The decline of Harappan Culture | UPSC History
The Harappan Civilization was one of the most prominent civilizations and it flourished for more than 1000 years. But that civilization also came to an end. There have been many theories about the decline of the Harappan Civilization. Today we will discuss in detail the theories which explained the decline of Harappan Culture.
According to a theory, Harappan Civilization was taken over by Vedic Aryans who came from outside. Vedic Aryans are mostly war people and they destroyed everything in the Harappan towns and cities. This theory was put forward by R.C.Mortimer Wheeler, V.Gordon Childe, and Stuart Piggott.
They believed that the Vedic Aryans completely massacred the Harappans. To prove this theory, when an excavation was carried out in Mohenjadaro, 37 skeletons were found in streets, wells, and single rooms. The skeletons had wound marks which meant that they were attacked with weapons.
Another theory by John Marshal, S.R.Rao says that the Harappan Culture declined because of a flood. Because the settlements were mostly located at the river banks. There have been indications of rising water levels and floods destroyed these cities completely. M.Dimitriev suggested that the Harappan Civilization was destroyed by a chemical explosion which resulted in a massive fire and the cities got burned down.
Some of the other theories suggest that the civilization was destroyed by the Malaria epidemic. There were traces of Malaria found by K.V.R.Kennedy. Another theory by R.K.Sood and D.P.Agarwal said that the Civilization was destroyed because of water scarcity. The amount of water in the rivers got reduced and living became hard for the Harappan people.
The decline of Harappan Culture didn’t end human life entirely. The residents of Harappan towns and cities migrated to other villages and carried their ideas, and beliefs with them. So this is all about the decline of Harappan Culture. Many theories have suggested various reasons for this decline. There has been scientific evidence as well supporting all the theories. Theories like earthquakes, flooding, and attacks on the Harappan culture have been found during the archaeological excavations. We cannot rule out all these theories.
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