Dear List,
There are some serious studies also.
The following is the concluding part of ‘The Myth of Saraswati Civilization’ by Dr. R.C.Thakran of Delhi University from the book, Advances in History, eds. Kesavan Veluthat and P.P.Sudhakaran, Prof. M.P.Sridharan Memorial Trust, Calicut, 2003.
It is well known that the ancient-most remains of human habitation come from the south western parts of Bahawalpur. These are older than the early Harappan remains. On the basis of this evidence one can claim that this area was the cradle of the Harappan civilization and, therefore, this was in fact the Saraswati civilization which produced this civilization. But certain points need to be taken note of in this context for a better understanding of the process of development of this civilization. The first thing is that the remains of the Hakra and early Harappan phase have been gathered from the south western and north eastern parts of Bahawalpur respectively. Hence their influence zones are different. There is no regional overlap between the two. Secondly, only 3 sites have produced remains of the two. This rules out any possibility of appreciable stratigraphical continuity. Thirdly, there is an absence of cultural continuity. Fourthly, the Hakra culture is neither unique nor independent; it bears the influence of the contemporary and even the ancient cultures of the Indus Valley and beyond; their impact on it is quite obvious. Some of the places like Kile Ghul Mohammad in the Quetta Valley and Central Baluchistan, Gumla, and Mehrgarh in the Kacchi Valley of east-central Baluchistan are more ancient than these. Here, the cultural sequence is more ancient than in the Hakra. These also present a more systematic and continuous cultural growth . Hence, the process of cultural growth seems to have begun in these very areas rather than in the Bahawalpur zone; and as one moves from the western parts towards Bahawalpur, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, the cultural antiquity recedes consistently. Therefore, neither was the Hakra culture the ancient most, nor the Bahawalpur zone the central point for the evolution of the Harappa civilization; nor any of the sites from Bahawalpur and from Indian territory as rich as Mehrgarh in terms of cultural antiquity and systematic cultural growth. Keeping in view all these points, there is no point in renaming the Harappa civilization as the Saraswati civilization.
Notes and References
1. M.R. Mughal ‘Recent Archaeological Researches in Cholistan Desert’, in G.L. Possehl, Ed., Harappan Civilization, New Delhi 1982, pp.85-96. Also in
S.P. Gupta, Ed., An Archaeological Tour Along The Ghaggar-Hakra River,
Meerut, 1989, pp.107-125.
2. Ibid, 120.
3. R.C. Thakran, ‘Protohistoric Settlement Patterns in Haryana’, in K.M. Shrimali,
Ed., Reason And Archaeology, Delhi, 1998, pp.29-62. R.C.Thakran, ‘Implications of Partition on the Protohistoric Investigations in the Ghaggar-Ganga Basins’ In Social Scientist, 28, Jan-Feb, New Delhi 2000, pp.57-62.
4. B.S.R. Babu, ‘Mandoli – A late Harappan Settlement in Delhi’, in C. Margabandhu and K.S. Ramachandran, Eds., Spectrum of Indian Culture (Prof. S.B. Deo felicitation volume), Delhi 1996, pp. 98-104; B.S.R. Babu, ‘1994-95 Excavations at Bhorgarh’, Puratatva, 25, New Delhi 1994, pp.89-93.
5. R.C. Thakran, ‘Protohistoric Settlement Pattern in Punjab’, in Irfan Habib and K.M. Shrimali, Eds., Archaeology And Culture, Delhi, (forthcoming); R.C. Thakran, ‘An Assessment of the Role of Rivers in Promoting Settlement Patterns in Punjab’, in Social Scientist, New Delhi, (forthcoming).
6. J.P. Joshi et al., ‘Indus civilization: A Reconsideration on the Basis of Distribution Maps’, in B.B. Lal and S.P. Gupta, Eds., Frontiers of Indus Civilization, New Delhi, 1984, pp.511-30.
7. A. Ghosh, ‘The Rajputana Desert – Its Archaeological Aspects’, Bulletin of the National Institute of Sciences of India, 1, 1952, pp.37-42.
8. IAR 1960-61, p.31; 1961-62, pp.39-44; 1962-63, pp.20-31; 1963-64, pp.30-39; 1964-65, pp.35-39; 1965-66.pp.38-41; 1966-67, pp.31-33; 1967-68, pp.42-45; 1968-69, pp.28-32.
9. B.B. Lal, The Earliest Civilization of South Asia, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 1997.
10. IAR, 1977-78, pp.46-47.
11. Lupta Saraswati Nadi, Shri Baba Sahab Apte Smarak Samiti, Nagpur, 1992.
12. IAR 1961-69, p.31.
13. R.C. Thakran, 1998, pp.29-62.
14. Ibid.
15. Census of India: Regional Divisions of India – A Cartographic Analysis, I, IV, Haryana, New Delhi, 1981, p.21.
16. R.C. Thakran, 1998, pp.29-62.
17. R.C. Thakran, Social Scientist, (forthcoming).
18. J.P. Joshi, 1984, pp.511-30.
