Comparative Discussion of Indus Civilization and Vedic Civilization

The Indus Civilization and the Vedic Civilization are two distinct but interconnected chapters of ancient Indian history. In the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, the Indus civilization flourished, whose history dates back to around 2500-1900 BC. Known for its advanced urban planning, it boasted well-structured cities with elaborate drainage systems and writing that remains undeciphered.

In contrast, the Vedic civilization emerged around 1500 BCE, after the decline of the Indus civilization. It was characterized by the composition of the Vedas, the sacred texts that laid the foundation of Hinduism. Vedic society was pastoral, with a focus on rituals and oral traditions.

While the Indus civilization was urban and had writing, the Vedic civilization was more rural and oral. However, Vedic culture incorporated elements from the earlier Indus civilization, such as reverence for the sacred river Sarasvati.

The two civilizations represent distinct phases in the development of Indian society, with the Vedic culture building upon and incorporating elements from its predecessor, the Indus Civilization, ultimately forming the rich cultural tapestry of ancient India.

The Comparative Discussion of Indian Civilization and Vedic Civilization

Historical facts	Comparative discussion of Indus civilization and Vedic civilization
Indus Valley civilization	Urban
Vedic civilization	Rural
Harappan source	Archaeological
Vedic source	The Vedas
The original inhabitants of India	Harappans
Arrival in India from Central Asia	The Aryans

Introduction Comparative discussion of Indus Civilization and Vedic Civilization

The Indus Civilization and the Vedic Culture form the two great cornerstones in the history of Indian culture and civilization. When we make a comparison between the two, we notice more differences than similarities. Our sources of information about the Harappan civilization are mostly archaeological, while the Vedic culture is mostly known from literary sources – the Vedas.

Differences

• (i) The Harappans are said to have been the original inhabitants of India, while the Aryans, the founders of the Vedic culture, are believed to have come to India from Central Asia. Harappan civilization was urban, as evidenced by its urban planning, drainage system, granary, and so on. Vedic culture was rural. There was an almost complete absence of cities in the Rigvedic period. The Rigvedic Aryans lived at best in fortified places protected by earthen walls, and these cannot be considered cities in the Harappan sense. The Indus cities were well planned, divided into two well laid out parts – the citadel and the lower city with elaborate gates. In the Indus Civilization, the main sources of economy were trade, internal and external, crafts, and industry, while the later Vedic economy was dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry. Various agricultural activities, including plowing of fields, were known to the later Vedic people, and they owed this knowledge to the non-Vedic people. For the early Vedic people, herding was a more prestigious occupation. In the Harappan civilization, the only instance of field furrowing was found at Kalibangan.
• (ii) The Indus people did not know the use of iron. It was a purely “copper-bronze” culture, whereas the Vedic culture in its later phase is full of references to iron. The horse, which played a decisive role in the Aryan system of warfare, was unknown to the Indus people. A few bones of a horse and a terracotta figure of a “horse animal” have been discovered from Surkotada (Gujarat), but it has still not been conclusively proven that the horse was employed by the Harappans.
• (iii) The Indus were essentially peaceful. Their arms (swords, daggers, arrowheads, spears) were primitive in nature. There is no evidence of armor, helmet, bulletproof vest, or shield. The Aryans, on the other hand, were warlike people and knew all kinds of traditional weapons and armor and invented a full-fledged “science of war”. Vedic society was primarily based on kinship, while Harappan culture could not be fundamentally based on kinship.
• (iv) The Vedic religion was different from that of the Harappans. The Aryans worshiped Varuna, Indra, Aditi, and a large number of other deities who represented the main phenomena of nature. They performed sacrifices and offered milk, ghee, etc. to their gods. The Harappans worshiped Pashupati, the mother goddess, animals, snakes, and nature. Fire altars have been discovered from only one Harappan site at Kalibangan. The Harappans practiced earth burials while the Aryans practiced cremation.
• (v) Harappan pottery called ‘black or red pottery’ was made on wheels and was very different in nature. From all Harappan sites, fragments of this typical pottery have been collected in large numbers. The distinctive Aryan pottery is known as PGW (Painted Gray Ware).
• (vi) Facial features and physical types varied widely. The Harappans were short, dark-skinned, and relatively thin with short noses, thick lips, and small eyes. The Aryans were tall, well-built, and handsome with long and pointed noses, thin lips, pointed chins, broad shoulders, and fair skin. Even the lifestyle was different. Harappans ate all birds and animals including cows and calves. They placed great importance on individual and community bathing, as evidenced by the private baths and great spas at Mohenjo Daro. They ate wheat, barley, and bread. The Aryans preferred milk and its products, especially ghee or butter, and enjoyed the drink Soma. The meat of sacrificed animals was consumed. Dresses and costumes, hairstyles and cosmetics, jewelry, and ornaments, etc. differed in the two cultures. Harappan women wore a skirt and men used a cloth belt around their waists. The Aryans used embroidered cloths along with cloths made of hide, skin, or leather. Cotton was the staple fabric of the Harappans, while the Aryans also wore woolen garments. Vedic Sanskrit is the mother of all non-Dravidian languages ​​in India and almost all Indian languages ​​have been deeply influenced by it, but the Indus script still remains undeciphered and we are completely in the dark about its literary development. However, it is clear that the Indus people were literate while the Vedic people were illiterate. We have no word for writing in any of the Vedic texts.

Similarities

Regarding the similarities between the two cultures and civilizations, many issues have already been discussed in the previous chapter under the title “Survival and Continuity of the Indus Civilization.”. Despite the numerous differences between the two, many of their religious features were absorbed into later Hinduism. Both were relatively rich materially. Harappan mathematics must have helped “Vedic mathematics”, known to us from the Sulva Sutras, which form part of the Kalpa Sutras and deal with the construction of sacrificial altars used in Vedic rituals. Both Harappan and Vedic civilizations made significant contributions in the field of metallurgy. Likewise, the use of burnt bricks, pottery, wheeled carts (which the Aryans developed as chariots), great regard for personal hygiene, etc., were common to both civilizations. Finally, the Indus Civilization and the Vedic Culture constitute the two oldest and greatest frontiers in the development of Indian culture and civilization.

Conclusion

Finally, we have to say that apart from the minor causative factors causing the difference, such as the proximity of the Harappans and contrasting with the plasticity of the Aryan mind, the formalized and ritualized religion of the Harappans as contrasted with the animals and the metaphysical features of the Aryans and the geographical location were quite different. Differences in socioeconomic matrices between the two civilizations primarily account for the contrast between them.

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