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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
National Symbols of India
Hi
India is a land which has been inhabited for 5 millenniums. This land is known since the times of the Indus valley Civilization (which I briefly described in my previous post), to the times when we fought fiercely against the British rule ( both with extremist measure and non-violence measures of Gandhiji). and to the times in which modern day India exists.
All through our existence, Indians have found themselves connected to some SYMBOLS - whether it represented our culture and faith or were associated with our independence movement. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. Indians of all demographics backgrounds across the world are proud of these National Symbols as they instill a sense of pride and patriotism in every Indian's heart. Below is the list of our National symbols
National Flag
The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.
Apart from non-statutory instructions issued by the Government from time to time, display of the National Flag is governed by the provisions of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (No. 12 of 1950) and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971). The Flag Code of India, 2002 is an attempt to bring together all such laws, conventions, practices and instructions for the guidance and benefit of all concerned.
National Bird
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
National Flower
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. India is rich in flora. Currently available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, 47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
National Tree
Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.
National Anthem
The composition consisting of the words and music of the first stanza of the late poet Rabindra Nath Tagore's song known as "Jana Gana Mana" is the National Anthem of India. It reads as follows:
Jana gaṇa mana adhināyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya Vidhātā
Pañjāba Sindhu Gujarāṭa Marāṭhā
Drāviḍa Utkala Baṅga
Vindhya Himācchala Yamunā Gaṅgā
Ucchala jaladhi taraṅga
Tava śubha nāmē jāgē
Tava śubha āśiṣa māgē
Gāhē tava jaya gāthā
Jana gaṇa maṅgala dāyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya vidhātā
Jaya hē jaya hē jaya hē
Jaya jaya jaya jaya hē!
English translation follows as :
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[8]
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and Ganga
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
State Emblem
The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra) .
In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad , meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
National Calender
The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes:
(i) Gazette of India,
(ii) news broadcast by All India Radio,
(iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and
(iv) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.
Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.
National River
The Ganga or Ganges is the longest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains, valleys and plains. It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River. It is later joined by other rivers such as the Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of 100 thousands sq km. There are two dams on the river – one at Haridwar and the other at Farakka. The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.
The Ganga is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. Key religious ceremonies are held on the banks of the river at cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar and Allahabad. The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
National Animal
The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger' was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.
National Song
The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-man a. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The following is the text of its first stanza:
Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose 1 is:
I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss
National Fruit
A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Mughal emperor Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, Bihar at a place now known as Lakhi Bagh (Lakhi means Lakh - an Indian unit for 100,000).
National Game
India has conquered the podium when it comes to the game of Hockey. Our nation has an excellent record with eight Olympic gold medals. Indian hockey's golden period was from 1928-56, when the Indian hockey team won six successive Olympic gold medals. Team also won the 1975 World Cup besides two more medals (silver and a bronze). The Indian Hockey federation gained global affiliation in 1927 and joined theInternational Hockey federation (FIH). Thus began the history of Indian Hockey Federation as India entered the Olympics to begin its golden saga. The tour was a huge success with India winning 18 out of the 21 matches and the legendary Dhyan Chand was the cynosure of all the eyes scoring over 100 goals of the 192 Indian accounted for. The match began in Amsterdam in 1928 and India went on a winning spree in Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936 and thus bagged a hat-trick of gold medals at the Olympics.
Post Indian Independence; the Indian team achieved another hat-trick of gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Games and the Melbourne Olympics.
During the Golden Era, India played 24 Olympic matches, won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. The two other gold medals for India came in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
PS: I acknowledge the use of material from Govt of India portal to make up my post. You guys are doing a good job.
Regards
Manu
India is a land which has been inhabited for 5 millenniums. This land is known since the times of the Indus valley Civilization (which I briefly described in my previous post), to the times when we fought fiercely against the British rule ( both with extremist measure and non-violence measures of Gandhiji). and to the times in which modern day India exists.
All through our existence, Indians have found themselves connected to some SYMBOLS - whether it represented our culture and faith or were associated with our independence movement. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. Indians of all demographics backgrounds across the world are proud of these National Symbols as they instill a sense of pride and patriotism in every Indian's heart. Below is the list of our National symbols
National Flag
The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.
Apart from non-statutory instructions issued by the Government from time to time, display of the National Flag is governed by the provisions of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (No. 12 of 1950) and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971). The Flag Code of India, 2002 is an attempt to bring together all such laws, conventions, practices and instructions for the guidance and benefit of all concerned.
