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CHAPTER 3 Sorath Harappan CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 3 Sorath Harappan CHAPTER 3 SORATH HARAPPAN (Regionality in Harappan sites of Saurashtra) 3.Introduction: The spread of Harappan culture into the regions of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat in the 3rd millennium B.C. is well accepted. The evidence for this expansion is noted in settlements as far south as Bhagatrav in Broach district of Gujarat, northeast wards into Manda in Jammu and Kashmir and more recently in Bhagvanpura in Haryana (Joshi 1995), west wards along the Makran coast of Pakistan to the Iranian border (Agarwal 1982a) and in the north to the Oxus valley of northern Afghanistan (Frankfurt 1981, 1984). A Harappan 'tradition' (Shaffer 1991) was formed. The shift from regional styles as seen at Kot Diji, Amri and Sothi, to more uniform characteristics at its peak or mature phase was the main feature of this tradition. This Harappan tradition was characterized by urban centralization, craft specialization and a diversified subsistence economy. The vast expanse of this tradition in the Greater Indus Valley has put forward many questions concerning the dissimilarities in the material and structural remains at excavated Harappan sites. This particular feature, first noted in the phase termed as 'Late Harappan' has been discussed at length by different scholars (Possehl 1977a-, Agrawal 1979', Dikshit 1979, 1984', Ghosh 1982', Rao 1982', Chitalwala 1985', Mughal 1990a, 1992b). It is believed that towards the close of the third millennium B.C. the Pan - Indus cultural integration of the Indus 67 Civilization was weakened and three regional cultural patterns emerged namely 1. Cemetery H in the region of Punjab 2. Jhukar in Sind and 3. Rangpur IIB - C in Gujarat. According to Dyson (1982) the beginnings of these regional patterns was induced by causes of a local or regional nature which were not generated simultaneously. In recent years however, sites chronologically contemporary to the mature phase of Harappan occupation in Saurashtra has been seen as a 'regional variant' of the Harappan culture complex (Possehl and Raval 1989). In this regard it is important to make a note of the historical background to 'regional culture' research in India in the context of Harappan sites in Gujarat; because although the material equipment found associated with Harappan layers in the protohistoric mounds of Gujarat were thought to be contemporary to the sites in Sind and Baluchistan, the element of regional patterns were always a part of Harappan research in Gujarat. 3.1. Background to 'regional culture' research: The material evidence from the renewed excavation at Rangpur in the late 30's by Ghurye (1939:10) and later by Sankalia and Dikshit, led to the interpretation of the site as a Harappan affiliated 'Rangpur culture' (Dikshit 1950:18). This was mainly because the material correlates such as ceramics, artifacts and structures, were essentially different from that of the type site. Later at Lothal, excavations carried out by Rao between 68 1954-63 (Rao 1973b, 1985) 'established the true Harappan character' (Nanavati 1962:421) in Gujarat. Of which important were attributes sited by Wheeler, such as, the town planning, drainage pattern, standardized weights and measures, long parallel sided chert blades, carnelian beads and many such associated finds (Wheeler 1968:63). Among ceramics, the typical Harappan black painted Red ware was predominant. But once again the most important note made was that of the Micacious Red ware, the Coarse Grey ware and the Black and Red ware, which in association with the Harappan red Ware came to be considered as 'indigenous'. And for the first time, there was a suggestion by Rao that these wares represent the people who occupied the site prior to the arrival of the Harappans (Rao 1962:17, 1963:178). Since then the number of Harappan sites all over Gujarat have been on the rise. At present there are approximately 546 sites in Gujarat (Possehl 1993). Thanks to the extensive survey carried out by scholars like Joshi in Kutch, Possehl, Chitalwala and Bhan in Saurashtra and the team from M S University, Baroda in North Gujarat. But, except for the excavated sites, it is difficult to determine the chronological contemporaneity or the cultural dissimilarities of the unexcavated sites. On the whole their Harappan nature is confirmed mainly by a quick on site examination of the pottery, which is essentially 'Harappan' in character. The details of these reported sites are very inadequate for any sort of comparative or quantitative analysis. The excavations carried out at Prabhas Patan, Rojdi, and more recently at Padri, have given evidences for cultural levels 69 chronologically contemporary with the Mature Harappan sites in Sindh. The material inventory and the nature of the settlement at these sites were apparently different and lacked in the standards or the characteristic features of Harappan Civilization. Even the ceramics didn't show the distinctive Indus painting style. Possehl interpreted this as a regional expression of the Urban phase of the Harappan culture in Saurashtra and the term 'Sorath Harappan' came into being. (Possehl and Raval 1989, Possehl and Herman 1990). This 'Sorath Harappan' regionality in more recent research is further subdivided into ceramic bound regional centers (Sonawane and Prasad 1994:137). According to this division the site of Rojdi forms the Sorath Harappan core area; Padri and Prabhas Patan are the 'regional chalcolithic traditions' in Saurashtra. The region around Lothal, Rangpur and Vagad is noted as the area of 'non Harappan' traditions, although Lothal and Nageswar are considered as Sindhi Harappan settlements. 