Origins of Civilization in India

Commonly when we refer to India we are describing the country as a political entity with distinct political boundaries from the rest of the Asian continent and the world. On the other hand if we consider Indian civilization it would be more in reference to the Indian sub-continent (which includes present day Pakista, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) rather than to the political entity. It is in this light that we approach the origins of civilization in India.

Historians (and anthropologists?) consider writing, metalworking and settlement in cities as major elements of civilization. If it is along these lines that we define civilization, then it appears that urban culture emerged along these lines in India by about 3000 B.C. This literate urban culture is known as Indus Civilization, which is roughly the area where present-day Pakistan is.

Its three major urban centers (so far discovered) were: Kalibangan in modern Rajasthan; Harappa in what is now the Pakistani part of Punjab; and, Mohenjo Daro on the lower course of the Indus river. These cities were remarkable for their planned layouts as well as a water and sewage system that had no equivalent in the ancient world.

Their chief food crop was wheat and they were (perhaps) the earliest to weave cotton into cloth. However, towards the end of the third millenium B.C. Indus civilization began to decline most likely due to continued irrigation. This hurt their agricultural production base rapidly depleting the population.

The Aryans

The decline of Indus civilization made it easy for another group of people (the Aryans) to dominate India when they arrived after 1800 B.C.. The Aryans had superior martial technology and strength compared to the now weakened (and peaceful) Indus civilization so that by 1000 B.C. they had conquered most of India north of the Vindhya range. They were unable to cross southwards resulting to a clear north-south distinction in Indian culture that persists even today.

Aryan domination evolved a new culture that was a mixture of harappan, Aryan and other indigenous practices. Thus, the period between c. 1000 B.C. to c.500 B.C. is referred to as the Vedic Period Culture. It is during this period that major elements and details of Indian culture evolved and from which a highly sophisticated culture emerged.

Vedic culture was exceptional for the times. Their engagement in philosophy and metaphysics was ahead of its time and they had the most advanced knowledge in several fields including medicine, mathematics, as well as in iron and steel work.

Check out this post on EnFourSi for a some more details, especially on the geography and people of India. On the other hand, "Lost Civilization" (N4B) is a deeper look into the nature of Indus civilization and more detailed on the emergence of major cultural elements of Indian civilization.