Sandhav Samaj
The objects found in the excavation of the Indus civilization give detailed information about the Indus society. On the basis of the construction of houses and town planning, it can be said that the social status of the people in the Indus society was not the same. The society was divided into several classes. Priests, officials, astrologers, Vaidyas, etc., would have been considered to be of the upper class. Farmers, carpenters, potters, fishermen, seafarers, carmen, shepherds, etc. workers must have belonged to the lower class. The forts built on a high place in the city are proof that some political system existed in the Sandhav society.
Building Construction
The building remains found from the excavation of Indus sites give information about the building art of the Indus civilization. There were houses on both sides of the roads which were made of pucca bricks. The use of baked bricks in the cities of the Harappan culture is a wonderful thing, as the contemporary buildings of Egypt mainly used sun-dried bricks. Contemporary Mesopotamia also used a limited amount of baked bricks, but in the cities of the Harappan culture, the use of baked bricks has been on a very large scale.
Most of the buildings were of two storeys, but the thickness of the walls shows that houses of more than two storeys were built. The doors and windows of the residential buildings of the Indus Civilization did not open onto the main road, but to the streets and tributaries. In the excavation, ruins of residential buildings of upper class and ordinary class residents have been found.
The buildings of the common people were small, usually 30 feet in length and 27 feet in width. There were four to five rooms in this building. Upper class people had large houses, twice or more in size than smaller houses and also had more number of rooms. The ruins of some huge buildings have also been found. A building was 242 feet long and 115 feet wide. By making holes in the walls, beams were put in them and then by putting sticks, they used to lay strong mats. The floor was made pucca on it with mud and cow dung.
The doors of big buildings were big and wide. The doors of some houses were so wide that even chariots and bullock carts could pass through them. Cabinets were also attached to the walls in the rooms. Some such objects made of bones and conch have been found from which it is known that pegs were also installed in the rooms. There was complete arrangement of windows and doors in the building so that there was no shortage of air and light.
Paved bricks were used in the construction of the walls. The dimensions of the bricks are very similar to modern bricks. Bricks were cooked in the fire. Clay mortar was used to join the bricks to the walls. The wealthy or upper class people also mixed lime in the mud mortar. The houses were built by laying foundations. The foundations of two storey houses were deeper and the walls of the first storey of such houses were also made wider.
According to Dr. Mackay, plaster was also used on the walls. To go from the lower floor to the upper floor, stairs were made of wood and stone, which were often very high and tight. The doors of most houses were three or four feet wide. Shelves were also made along the walls in the rooms. The courtyard was usually placed in the middle of the houses. In one corner of the courtyard was the kitchen.
Bathrooms and toilets were built near the main entrance of the house. This may have been done to facilitate drainage. The floors of the bathrooms and toilets were of solid bricks. In the courtyard there was a well chosen from baked bricks. Signs of stairs have also been found inside some wells.
Remains of some special buildings have been found from Sandhav sites. At both Harappa and Mohenjodaro, the remains of a fort or citadel have been found, which was built on a mound separate from the city. The length of the Harappan fort is 460 yards, the width is 215 yards and the height is about 45-50 feet. There are many bastions and gates in the outer wall of the fort. Many buildings were located near the fort, in which the warehouse is particularly noteworthy. Big buildings built in two rows of six rooms have also been found.
There is a wide road between both the lines. These buildings must have been used for storing food. The main entrance of these warehouses was towards the river. Possibly through the river route, food items used to come and go in these warehouses. 18 big circular platforms have been found at a little distance from these warehouses. There was a hole in the middle of the platforms. It is estimated that these platforms must have been used for grinding food. To the north of these platforms, two rows of seven houses have been found, near which there are sixteen furnaces. It is estimated that these may have been the residences of the workers.
The most important structure inside this fort is a huge bath. In the middle of this bath are the main bathing pool, the verandahs in the east-west and south and behind them are located small rooms. On the north side of the main bathing pool, leaving space for the passage, eight small bathrooms have been built, in which there is a system of water coming and there are stairs to go up. The floor of the bathroom is made of solid bricks and coated with resin to prevent dampness.
For cleaning the bathing pool and taking out the dirty water, there is a drain in its southern part. This bath would have come in the use of special baths of priests or government persons on religious occasions. From the presence of the bath, it is estimated that like modern Hinduism, holy bath must have been of special importance in the religion of the people of Sandha.
Thus, on the basis of building construction, it can be said that there was a division like upper class and ordinary class in the Indus society.
Sandhav Family
From the plan of the buildings received from the Indus civilization and the separate rooms located in them, it seems that the family was the basic unit of the society in the Indus civilization. From the number of rooms, the presence of wells in the courtyard, the presence of toilets and bathrooms near the entrance, it can be estimated that the joint family system must have been prevalent in the Indus society and parents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters etc. Must have lived.
Based on the abundance of female idols found in the excavations and the popularity of Mother Goddess, scholars believe that the Indus society was matriarchal, that is, the place of mother in the family was paramount. Dravidian society was also matriarchal.
Place of women in Sandhav society
Scholars estimate that the position of women in the Indus society was respectable. She was considered the head and nurturer of the family. His main work was raising children and spinning yarn while staying at home. It is estimated on the basis of various women's pictures inscribed on the mudras that the purdah system was not prevalent among the Indus women and they used to participate equally with men in religious and social festivals.
