Relation of Vedic Civilization to the Indus/Saraswati Civilizations
Perhaps the most interesting evidence for the antiquity of the Vedic tradition comes from architectural remains of towns and cities of the ancient Indus-Saraswati civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished, according to the most reliable current scientific estimates, between 2,600 and 1,900 BC—but there are cities, such as Mehrgarh, that date back to 6,500-7,000 BC. These dates are based on archeological fieldwork using standard methods that are commonly recognized in the scientific community today. Over 1600 settlements have been found in the vast Indus/Saraswati region that extended over 25,000 square miles.
The most well known cities of the Indus valley civilization, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, were built of kiln-fired brick and laid out on an exact north-south axis. This means that the main streets of the city ran north-south, and the entrance of the homes and public buildings faced east. The cities were also built to the west of the rivers, so that they were on land that sloped east to the river.
These facts, which may seem trivial on first glance, turn out to be highly significant.
The ancient architectural system of Sthapatya Veda prescribes detailed principles of
construction of homes and cities. One of the main principles of Sthapatya Veda is that
cities be laid out on an exact north-south grid, with all houses facing due east. Another
is that the buildings be oriented to the east with a slope to the east and any body of
water on the east. Most of the cities of the Saraswati and Indus valley followed these
principles exactly.
These early cities were planned and constructed according to exact principles that align the microcosm of human dwelling to the larger cosmos. They applied laws of nature that are set out in Sthapatya Vedic architecture. When the principles were codified into a system is open to question, but since the building and city planning were done according to Sthapatya Vedic principles, it is reasonable to conclude that Sthapatya Veda was known and practiced during the ancient period of Indus-Saraswati valley civilizations. The system called Sthapatya Veda architecture may have preceded this period, or may have been codified later, but the cities were built according to Sthapatya Vedic architecture.
Since these cities were constructed as early as 6,500 to 7,000 BC, this would suggest that Sthapatya Veda may have been known as early as that. This gives another reason to put the origins of Rig Vedic tradition even before that time. This is another bit of evidence, which is not noted in previous literature, that may establish the great antiquity of the Rig Vedic tradition.
Archeological research has shown Indus Valley civilization was an outgrowth of an
earlier agrarian civilization. Richard H. Meadow of Harvard University has shown for
instance a gradual shift from the hunting of game to the raising of sheep, goats, and
cattle called the humped zebu, which were apparently domesticated in the Indus
valley.* The city of Mehrgarh, lying to the West of the Indus river near the Bolan Pass, between ancient India and Afghanistan, was first inhabited from 6,500 BC to 7,000 BC by a largely agrarian people who cultivated barley and cattle.** The Rig Veda frequently mentions barley and milk cattle, and may have come from this agrarian period that was precursor to the Indus-Saraswati valley civilization.
Credit: Kenneth Chandler, Ph.D.
* Jonnathan Mark Kenoyer, “Birth of a Civilization.” Archeology, January/February 1998, 54-61, p. 56.
** Jonnathan Mark Kenoyer, “Birth of a Civilization.” Archeology, January/February 1998, 54-61, p. 56.