National Bird
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
National Flower
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. India is rich in flora. Currently available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, 47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
National Tree
Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.
National Anthem
The composition consisting of the words and music of the first stanza of the late poet Rabindra Nath Tagore's song known as "Jana Gana Mana" is the National Anthem of India. It reads as follows:
Jana gaṇa mana adhināyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya Vidhātā
Pañjāba Sindhu Gujarāṭa Marāṭhā
Drāviḍa Utkala Baṅga
Vindhya Himācchala Yamunā Gaṅgā
Ucchala jaladhi taraṅga
Tava śubha nāmē jāgē
Tava śubha āśiṣa māgē
Gāhē tava jaya gāthā
Jana gaṇa maṅgala dāyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya vidhātā
Jaya hē jaya hē jaya hē
Jaya jaya jaya jaya hē!
English translation follows as :
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[8]
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and Ganga
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
State Emblem
The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra) .
In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad , meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
National Calender
The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes:
(i) Gazette of India,
(ii) news broadcast by All India Radio,
(iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and
(iv) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.
Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.
National River
The Ganga or Ganges is the longest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains, valleys and plains. It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River. It is later joined by other rivers such as the Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of 100 thousands sq km. There are two dams on the river – one at Haridwar and the other at Farakka. The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.
The Ganga is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. Key religious ceremonies are held on the banks of the river at cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar and Allahabad. The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
National Animal
The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger' was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.
National Song
The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-man a. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The following is the text of its first stanza:
Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose 1 is:
I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss
National Fruit
A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Mughal emperor Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, Bihar at a place now known as Lakhi Bagh (Lakhi means Lakh - an Indian unit for 100,000).
National Game
India has conquered the podium when it comes to the game of Hockey. Our nation has an excellent record with eight Olympic gold medals. Indian hockey's golden period was from 1928-56, when the Indian hockey team won six successive Olympic gold medals. Team also won the 1975 World Cup besides two more medals (silver and a bronze). The Indian Hockey federation gained global affiliation in 1927 and joined theInternational Hockey federation (FIH). Thus began the history of Indian Hockey Federation as India entered the Olympics to begin its golden saga. The tour was a huge success with India winning 18 out of the 21 matches and the legendary Dhyan Chand was the cynosure of all the eyes scoring over 100 goals of the 192 Indian accounted for. The match began in Amsterdam in 1928 and India went on a winning spree in Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936 and thus bagged a hat-trick of gold medals at the Olympics.
Post Indian Independence; the Indian team achieved another hat-trick of gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Games and the Melbourne Olympics.
During the Golden Era, India played 24 Olympic matches, won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. The two other gold medals for India came in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
PS: I acknowledge the use of material from Govt of India portal to make up my post. You guys are doing a good job.
Regards
Manu
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Errors uploading the post - National Symbols of India
hi
I am stuck u with some errors while uploading my new post on National symbols of India
will do so as soon as I am able to fix up the problem.
Manu
I am stuck u with some errors while uploading my new post on National symbols of India
will do so as soon as I am able to fix up the problem.
Manu
Monday, February 2, 2009
G.I Joe - America's elite and highy trained Mission Force
In more than a half-dozen incarnations across four decades, G.I. JOE has become the single greatest brand in the history of boys' toys. Inspiring the term "action figure," G.I. JOE ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy world.
Like a typical boy growing up in urban city of India, and of course inspired by the culture of the United States, we bought VHS tapes of G.I Joe to watch, and boy oh boy we just became crazy about it. My fav of the G.I Joe team was Gung-ho ( I still like that incident when he tries to ride a crazy horse and keeps on falling from it ....)
I recently found some 20 odd episodes of G.I Joe on this wonderful site called Joost. Man, I don't know how, but their streaming and video quality is excellent. I am embedding the videos here.
We still have those tapes in the stack , although they eat dust now. Memories don't go, things go. They live eternally 'cos they are immortal.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
India and her first mark on the world - The Indus Valley Civilization
"India - The land where the sun was born ", as described by the Greeks when Alexander the Great had rendezvous in 325 B.C with Indian king Porus ( Purushottama in Sanskrit) at Battle of Hydaspes (modern day river beas) . Ancient trade relations existed, but the history of India is one which existed far beyond to the times when mankind had started a new phase of their lives- a transition from the nomadic and small village lives to built grand nations, powerful kingdoms (as of Egypt) and an extensive set and complex fabric of beliefs which shaped and had a formative effect in development of the modern day world order, and therefore the role of India cannot be denied by any means in this and has to be deeply studied and examined.
