The causes for the decline of Indus Valley Civilization.
The causes for the decline of Indus Valley Civilization.
The different reasons regarding the destruction of Indus Valley Civilization.
The causes for the decline of Indus Valley Civilization.
Introduction:-
The reason for the decline of Indus Valley civilization and culture is not known precisely due to lack of sufficient evidence, lack of proper decipherment of the inscriptions found in the Indus Valley and Harappa. Many believe that when the city of Mohenjo Daro was destroyed seven times in succession, its inhabitants abandoned it completely. However, if the Indus script is not deciphered, the reason for its decline cannot be known precisely. In this context, it can be said -
'' It is impossible at the present state of our knowledge to come to any definite conclusion .''
( The Vedic Age )
However, historians attach more importance to several factors as the cause of the decline of Indus Valley Civilization; For example -
(i) Internal Decline:-
As a result of the rapid population growth of Mohenjodaro, Harappa and other cities, the size of the habitations became smaller. The authority of the municipal bodies was weakened. Trade also declined and the former glory of pottery faded.
In this context, the historian Wheeler has commented - the later Mohenjodaro was only a shadow of the earlier Mohenjo Daro. By 1700 BC, the decline of the Harappan civilization was completely visible, which was the result of internal decline.
(ii) Conservative mentality:-
Another important reason for the decline of the Harappan civilization was the conservative mentality of the Harappan inhabitants. No change was achieved in the Harappan culture over time. The root of this lack of change was the conservative mentality of the people there. Therefore, in all aspects, political, social, economic, etc., they lagged behind other contemporary civilizations such as the Sumerians and Babylonians; trade was affected and eventually it went towards destruction.
(iii) Natural Disasters:-
Dr. Raikes has identified changes in the natural environment or natural disasters as the reason for the extinction of the Harappan civilization. According to many, after research on hydrology, there was a source of a terrible earthquake near Mohenjo Daro and as a result the city was destroyed.
Recently, the renowned French researcher on geology, Dr. Marie Agnes Courty, has shown through extensive research that, in the Bronze Age around 2000 BC, there were major geographical changes in the centers of the West Asian and Indus civilizations. A major change in the climate was caused by a cosmic explosion or a comet impact. Agricultural areas turned into deserts. With this, the inhabitants of the area started leaving the Indus Valley Civilization.
British expert Benny Peiser has expressed a similar opinion.
(iv) Foreign invasions:-
M. Teddy, referring to the events mentioned in the Rigveda, says that the cities of Indus were destroyed due to the invasions of various groups of Aryans.
H.G. Wells believes that the cities and citizens of North India were destroyed due to the invasions of Aryans during the reign of Hammurabi. The image of the axe on the seal found in Bukar and the story of Hariope in the Rigveda probably took place between the Vedic Aryans and the Indus Valley Civilization. Again, according to many, not all of the invaders were Vedic Aryans; many of them came from Baluchistan as well.
He believes that the root cause of the decline of this great civilization was the widespread movement of nomadic charioteers, which changed the face of the entire civilized world in the second century BC.
(v) Climate change:-
The images of rhinoceros, elephants, etc. engraved on seals prove that the Indus Valley was forested and there was a lot of rainfall. But later, when the forests were destroyed for various reasons, the amount of rainfall decreased. As a result, agriculture deteriorated. Due to the lack of rainfall, the agricultural area gradually became desert. Between 1700 and 1500 BC, most of its areas became dry and desert. Therefore, climate change is one of the reasons for the decline of the Harappan civilization.
Other reasons:-
A. Deforestation - The areas became forestless due to the expansion of sandy land and the indiscriminate use of trees for burning bricks; As a result, the agricultural economy collapsed and people moved elsewhere.
B. Flood - Around 1700 BC, a terrible flood occurred in the Indus River and the entire civilization was swept away by the flood. M. R. Sahani said - ''Floods may have swept the Indus Culture.''
C. Epidemic - After this flood, an epidemic occurred which was a severe blow to the Indus civilization.
D. The increase in the amount of salt in the land caused damage to agriculture and the agriculture-based economy was completely destroyed.
E. The entire Indus civilization was swept away by the desert due to the expansion of the desert in Rajputana.
F. Also, the change in the course of the Indus River was one of the reasons for the decline of the Indus civilization.
Conclusion:-
Historians believe that this civilization was finally destroyed by 1500 BC. The above discussion clearly shows that there was no single cause for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. Multiple natural and political factors were responsible for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. However, like the rise of the Harappan civilization, the story of its demise is still shrouded in mystery.
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