What are the major features of Harappan art and their material culture? Elucidate with suitable examples. (15 marks 250 Words)
Question
What are the major features of Harappan art and their material culture? Elucidate with suitable examples. (15 Marks,250 Words)
Model Answer
What are the major features of Harappan art and their material culture? Elucidate with suitable examples. (15 marks 250 Words)
Paper
GS I
Subject
Indian Heritage and Culture
Syllabus as Per Notification
Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Topic
Harappan Art and Culture
Approach:
Introduction
Briefly introduce the Harappan Civilization and its Three Phases.
Body
Explain the major features of Harappan Art and Material Culture
Stone Sculpture: Skill in carving lifelike figures, though they are few in number.
Bronze Sculpture: Advanced metallurgy using the "lost wax" technique.
Terracotta Art: used for toys, figurines, and Mother Goddess figures.
Seal Art: Steatite seals with pictographic script and animal motifs.
Pottery, Beads, and Ornaments: Fine red ware, advanced lapidary (carnelian beads), and ornaments (gold, shell)
Urban Planning: Grid-pattern cities with Citadel-Lower Town division, standardized bricks (4:2:1 ratio), and distinct zones
Water Management: Covered drainage systems, public wells (Mohenjo-daro), large reservoirs (Dholavira), and the Great Bath
Trade and Commerce: Extensive internal and overseas trade; exports (carnelian beads, cotton) and imports (copper)
Agriculture and Metallurgy: Crops (wheat, barley, cotton), plough use (Banawali), and copper-bronze tools and figurines.
Conclusion
Conclude by mentioning how Art and Material culture establish the Harappans as a prosperous, well-governed, and culturally vibrant society.
Context:
Mohenjo-Daro 'Dancing girl's' image bare torso restored in NCERT books after backlash.
Introduction
The Harappan Civilization was one of the most artistically skilled urban cultures of the ancient world. Its art and material objects, such as carved seals, bronze statues, painted pots, and beads show great creativity and fine workmanship. These items were made with care and skill, reflecting the people's daily lives, beliefs, and trade connections, and they remain a proof of their artistic talent.
Harappan Civilization grew in three stages:
The Early Harappan (3300–2600 BCE), when villages began to grow into towns;
The Mature Harappan (2600–1900 BCE), when cities reached their peak with planned layouts, standard weights, and long-distance trade.
The Late Harappan (1900–1300 BCE) when the cities declined due to climate change, and people moved back to village life.
Body
Major Features of Harappan Art
Stone Sculpture
Stone sculptures show great skill in carving lifelike figures, though they are few in number.
Example: Priest-King (Mohenjo-daro), Steatite bust of a bearded male, draped in a shawl with trefoil patterns.
Example: Male Torso (Harappa)
Bronze Sculpture
Advanced metallurgy: Practiced the “lost wax” technique.
Example: "Dancing Girl" (Mohenjo-daro)
10.8 cm high copper figure, full of expression and bodily vigour.
Long hair tied in a bun, adorned with bangles covering one arm, a practice still visible in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Example: Bronze Bull (Mohenjo-daro), a massive and dynamic, expressing fury.
Terracotta Art
Found in large numbers across sites, often used for toys and figurines.
A terracotta whistle from Karanpura in Rajasthan is a notable example.
Realism in animals: Animal figures were modelled with extreme care.
Example: Humped bull seal from Mohenjo-daro.
Seal Art and features:
Steatite seals: Square or rectangular plaques engraved with a pictographic script and animal motifs, these seals are primarily used for trade to identify goods and traders, and possibly as amulets.
Example: Unicorn Seal, The most common motif, depicting a mythical creature.
Example: Pashupati Seal, Depicts a three-faced deity seated on a raised platform, surrounded by powerful animals (elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo).
Pottery, Beads, and Ornaments
Pottery: Pottery included fine wheel-made red ware with black painted geometric and animal designs, as seen in the painted burial pottery from Cemetery H at Harappa.
Bead-making: An advanced lapidary art, with manufacturing centres at Chanhudaro and Lothal.
Materials: These included carnelian (often heat-treated to deepen its red colour), amethyst, jasper, lapis lazuli, gold, shell, and faience.
Other ornaments: Conch shell bangles, gold necklaces, and faience pendants.
Urban Planning
Grid pattern: Streets oriented to the cardinal directions, dividing the city into blocks.
Example: Dholavira, The North Gate entrance and housing areas with perpendicular streets and stone foundations.
Division: The division included an Upper town (Citadel) for the elite and a Lower town for common people.
Dholavira had three distinct zones, the Citadel, Middle Town, and Lower Town, each with separate fortifications, reflecting a more complex social and administrative hierarchy.
Standardized bricks: Baked bricks with a ratio of 4:2:1 were used.
Water Management
High priority given to cleanliness and water management.
Drainage System: Covered drains below the streets, connected to individual bathrooms.
Example: Drainage system at Lothal.
Wells and Reservoirs: Mohenjo-daro had about 700 wells, Dholavira had at least six large reservoirs, the largest measuring 73 metres in length, with some cut into rock.
Example: Great Bath (Mohenjo-daro): A small but elaborate tank with waterproofing, likely used for religious or royal rituals.
Trade and Commerce
Harappan people conducted active internal and overseas trade with other civilizations.
Exports: Ornaments (carnelian beads), timber, cotton, and ivory combs (found on the coast of Oman).
Imports: Likely included copper.
Maritime activity: First intensive maritime activity in India.
Example: Lothal Dockyard, A huge basin measuring 217 x 36 metres, used to receive and send boats.
Standardized weights: Cubical weights for measuring goods.
Agriculture and Metallurgy
Crops: Grew barley, wheat, millets, rice, pulses, vegetables, and were the first in Eurasia to grow cotton.
Tools: Used ploughs (a clay model found at Banawali in Haryana).
Metallurgy: Mastered working with copper and bronze to make tools, pots, pans, and figurines.
This is evident from the discovery of a bronze mirror and bronze chisel from Dholavira, which reflect their technical skill in metal casting and finishing.
Conclusion
The Harappan Civilization stands out for its seamless integration of art and material culture. Artistic creations like the Dancing Girl and Pashupati Seal reflect aesthetic sophistication and religious symbolism, while urban planning, water management, and standardized trade systems showcase technological excellence and administrative efficiency. Together, they establish the Harappans as a prosperous, well-governed, and culturally vibrant society.