3.2 Terninology Definition of every prehistoric culture is predominantly based on the material correlates which it evidences for. In short, it is mainly a 'trait list' definition. The presence or absence of certain traits (if not all) and the similarities therein are thought to be enough to categorize a particular site into a 'Culture' slot. But the problem to be cautious of here has been noted by Champion (1989): ^'....the variety of actual material culture evidence discovered 70 by the archaeologists maij hide the fact that in real social and political terms the people with distinctive material culture were in fact treated as homogeneous and that they themselves may have considered such differences as secondary in importance to their shared commonalities. Equally, a shared material culture at some level of generality may give the impression of homogeneity when the people themselves consider they are culturally distinct (PP 2-3)^ Such similarities in the material culture, as was first recorded at the type site of Harappa, were also noted at other protohistoric mounds in India and Pakistan; and this led to the common use of the term 'Harappan'. Recent research however feels that these similarities are by far exaggerated and that there are variations in the material correlates, not just phase wise or temporal but also regional and functional. A general correlation of current terminologies and chronologies, presented by Kenoyer (1991b), gives an overview (Table 3.a). The beginning, growth and decline of this Harappan tradition has been categorized into separate phases, termed differently by different scholars. Mughal proposed the terms 'Pre/Early Harappan', 'Early Harappan' 'Mature Harappan' and 'Late Harappan' (Mughal 1970) of which 'Pre/Early Harappan' and 'Early Harappan' were severely criticized by scholars, as being misleading (Konishi 1984) Jansen 1992). As against the chronological categorization of Mughal; Possehl (1977, 1980, 1982, 1984) suggested terms indicative of socio cultural development in the various stages of Harappan occupation namely into 'Pre Urban' 71 Table: 3.a Shaffer nughul Jarrige et al Possehl Lai ti Thapar Fairservis Dales (19fl4/19<?l) (1970/1990) (1980-1990) (1991) Joshi,Dik5hit (1967) (19fe5b,197fe) Indus valley Neolithic. Aceraaic Neolithic Tradition 6500-5000BC MRS I A Early Fcxxl +W)00-5000BC Producing Era. +6000-5000BC Ceranic Neolithic/ Stage I. Chaicolithic Pastoralis«. Phase B. -6ap-No Sites MR6 IB/MRB II. Liaited Agriculture Neolithic. Discovered 5000-4300BC +4000-3300BC. 5000-4000BC. Phase C. Chalcolithic {^lalcolithic Early Chalcolithic 5000-3400BC. me III 4000-3500BC. 4000-3500BC. Regionali- Early Chalcolithic Pre Urban Phase D. zation Era. Harappan HRB IV Phase. Growth and Balakot, Aari Kot Diji A. 3500-3200BC. 3200-2600BC. spread of settleaent Hakra, Kot 3500-3000eC. Pre Harappan Turkdenia-Indus. Diji Phases Sothi/KLB I. Stage 2. 3500-3000BC. 4000-2500BC. Early Hara- Chalcolithic. 2900-2700BC. Sedentary villages, ppan. Kot- HRG V. Regionalization. Diji B. 3200-3000BC. 3300-2500BC. 3000-2500BC. Chalcolithic. HRG VI. 3000-2700BC. Pre/Early Harappan Stage 3. Phase E, MRG VII-Nausharo I Sedentary Village Protoorban. 2700-2500BC. Regionalization I incipient Urban, intraregional contact 3000-2500BC. 2500-2300BC. Integration Kot Diji C. Mature Harappan Urban Hara- Mature Harappan Stage 4. Phase F. Era. 2500-2100BC. NSH II I III ppan. 2500-2000BC. Pd. of Urbanization. Mature Harappan. Harappan Phase Mature Hara- 2500-1900BC. 2550-'2000BC. 2100-1700BC. 2300-1700BC. Full Urban. 2500-2000BC. ppan. 2500BC. 2500-2000BC. Localization Late Harappan. Late Harappan/ Post Urban. Late Harappan. Stage 5. Era. 2000-1700BC. Post Harappan. ?2000-?1700BC. Jhukar,Cewtry H Decline t< abando- Punjab,Jhukar, Jhukar,Ce«t- MSH IV Late Harappan. naent. Rangpur phases, ry H. Jhukar. 1700-1000BC. 1700-1200/800BC. 2100-1500BC. Pirak. 1990-1300BC. Post Harappan. Painted Grey <1700BC. ware Culture. i2oo-eooBC. (J.M.Kenoyer 1991) 72 'Urban' and 'Post Urban'. As far as the concept of 'Urban Revolution' as developed by Childe (1951) was concerned, his list of 10 traits characterizing urbanism, was criticized by scholars like Wheatley (1972) and Adams (1966). In brief, what Adams (1966:11) seeks to emphasize is that urbanism is more than a collection of a few loosely associated features, it should be studied as 'ordered systematic processes of change through time'. Harappan urbanism in this light came to be studied as an interrelated set of variables in a systemic context.
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