The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization (Based on NCERT)
Posted on 25-04-2022
The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
The decline of Indus Valley Civilization: How did the Indus Valley Civilization fall or how did the Indus Valley Civilization end? The end of the Indus Valley Civilization came after this civilization lived for about 1000 thousand years. Scholars have many opinions about when and how this civilization declined and no single cause or time is known.
Review the causes of the decline of the Indus Civilization or Harappan Civilization
The reasons for the decline of the Indus Civilization or Harappan Civilization are as follows-
- The Indus Civilization or Harappan Civilization lasted for about 1000 years.
- There are many different opinions of historians about the reasons for the end of the Indus Civilization, among
which the main views are –
→ Climate change
→ Change of watercourse of rivers
→ Flood
→ Aryan invasion
→ Earthquake
→ Dispersion in social structure etc.
Most of the scholars are of the opinion that the decline of this civilization was due to the outbreak of floods, although the Indus civilization had developed in the river valley area, it was natural for the floods to come in this area, so it seems logical that the end of this civilization It may have happened because of the flood.
At the same time, some scholars are of the opinion that the collapse of such a vast civilization cannot be done only due to floods. Therefore, apart from floods, many scholars support the end of this civilization due to many other reasons like fire, epidemic, external invasion, etc.
Various scholars and their opinions regarding the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization
| scholar (thinker) | idea (belief) |
|---|---|
| Stuart, Piggott, and Gordon-Child | External Invasion (Invasion by Aryans) |
| MR Sawhney | flooding |
| Marshall, SR Rao, and Mackie | flood |
| GF Hales | Destruction due to change in the flow of Ghaggar |
| K.V.R Kennedy | Epidemic |
| Marshall and Raikes | Tectonic Disturbances |
| Aurel Strain and A.N Ghosh | climate change |
| Walter fairservice | Deforestation, resource depletion, and ecological imbalance |
| wheeler | Wheeler in his book 'Ancient India' mentions that the decline of the Indus civilization was actually largely due to climate change, and economic and political changes. |
| George Dales | George Dales, in 'The Mythical Massacre at Mohenjodaro', has denied the theory of intrusion put forth by Wheeler, arguing that the skeletons found did not belong to the Harappan period and that the burial or burial method does not date back to the Harappan period. Therefore, the decline of this civilization is not due to genocide. |