India has been a center of excellence where one of the major religions of the world "Hinduism" [or Sanatana Dharma] developed and her extreme quality of tolerance and power to absorb any shocks and developments ensured that the grieve stricken Jews, who came at around 576 B.C and then Zoroastrians (of the remnant of grand Zoroastrian nation, called Iran in modern times) around 700 A.D fostered and enjoyed their freedom of faith and respect with majority of Hindus. It was a land where Islam came at around 1000 A.D and bought with itself a new wave of development and amalgamation which we see in form of modern day Sufism ( mystical form of Islam) and muslim population which is 3rd largest in world after Indonesia and Pakistan. The story of India is untold and often misleading to many. Western people still think it is a land of Maharajas, and snake charmer [my boss told me this thing once, thus reinstating my beleif :) ] but anyways the glory of this country and the principles and spiritual elevation she stood for are still alive and make relevance to modern day - I guess even more in these times
ANCIENT INDIA
The first major excavation carried out in pre-independent India around 19th century led to the discovery of one of the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world , called the Indus Vally Civilization (IVC), the date of which has been traced back to 3200 B.C (calculated by Carbon dating of the strata found). The civilization was primarily situated in undivided India ( now Pakistan and India ) and extended westwards to countries like Afghanistan, and Iran .
The civilization of India is an ancient one and developed simultaneously with her contemporaries like Sumer ( Mesopotamia , as called by the Greeks , or modern day Iraq) , Egyptians to the west and Chinese in the north. As generally we have seen, many ancient civilizations developed near rivers and Indus Vally Civilization (IVC) was no exception-
1. Egyptians near river Nile
2. Sumer near Tigris and Euphrates
3. Indus Valley near Indus River
The major centers of the civilizations were located in the cities called Harappa, and Mohenjo daro(meaning Mound of the Dead, in modern day Pakistan) , and Lothal, Dholavira ( in modern day India). The cities were magnificent in the sense that there existed an excellent sense of civic society and advanced engineering to design the entire city which was in no way less to the pyramid wonders of the mighty Egyptians. But unlike Egyptian society, which was more of a monarchy with the plight of a worker very poor, IVC exhibited a great sense of society, although she was no match to the might of Egyptians rulers. Some of the key features of the society, as I remember from my class 6th "Ancient History" textbooks are :
-The average length of the inscriptions is less than five signs, the longest being
one of only 27 signs
-No bilingual texts (like a Rosetta Stone ) have been found.
And since the IVC was culturally isolated, it is highly unlikely there is one
A seal discovered from the city of Mohenjo daro depicting a person sitting in a meditating position - believed by many to be the form of prototype form of Lord Siva ( The destruction and annihilation aspect of the GOD who is worshiped by Hindus all around the world) , circa 2600 B.C
One of the figurines of a male from Mohenjo daro. Considered by many to be a chief priest of the society, circa 2600 B.C
THE DEMISE - around 1900 B.C
The civilization disappeared mysteriously around 1900 B.C. Many scholars believe that climatic changes, change of course of river systems, flooding etc might have forced many people to vacate those areas. I remember about some theory of epidemic spread out (but I doubt this reason to have caused people to desert these places)
Whatever be the reason of the demise of this great center of learning, it had a strong influence in the development of science , art, music etc in later history of the Indian subcontinent and the shaping up of religious orders in India which is a continuation of the practices followed by our ancient people. Every Indian should be proud of this heritage and consider it to be something they should flaunt and let people of the different parts of the world know so as they should appreciate the relevance and contributions of the Eastern world and society to the world in the way they never did before
Pranam
Manu
PS:
1. This post is just for an introduction tot he IVC. for detailed information
excellent sources are available on internet and you can take help of them
2. I am extremely grateful to Wikipedia and other relevant sites from which I took
images for this post. You guys are doing a great job and I appreciate it a lot
India has been a center of excellence where one of the major religions of the world "Hinduism" [or Sanatana Dharma] developed and her extreme quality of tolerance and power to absorb any shocks and developments ensured that the grieve stricken Jews, who came at around 576 B.C and then Zoroastrians (of the remnant of grand Zoroastrian nation, called Iran in modern times) around 700 A.D fostered and enjoyed their freedom of faith and respect with majority of Hindus. It was a land where Islam came at around 1000 A.D and bought with itself a new wave of development and amalgamation which we see in form of modern day Sufism ( mystical form of Islam) and muslim population which is 3rd largest in world after Indonesia and Pakistan. The story of India is untold and often misleading to many. Western people still think it is a land of Maharajas, and snake charmer [my boss told me this thing once, thus reinstating my beleif :) ] but anyways the glory of this country and the principles and spiritual elevation she stood for are still alive and make relevance to modern day - I guess even more in these times
ANCIENT INDIA
The first major excavation carried out in pre-independent India around 19th century led to the discovery of one of the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world , called the Indus Vally Civilization (IVC), the date of which has been traced back to 3200 B.C (calculated by Carbon dating of the strata found). The civilization was primarily situated in undivided India ( now Pakistan and India ) and extended westwards to countries like Afghanistan, and Iran .