Living
The scarcity of weapons and weapons in the items obtained from the Indus places indicates that the Sandhav people were peace-loving and wished to lead a prosperous life. The pots, urns, plates, bowls, saucers, glasses, spoons etc. obtained from the excavation are indicative of their prosperity. Beds, chairs, tripods, etc., marked on different currencies also proclaim their prosperity.
Costume
Most of the women and idols found in the excavation are naked, but the Sandhav people used clothes. The people of the Indus Valley used to wear both woolen and cotton clothes. His clothes were simple. In the excavations, an idol of a man has been found in which he is wearing a shawl. The shawl goes from over the left shoulder to under the right armpit. Scholars estimate that they must have had two main clothes. One for covering the lower part of the body and the other for the upper part.
From the material found in Harappan excavations, it is estimated that women wore a special type of robe on the head which was raised like a fan towards the back of the head. It seems that there was not much difference between the clothes of men and women. Some women also wore turbans. Some female idols are shown wearing pointed caps.
Hairstyle
It is known from the mirror and comb found in the excavation and the markings found on some mudras that the Sandhav men and women used to do hair-dressing. Idols show that men had both a beard and a moustache and that they would tie their hair back and tie it. A shaving razor has also been found in the excavation.
Some postures and sculptures show that some people used to have beards but shaved their mustaches. The Indus women, like the Hindu women of today, used to do the peak by taking out the demand from the middle. Some women used to wrap their braid on the back of the head. Some women used to tie their hair in a bun and tie it with a lace at the back.
Makeup &Jewelry
The Sandhava women used kajal, antimony, vermilion, hair pins, perfume and powder like the Hindu women of today. According to McKay, she also used lipstick. In the excavation, ornaments such as necklaces, ear flowers, collarbones, armlets, hard rings, rings, anklets and nose wear have been found, from which it is known that both men and women had a passion for ornaments. These ornaments were made of various metals and were done with mosaic work. Rich people used to wear gold and silver gems and rubies and poor men and women wore ornaments made of copper, bone and clay.
Food
In the excavations of the Indus sites, seeds of wheat, barley, rice, dates, etc., half-burnt bones and fruit peels have been found, from which it is known that the standard of food of the Sandhav people was high. There is also evidence of their being non-vegetarian from the pictures inscribed on the coins. They ate the meat of fish, cows, pigs, sheep and poultry. Milk of cow, buffalo and goat was used. It is difficult to say whether they knew how to extract ghee from milk.
Alcoholism
A jar on display at the Archaeological Museum of Janardanaray Nagar Vidyapeeth University Udaipur is called 'Wine Torpedo' it is said. It is made of clay which has been cooked in fire and has a special type of polish on it. It is cylindrical in shape, its mouth is narrow, the middle part is wide and the lower part is again less wide. Its height is about 26 inches. This jar is obtained from West Asia to Indus Valley Civilization sites. The jar of Udaipur museum has been found from an Indus civilization site in Gujarat.
The discovery of this jar in India confirms the fact that there were trade relations between India and Greece during that period. It is also possible that the wines in these jars were brought from Greece or Rome to West Asia and the merchants there carried them to the ports of the Indus civilization.
Fun
Many types of amusements were prevalent among the Sandhav people. Fishing and hunting were the favorite means of entertainment. On one of the poses, some people are shown hunting a reindeer with arrows and arrows. Another pose depicts a man fighting with two lions. It is known from the paintings made on utensils and coins that they used to fight with chickens, partridges and quails. He was also interested in sports and exercise. A person is shown exercising on a pose.
They used to play many types of games in their homes as well. Beautiful square dice made of stone, clay and ivory have been found from many sites. Like modern dice, different numbers of dots are made on them. From these it appears that the Indus people used to play domestic games or gambling like chess or quadruped. Dance and music were the main means of entertainment of the Indus people. A beautiful statue of a dancer made of metal has been found.
Instruments like tabla, dhol, trumpet, veena etc. are engraved on some of the mudras. These instruments must have been used during the dance. Children's toys have been found in large numbers in the excavation of Sandhav sites. Among them rattles, whistles, bullock carts, figures of men and women and toys with figures of animals and birds are prominent. The neck and head of some animal shaped toys move. In some toys, the hands and feet are attached separately with the help of thread, which when pulled causes the hands and feet of the toy to move.
Means of Transport
The people of the Indus-Valley used to build unpaved roads. Bullock cart was the main vehicle. A copper vehicle has been found in Harappa which is in the shape of an ace. Boats were also a means of transport and transport.
funeral rites
On the basis of dead bodies, bone urns and pots of ashes, etc., it is believed that the people of Sandhav used to perform last rites of dead bodies in three ways-
(1.) Complete Tombstone- That is, the whole body was buried.
(2.) Partial Tomb- That is, after the carcass was eaten by animals and birds, the remaining part was buried.
(3.) Agni Sanskar- That is, the dead body was burnt and sometimes its ashes were buried. Such ashes and burnt ashes have been found in pots and pots.
Some burials (graves) have been found from Harappa and Kalibanga, in which the head of the dead body is towards the north. ऐसा किसी धार्मिक विश्वास के आधार पर ही किया गया होगा। शवाधानों में रखे शवों के साथ विविध आभूषण, वस्त्र और अन्य वस्तुएँ भी मिली हैं, जिनसे अनुमान किया जाता है कि सैन्धववासी सम्भवतः परलोक के जीवन की कल्पना करते थे। मोहनजोदड़ो की खुदाई में कोई शवाधान प्राप्त नहीं हुआ है। अतः इस नगर के लोग शवों को या तो अग्नि में जलाते होंगे अथवा नदी में बहाते होंगे।