Indus Valley Civilization:
Que. Explain why the majority of the known Harappan settlements are located in the semi-arid areas with saline groundwater. [UPSC CSE-2016]
Approach:
(1) Explain briefly the role of environmental conditions on the settlement of the people.
(2) Mention different potentials of this region may throw light on the alternative attraction for the Harappans to settle in this area.
(3) Conclude on balanced footing.
Introduction:
The settlement of people in any region is very much dependent on its environmental conditions. Environment is taken as the surroundings or conditions in which various species (men, animals and plants) exist and function. The environment mainly comprises elements such as climate, landscape, rivers, species of plants and animals (flora and fauna), etc.
Semi-arid environmental zones in Gujarat and Rajasthan having largest Harappan settlements are having scanty and irregular rainfall averaging around 30 inches a year. The rivers flowing through this region including the Banas, Saraswati, Rupen and Sabarmati are fed by the monsoon rains and are ill suited for irrigation. Even the ground water in this region is brackish and saline. With such adverse climate as a backdrop, probabilities are, therefore, higher that the selection of this area for settlement should have been other than agrarian.
A brief look at the different potentials of this region may throw light on the alternative attraction for the Harappans to settle in this area. For example:
(1) Agricultural Potential: The semi-arid regions benefited from the periodic flooding of rivers, which deposited nutrient-rich sediments and improved soil fertility. This made the alluvial plains along the rivers suitable for cultivation and encouraged settlement.
(2) Irrigation Opportunities: The presence of rivers offered opportunities for irrigation. The Harappans were adept at constructing sophisticated irrigation systems, allowing them to harness water for agriculture and mitigate the challenges of aridity.
(3) Water Harvesting System: This region has a semi-arid climate with less seasonal rainfall so the inhabitants choose these sand dunes as they were besides the inter-dual depressions which accumulate rainwater and many a times, retain the water throughout the year. Since water in these village ponds remains potable, they are an important source of water for people as well as livestock.
(4) Trade and Commerce: Many Harappan settlements were strategically located along trade routes, where converging routes facilitated economic exchanges. Being located in such areas allowed the civilization to participate in trade and reap its benefits.
(5) Urban Planning and Water Management: The Harappans were skilled urban planners and water managers. They designed their settlements with advanced drainage systems, wells, and reservoirs to efficiently manage water resources and deal with challenges like saline groundwater.
(6) Easy Navigation: Physiographically Rann is an important division of north Gujarat as the whole western edge of the region is covered by the Little Rann. The traditions of the Rann being an arm of the sea are both persistent and persuasive. It is therefore likely that there was a navigable sheet of water or deep meandering channels and the Harappans made full use of them avoiding trafficking on the high sea.
(7) Resource Availability: Semi-arid regions might have offered other resources, such as minerals, raw materials, or specific flora and fauna, that were advantageous to the civilization. The sea also might have provided the raw material for the shell industries as well as influenced the subsistence activity of the Harappans.
Historians have noted a source of amazonite at Palanpur in Mehsana District. The existence of copper mineralization in Gujarat has been discussed briefly in the Gujarat State Gazetteers. The known sources of copper in north Gujarat are Ambaji in Sabarkantha District and Chitrasani in Banaskantha District.
(8) Livestock and Animal Husbandry: Another important factor, which can influence a settlement in a semi-arid zone, is that it offers good grazing land. Today livestock raising is the mainstay of a large population of the rural economy in this region. Both the banks of Rupen river, eastern border of Little Rann and large areas of waste land usually associated with almost all the archaeological sites in this region have an excellent growth of bokana (Cressa cretica), soma jinko-soma (Panicumflaridum), zinzvo etc.
The region supports an estimated 20,000 head of cattle and is the source for the famous Kankrej breed of bullocks. The dry climate and sandy soil of the region is said to be suitable for making bullocks sturdy, fast moving and disease resistant.
(9) Technological Innovation: The advanced technology developed by the Harappans in manufacturing stone tools as well as stone and shell ornaments and their exports to far off regions required a large amount of raw materials. Though the mineral resources are limited in north Gujarat, raw materials like shell, semi-precious stones, steatite, amazonite, copper and stones like quartzite, granite, limestone, marble and china clay, which are available in this region, could have been of commercial and industrial use for the Harappans.
(10) Geographical Importance: The region of north Gujarat is an important area connecting Kutch with Saurashtra and mainland Gujarat. If the Harappans had come from Sind to Kutch via land route, this region might have been extensively used by the Harappans for their migration further south.
Conclusion:
The Harappan settlements’ location in semi-arid areas with saline groundwater was a result of a multifaceted approach that considered factors such as water availability, agriculture, trade, resource management, and the civilization’s capacity to adapt and innovate. Their ability to thrive in these conditions speaks to their ingenuity in overcoming environmental challenges and making the most of the resources available to them.
