The Saraswati-Sindhu Civilization

•Around 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, a cluster of seven rivers, the Sapta Sindhu – Sindhu (Indus), Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, Kubha and the now extinct Saraswati – emerged from the great Himalayas in the North, and travelling across the western part of the Indian sub-continent, finally merged with the Arabian Sea in the South, the colossal civilization—the Saraswati-Sindhu civilization, developed along this verdant belt, which was more widely spread than the civilizations of Egypt or Greece.

•The Saraswati River ran parallel to the Sindhu River, about two hundred miles east of it. This civilization reached its zenith in the period between 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE. More than fifteen hundred cities developed on the banks of these two great rivers. In these cities, road were sixty feet wide and there were brick and stone two-story houses, large community baths, and excellent gravity-operated drainage systems. There is evidence of art pieces, silk and metal articles, crafts, leather seals, and a large variety of agricultural product and storage facilities. 

•These ancient people established reliable marine transport and conducted a trade and cultural relationship with such distant land as Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Babylon, and other, thus making it an honored member of the earliest group of civilizations on Earth.

•The seeds of International Commerce were shown here. Money transactions, including the Hundi Havala, again began at their hands. It is said that cotton and textiles were first produced in the region, and the art of navigation too was born here six thousand years ago. It is noteworthy that during this time period, when mankind still lived in caves in most parts of the world, these people were highly advanced. Written script also has been discovered on the seal pertaining to this ancient period, although proper deciphering of these writings still remains uncertain. Why and how this once-great civilization disappeared remains speculative. New evidence suggests it was due the gradual drying up of the Saraswati River because of some structural changes in north in the Himalayas.

•For long, this great civilization remained buried and hidden. In 1922, it was discovered by British archeologists and new concepts about the history, culture and religion of India became known to the world. Mohan-Jo-Daro, or perhaps more correctly, Moen-Jo-Daro (the mound of the dead), was the epicenter of this highly developed society. This ancient site is in the central part of a small state of Sind, which was earlier in the western corner of the undivided India, and after the partition in 1947 become part of the new country Pakistan. Sindhis originally hail from this land.

•The excavation of the Sindhu-Saraswati civilization, show evidence of the carving of Shiva in his proto from as Pasupati, the lord of all animal kingdoms, and also in the yoga asanas, or yoga positions. There are also carving of exuberant feminine deities, which would later be known as various from the Mother Goddess, Shakti. The naked figurines, in meditative poses of the lotus position and standing Kayotsarga (relaxation with self-awareness), are very similar to those later adopted by the Buddha and the Tirthankars (humans who achieved enlightenment) of the Jain community. These carvings are said to point towards the concept of God, were as prevalent in that period. The concepts of Yoga and meditation too were probably born in this area.

•Although Hinduism recognizes the Vedic teachings as its basic principles, the roots of this religion go back a long way, much earlier than the inception of the Vedas, probably in this period of this ancient Saraswati – Sindhu culture. It is now believed that the Vedas too were created on the banks of Sindhu River is mentioned no less than 176 times in the Vedas. No other river has been enumerated close to this.