larkana district of Sindh, Prof. Sajida Parveen Sangi, (Pen Name: Saabhiyan Sangi) is a poet, prose-writer and educationist serving as Associate Professor at a Government Degree Girls College in Karachi. She is committed to writing poetry and prose in Sindhi and Urdu languages since 1988, and has authored a book in Sindhi language titled: ‘Anjaan Kaa’inat Jee’ari Aa’ (The Universe is Still Alive) consisting of various genres of poetry, published and well-received in 2007. Her two poetry books in Sindhi and Urdu languages are in the process of compilation. She is a creative and imaginative poet and writer using vivid language that often has an economical or condensed use of words chosen for their sound and meaning. She provokes thought with texture and tone of her poems.

Let’s Part Ways

Let’s be separated

In the spring seasons

Let’s be entangled into pronunciations

Of names we entitled

 Each other,

With longing, with love

 We called each other,

Let you be the body of

People of the world,

I’ll be the soul of love only,

Live in the existence

Of Oneness only,

Yes never!

But can call you

The part of my existence

The tears from eyes,

O, from breathing the sobs,

 From my body I shall pull out

 My life and soul,

As the skin is cut off

 The bones,

Same way I’ll cut you

Away from my body,

From my each and every vein,

 I’ll rill you out from my blood,

O take out my life..!

Then, if I yet remain alive

To extent,

I shall never utter

Your name ever

Shall never utter

Your name ever!

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Translated from Sindhi language by Professor Muhammad Hashim Solangi

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