How did the Indus Valley Civilization end?

The Harappan Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization was the oldest great civilization of India. Its time period is determined from 2350 to 1750 BC. In this post you will read about the development of Indus Valley Civilization and how the Harappan Civilization declined.

Mystery of Harappan Civilization
The development of the Indus Valley Civilization and how it ended, these things still remain a puzzle. Although, due to not reading the script, its social, political and religious life has not been clearly known, yet it is estimated from the objects found from the excavation.

Nothing specific could be ascertained from the excavated objects regarding the development and decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. How this civilization originated and how it fell remains a mystery of Harappa.

Under the mystery of Harappa, we will study here mainly two things, first how the Indus Valley Civilization developed and theories related to it, and second, how the Indus Valley Civilization ended and various theories related to its decline.

Development of Harappa Sabhyata
How did the Indus Valley Civilization develop? Did some people who came from outside carried out this civilization? Or the Indus Valley Civilization developed from Aryans or Dravidians. There has been a long discussion and debate among historians regarding the development of Indus Valley Civilization. Different scholars have different opinions on this. Some of these main and most popular theories are as follows.

1. Theory of Alien Origin- According to a class of scholars like Martiner, Wheeler, Garden Child, Kemar, DD Kaushambi etc., the Mesopotamians migrated to the Indus region in time and finally carried out this civilization. At present this opinion has been completely rejected.

2. Theory of Origin from Aryans — Scholars like Lakshmanaswarup Sahay and Ramachandran consider Aryans to be the father of Harappan civilization. This view is also not accepted, because there is a difference in the date order of the two, as well as the Aryans were rural, while the Harappans were urban.

3. Theory of Origin from Dravido- Scholars like RD Banerjee consider Dravid to be the father of this civilization, but there is difficulty in accepting this view as well because Dravidians were people of rural culture, while Harappans were urban people.

4. Theory of origin from indigenous — Romila Thapar, Alchin couple, Amalanand Ghosh gave the theory of origin from indigenous for the origin of this civilization. This is the most recognized view, because the scholars who give this opinion, on the basis of archaeological data, have shown evidence of development (village), semi-city (town) from the pre-urban phase of Harappa.

Must Know : Adhunik Bharat Ka Itihas

The decline of the Harappan civilization [How the Indus Valley Civilization was destroyed]
How did the Indus Valley Civilization end? Was it caused by a flood? Did the Harappan Civilization Cause the Fall of Humans? Did the Harappan civilization end due to the wrath of nature? How the Indus Valley Civilization was destroyed after all, what is the secret of Harappa. What were the reasons behind the decline of Indus Valley Civilization? What is the most accepted theory related to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization? Decline of harappa in hindi.

Like the origin of the Harappan civilization, there are different opinions of different scholars regarding its decline. Following are the major theories and ideas related to its downfall.

1. Fall by Flood — Scholars like Marshall Mackay, SR Rao believe that this great civilization collapsed as a result of a severe flood.

2. Drying of rivers — Scholars like DP Agarwal, Amalanand Ghosh, P Sood believe that this civilization has collapsed due to the drying up of rivers. This civilization was heavily dependent on the river. In such a situation, due to the drying up of the river, life became very painful. Along with agriculture, trade and commerce were also affected. As a result, the Harappan urban civilization gradually came to an end. This opinion is considered to be more reliable than other opinion.

3. Change of the course of rivers — Historians like M S Vats believe that this urban civilization collapsed due to the change in the course of rivers.

4. Geologic Movement (Earthquake) — Scholars like R A Rice, M A Sahni consider the geologic factors responsible for the decline of this civilization.

5. Epidemic like malaria — Historians like American scholar Kennedy believe that this civilization collapsed due to the spread of epidemics like malaria.

6. Invasion of Aryans — This view has been given by historians like Martimer, Wheeler, Garden Child. According to this civilization collapsed due to the invasion of Aryans. This opinion is considered the weakest opinion. There is no historical evidence of this anywhere.

7. Administration Decline — Scholars like Marshall consider the decline in politics and administration to be the reason for the end of this civilization. Although not much is known about the administration of this civilization due to not reading the script, but by looking at the lifestyle known from the excavated objects, a better administrative system can be estimated. Some scholars believe that the decline in this administrative system resulted in the decline of the Harappan civilization.

8. Fall of Business — This is the most popular opinion. Under this, it is believed that due to the decline in trade, this civilization gradually came to an end. The Harappan civilization was an urban civilization dependent on trade. In such a situation, this opinion is given more importance than others.