Indus Valley, the beginning

There are trips and then there are trips. It is that trip!

Indus Valley was a late bloomer in my brain. I didn't remember much about it from school, though every one I meet quotes a random line from a textbook about the Harappans. Growing up I never really noticed it, appropriate exposure is so crucial for children; sidebar. It came into my line of sight about 5 years ago, I was hooked and the last five years have been an incredible ride. Reading, talking, watching, debating (fighting) and thinking about the Indus Valley and its people. It started off as a quest (quixote-ic for sure as I am not formally trained in any discipline that would be useful for a quest, all I have is an explainable mad connect for the Indus, a deep knowledge of learning frameworks and curiosity). I just keep going back to it - never in the longest while has something held my attention for so long. I listen to and read as many people as I could (historians, archeologists, linguists, geneticists etc) about the same 1000 (understatement) odd things they know and the 10,000 odd things they don't know about the Indus Valley. 

I have looked/still looking at every facet of the Indus Valley, except the significance of the Vedas - too daunting and carries way too much political & religious weight and I don't have the pedigree (yes I know how problematic the word is, chalk it to residual patriarchal conditioning) to include it; for now.

This is only my travel. Some parts of my entire (ongoing) content on the Indus Valley is interspersed.

For a little more context (at least from my end), do read:

1. https://binduchandana.wixsite.com/books/post/early-india-from-the-origin-to-ad-1300-romila-thapar

2. https://binduchandana.wixsite.com/books/post/the-early-indian

3. And I will (eventually) scan my notes here - you are more than welcome to read through - challenge is the sense-making of my brain.

The beginning:

Right after my reading of "The Early Indian' by Tony Joseph in Jan-ish of 2019, I went on a rampant search on everything Indus, especially travel to some of the sites; I ran into Carnelian, a singular tour company that promised Dholavira. After a few email exchanges and promises of a trip soon, there was silence. Until January 2023. The Dholavira trip was announced. I wrote back within a millisecond of reading that email - I was in. Casually dropped it to a few favourite people, they were in. Within 2 days we were booked, this was the fastest decision this group came to, in ever.

I counted the days to the trip. Since I had read more (assumption) than your average Indian about the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) or Harappan Civilisation, I decided to start my travelogue with a prologue.

This note book was bought a long time ago at The Bombay Papiere and seemed so apt for my trip, the Gods were smiling.

Two weeks before the trip, I went back to my notes and readings of the last 4 years on IVC and compiled/summarised my prologue, not sure if I am using this word correctly?

I always orient myself with a map. But don't be like me, I got lost in researching all the other places that I would want to go to as I drew the map. Over 2000 IVC sites unearthed, and counting, the civilisation was spread over 1 million square kilometers, largest one in those times, pause on that for a second.

The day arrived and I was off. Traveling with a large group was a first for me - we were 17 of us. I usually prefer to travel with people I know or who know me well - only because I tend to be quiet for exceptionally long periods of time and do wander off from time to time, and other travelers may find it a bit weird. My experiencing of the place is personal and what I immerse in is mine alone - a bit selfish here. It is not about the spots or the pictures, it is about that moment in time when you are in that place. There is enough noise internally, so I try to step away from the external - people who know me understand it. And my being present at Harappa was crucial to my being so I wasn't sure how it would all be. With excitement and apprehension, I was off.

Eternally thankful to my faves for being there, travel is so much better with them.

Day 1

Ahmedabad, a logical place to start from as there are quite a few IVC sites in Gujarat, at the tip of the state, spilling into Pakistan. We were going to be around the area around Kutch. Tried Akasa Air for the first time, a great flight except for mad clear-air turbulence which reflexively/conditionally/frantically brought out my conditioned Hanuman prayers - I am not a great flyer. I usually am seated next to men who man-spread or dig their nose or refuse to stop talking on the phone even as we take off, this time was a pleasant surprise. The seat next to me was empty and at the other end sat a beautifully dressed woman entrepreneur, who was lovely to chat with. Miracles do happen mid-air.

Dinner and shopping with the friends and was happy to be in a state where being vegetarian was the norm.

Day 2

We met the larger group at a Utensils Museum, which was also a restaurant. An individual's collection of utensils and other household paraphernalia across the span of history, interesting to say the least.

Introductions happened and it seemed like a good bunch of enthusiastic people. The Carnelian team were well-versed about Harappa as had been doing this trip for the last few years so we were in good hands.

The most crucial thing to note: long bus rides between sites, there is no other choice. To get 'darshana' (in-sight) one has to make the effort. 

After lunch, with our luggage stowed away in the underbelly of the bus, off to Lothal we went.