The civilization of India is an ancient one and developed simultaneously with her contemporaries like Sumer ( Mesopotamia , as called by the Greeks , or modern day Iraq) , Egyptians to the west and Chinese in the north. As generally we have seen, many ancient civilizations developed near rivers and Indus Vally Civilization (IVC) was no exception-
1. Egyptians near river Nile
2. Sumer near Tigris and Euphrates
3. Indus Valley near Indus River
The major centers of the civilizations were located in the cities called Harappa, and Mohenjo daro(meaning Mound of the Dead, in modern day Pakistan) , and Lothal, Dholavira ( in modern day India). The cities were magnificent in the sense that there existed an excellent sense of civic society and advanced engineering to design the entire city which was in no way less to the pyramid wonders of the mighty Egyptians. But unlike Egyptian society, which was more of a monarchy with the plight of a worker very poor, IVC exhibited a great sense of society, although she was no match to the might of Egyptians rulers. Some of the key features of the society, as I remember from my class 6th "Ancient History" textbooks are :
- The drainage system was complex and very modern
- There was an extensive canal system in place to hold water for emergencies like drought and for directing it to use for agriculture purposes
- The houses and places like toilets, well etc were made of burnt bricks
Ancient well at Lothal ( an ancient city situated in Gujarat - a state on the West side of India ), circa 2400 B.C
- There were granaries to store agricultural produce
- It had the world's largest public water tank called The Great Bath ( see below), which measured 12 mt x 7 mt and 2.4 mt deep. Most scholars agree that this tank would have been used for special religious functions where water was used to purify and renew the well being of the bathers
The Great Bath at Mohenjo daro(Pakistan), circa 2600 B.C - They had a script consisting of well over 400 symbols. the decipherment of the script is still far from a reality because of the following reasons (courtsey wikipedia)
-The average length of the inscriptions is less than five signs, the longest being
one of only 27 signs
-No bilingual texts (like a Rosetta Stone ) have been found.
And since the IVC was culturally isolated, it is highly unlikely there is one
- There existed a high level of concept of society, with a set of religious beliefs which gelled the entire civilization together. These beliefs and practices laid the foundations, and subsequent shaping up of Hinduism in India. Read the description of the images below
A seal discovered from the city of Mohenjo daro depicting a person sitting in a meditating position - believed by many to be the form of prototype form of Lord Siva ( The destruction and annihilation aspect of the GOD who is worshiped by Hindus all around the world) , circa 2600 B.C
One of the figurines of a male from Mohenjo daro. Considered by many to be a chief priest of the society, circa 2600 B.CTHE DEMISE - around 1900 B.C
The civilization disappeared mysteriously around 1900 B.C. Many scholars believe that climatic changes, change of course of river systems, flooding etc might have forced many people to vacate those areas. I remember about some theory of epidemic spread out (but I doubt this reason to have caused people to desert these places)
Whatever be the reason of the demise of this great center of learning, it had a strong influence in the development of science , art, music etc in later history of the Indian subcontinent and the shaping up of religious orders in India which is a continuation of the practices followed by our ancient people. Every Indian should be proud of this heritage and consider it to be something they should flaunt and let people of the different parts of the world know so as they should appreciate the relevance and contributions of the Eastern world and society to the world in the way they never did before
Pranam
Manu
PS:
1. This post is just for an introduction tot he IVC. for detailed information
excellent sources are available on internet and you can take help of them
2. I am extremely grateful to Wikipedia and other relevant sites from which I took
images for this post. You guys are doing a great job and I appreciate it a lot
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