The Burial of the Dead

The disposal of the deceased has held great significance in the religious practices of human societies throughout history, as it is tied to their beliefs regarding the afterlife. Although the Harappan civilization did not produce monumental burial sites like the pyramids of Egypt or the Royal cemetery of the Mesopotamian city of Ur, there are still some indications of their burial practices.

The Harappan civilization had a variety of burial practices, with graves discovered in Harappa showing bodies laid on their backs in a north-south orientation and surrounded by earthen pots, ornaments such as shell bangles, necklaces, and earrings, and sometimes copper mirrors, mother of pearl shells, and antimony sticks. Some graves were even constructed with bricks, and a coffin burial was discovered at Harappa. At Kalibangan, circular pits containing large urns accompanied by pottery were found, but with no skeletal remains. Other burial pits contained collected bones. Lothal yielded pairs of skeletons, male and female, buried together.

The burial practices of the Harappans differed from the ones followed in later historical periods, where cremation was predominant. However, the fact that the bodies were carefully placed with ornaments and toiletries suggests a belief in life after death. The specifics of this belief are unknown to us.

According to archaeological evidence, the Harappan civilization had varying religious practices across different regions. For instance, fire worship was observed in Kalibangan and Lothal but not in Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Mohenjodaro had ritual bathing, whereas Harappa may not have had it. Burial practices also varied greatly, from extended inhumation to pot and double burials. In Kalibangan, even different burial practices were observed in the same settlement. This religious diversity in urban centers reflects their complex nature, unlike tribal societies where everyone follows the same religious practices. Urban centers were formed through the integration of various social groups and the presence of traders from different regions with their own religious practices. These groups retained their customs but lost their political and economic independence.

The Harappan civilization also referred to as the Indus Valley Civilization, was present in the northwestern areas of South Asia during the Bronze Age. It lasted from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, with its mature form occurring from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Compared to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley Civilization was the most widespread, with sites covering a vast area from northeast Afghanistan through much of present-day Pakistan and into western and northwestern India. It thrived in the Indus River basins, which were fed by a system of perennial rivers that mostly received monsoon rains. Unlike other ancient civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilization did not have large temples or religious imagery, and deciphering the scripts did not reveal the names or characteristics of deities.