Lothal was quiet. Apart from us there were five other people. I fail to understand why many others don't see the joy in ruins. There is nothing to see but bricks, they say. Exactly, the bricks have stood in deep contemplation for the last 4000 odd years and are telling a story that you have to be patient to listen to.

After the initial huddle about the place, I walked around. It was hot, 33/34 degrees to be precise.

The layout of the land.

Water was the biggest need and therefore sourcing, storing and renewing techniques were the most visible. The massive reservoir is what we encountered first - as most evidence points to Lothal being a port city, this reservoir could have been where the boats docked or a holder of water (an artifact which can be an anchor or part of a pulley system to draw water lead to these two sensible options).

There is evidence of a canal which connects a larger water body to the city, so the possibility of unloading/loading goods seem high. Plus there is a godown like structure very close to the canal.

Intricate water systems, furnaces and two large pots (the pottery shards are a modern addition) of beads in all stages of manufacturing indicate a 'bead' factory present in the area - all found in 'Middle town'. Middle town also seemed more spacious.

The raw materials quarries - Carnelian from Ratnagar, Gujarat and lapis lazuli from Shortugui, Afghanistan.

A highly mature urban civilisation as all evidence points to, must have been a significant change in their lives to abandon and move away - drying up of the rivers being the most popular hypothesis or could have been the flood of 1900 BCE.

I walked in the heat, not listening much to what was being asked and said about the space as I just wanted to see. But once in a while a thought/question popped in my head and I went looking for a friendly face to ponder inputs like - 'Lower town', smaller roads, homes(?), spaces - pointing to a hierarchy in the system, also zero beads found in the area - a different profession? or not trusted with the beads?

I loved the ruins of Lothal, Rose Macaulay in her book, "Pleasure of Ruins' says it aptly, 'a monument in antiquity is never seen with indifference. Half see it as ruins and builds it up and the other half smashes it to the ground'. Read the book, buy the hard copy if affordable, it is a romantic's look at ruins, which I supremely relate to.

Evidence of careful town planning and excellent water/sanitary systems proved that Lothal was a Harappan town.

We closed the site with meeting a talented jeweller, one of the very few who still used the Harappan bead making techniques to design & create beautiful jewellery. I bought a carnelian in the iconic long-oval shape that is synonymous with the Indus.

Day 3

The drive to Dholavira started with anticipation and I got talking to some of the other travellers for a bit. My main intent was to accost the three who put this trip together for information. The reading and piecing together of existing information is one thing but it is also good to talk it out - especially to people who have been doing this for a while. I started with a casual simple yes or no question, which soon turned into an hour++ conversation - from the source of the rivers (Ghaggar-Hakra which sustained IVC was fed by the Sutlej 8000 odd years ago, then became perennial monsoon-fed before it eventually dried out); to the language and genetic connections (the evidence points to Dravidian, Indo Aryan & Old Iranian); to the current interesting experts (Bahata is working on cracking 'how' seals/symbols were used rather than 'what' they are saying). The dots in my brain were connecting.

It was such a good chat. Usually communication with my passion-topics is one-way, I talk and the other is outwardly attentive.

The fatigue of the bus ride was chased away as we caught up with the setting sun at the Rann of Kutch lake. White sand, endless white water (salted to the core) and an island is where this particular sun set.

We are with our ancestors all the time (matter is finite) but at this moment their presence was palpable.

The drive had made me wonky; a combination of vertigo and a bad stomach which immediately triggered my anxiety of remote places and being a burden on others. But your 50's man - they are bizarrely a very 'push-the-heck-through' age as it is all wonky from here anyway. Nope, I do not subscribe to the 50 is the new 30 war-cry, rubbish and a half if you ask me.

Wanted to sleep but was quite excited to visit the home of the foreman of Harappan excavation, for dinner. He was there from the beginning, 1989 I think, with the main-man Bisht, I assumed stories with dinner. It was a lovely home which housed a lovely family and we had a lovely dinner; no stories. Was disappointed and couldn't deal with the vertigo anymore, skipped the night walk to the Rann and went to bed. Of course, that was spectacular, stars in a dark pollution-free space. Why don't I use my brain for good, facepalm * 10.

DAY 4

Woke up feeling better and I was ready for the star of my show - Dholavira.

Dholavira sits on the island of Kadir bet, it is the 6th largest in the excavated sites of the Harappan civilisation and was active around 3000 - 1500 BCE.

It is a massive site - a Middle town, larger and where beads were found, a Lower town - narrower and no beads. Similar to Lothal.

We walked in post our initial huddle, I was outwardly calm. Our attention was drawn towards a small wall-ish structure made of stones, would never have paid attention to it otherwise. A check dam (OG) to control water flow, decrease soil erosion and improve land quality. It was always about water conservation and preservation The dam itself had a mix of deliberate arrangement of stones and natural arrangement - highlighting the fact that they took advantage of the lay of the land.

Check dams are still very popular today and water is a scarce commodity, again. History on loop.

Water was coaxed into the reservoir which housed a well that was useful during the drier days.

Water system for each house was clear. It seemed like the two-pot system for collection of waste. There were indoor bathrooms, just saying. We humans love to take what helps our perspective, especially this day and age and especially from history.

The plaza was impressive, my pictures don't do justice. It could have been a place for gathering, a marketplace, parade, public events, evening hang-out area. It was open and spacious.

You would see limestone once in a while and I was told that it had aesthetic value. Later I read about the exact same thing in Rita Wright's, The Ancient Indus, limestone  was Yoni (a representation of the female genitalia and is a sign of generative power and that symbolises the goddess Shakti) adjacent and sourced nearby. It was part of doors, columns, used as drain covers, calendar stones etc. 

The Citadel was a marvel. Water was crucial, like I said earlier. The citadel area had brilliantly interconnected water drains - slopes, ducts, man-holes, inclines cascades, everything that helped collect rainwater.

As I walked and listened wiping off the sweat (though the heat was minimal compared to 3:00 pm at Lothal) I realised the place exuded a sense of calm, there was nothing jarring or loud in its demeanor. Of all the wonderful information we got, one thing really stood out, 'The harappans weren't (didn't seem at all) defined by war' - unlike so many other civilisations that were thriving along with them. I had read copious amounts about it but it was stark here - there was a quiet dignity to their place of life.

The signboard was the most exciting find of this site, we obviously couldn't see the original - I assumed it was too fragile. It was 3 meters long and was found near a gateway, which could have been the entry point to the inner city. Or one to be seen as you arrived into the premises of the city. No clue. It has 10 signs/symbols on it.

As you all know the language/s (signs/symbols/seals) of harappa are still being deciphered - there is a concerted effort by many to crack it. The key (my understanding) is to compare it to existing languages to see if one one them had their roots in Harappan or to decipher texts of places where the Harappans traded, Mesopotamia seems very promising. One name that I chased down a rabbit-hole, Shu-ilishu, who was said to have lived in a Meluhhan village in Akkad (evidence points to Harappans being called Meluhhan by the Mesopotamians) and they found his personal seal, which said, 'translator of the Meluhhan language' - it was written in Akkadian, which of course, has been deciphered. So exciting!

Image of that seal below, thanks to Possehl's, 'Shu-ilishu's cylinder

seal' article. So it means, there is a possibility of finding written works of translation, in my lifetime please.

One can walk down the roads easily picturing life in the those days. The view that a Harappan would have seen (give or take).

The rest of the morning passed quickly in walking around picking up (and putting back) pottery shards and finding quiet, shady spots to sit and stare at Dholavira. I was trying to absorb as much as I could. I am going back, maybe winter this time. But I am.

Rita Wright's words are apt to close, 'they demonstrated a capacity for planning, an investment of authority (managing approximately 1 million square kms is serious business) and a manifestation of power. Cities played major roles in production and re-production of society'.

Our final stop was the the museum. The seals caught my attention. Small, highly detailed and cajoling us to understand. Some famous images - 'unicorn' or a side -profile of a regular animal - can't say for sure, 'Pashupati', chakras, concentric circles, stick figures and so much more.

Was a trip for the ages, thank you fellow travellers and Carnelian.

Love to my clan of women. I talk less they talk more. Why. Their stories are my stories, their joy is mine, their pain is mine and their hope mine too. The only difference is the how (they are saying it) and I can live with that. I sink in the comfort of experience and understanding. No need to establish my space as it is in all of them.

Pratyeka Gamanika (please note):

1.  If you are looking to see 'things', please don't go, you will be disappointed. If you want certainty in information you read or receive than you may not like it. Many things are very clear but many,many more are still in the hypotheses stage (the fun part for me!).
2. Most names of harappan sites are taken from the villages of today that are close to them.
3. Most advanced civilised, us,now? Depends on the parameters, there were many before us who came, lived and left - advanced is a relative term. They all were very advanced just used ways and means that were relevant to them and their needs.
4. If you are new to IVC, there will be questions, I am seriously okay to have a chat and engage with your curiosity, do write in the comments! Better interested people than poor souls who happened to say hi/hello to me out of politeness.
5. My impatience of getting to where we need to go and not wanting to do anything else was a bit unbearable, for me. Hope it didn't show much to the others traveling.
6. There are sites in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan etc. which I hope to travel to, someday.