what is the most significant quality of indian civilization?for 5marks
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]India civilization begins from riverbanks which is the Indus river and the Ganges river. India derives its name from the Indus river. Knowledge of Indian civilization has come from two leading cities: Mohenjo – Daro and Harappa. These cities are carefully planned where they had wide, straight streets lined with brick houses. These cities had elaborate drainage and sewer systems.
Achievements in science and technology of ancient India are divided into few sub parts such as mathematics, astronomy, list of Indian inventions, etc. The history of science and technology in India begins with prehistoric human activity at Mehrgarh (known as Pakistan in present-day) and continues through the Indus Valley Civilization to early states and empires. The British colonial rule introduced western education in India in its efforts to give rise to a native class of civil servants, exposed a number of Indians to foreign institutes of higher learning. Following independence, science and technology in the Republic of India has included automobile engineering, information technology, communications as well as space, polar, and nuclear sciences.
The earliest evidence of technological progress in the Indian subcontinent is to be found in the remains of the Harappan civilization (4000-3000 BC). Archaeological remains point to the existence of well-planned urban centres which is orderly fashion along with roads and drainage systems complementing them. The drainage systems were particularly remarkable for the times since they were built underground and were constructed in a manner to allow for regular cleaning. Smaller drains from private homes connected to the larger public drains.
Larger private dwellings (flats) were constantly multi-storied and all homes were constructed from standardized fired bricks and provided for separate cooking areas and toilets. Storage facilities for grain and goods for trade were built as were public baths and other buildings intended for various public functions.
Urban centres were often planned near riverside or sea-ports. Accurate weights and measures were in use and ports such as Lothal were developed as export centres of early manufactured products from smelted copper and bronze.
Kilns (oven for burning) for smelting copper blocks and casting tools were in existence as were metal tools such as curved or circular saws, pierced needles and most significantly, bronze drills with twisted grooves. The drill enabled the production of items with unparalleled precision for the times and could be regarded as an ancient precursor of the modern machine tool.
There is also evidence of planned irrigation systems and it appears that fire and flood control measures to protect farms and villages were also in place. Artisans made use of the wheel and clay pottery was decorated in a variety of colours and designs. Cotton was grown and used to produce textiles.
Urban centres in the Harappan region traded with each other as well as with counterparts in Babylon, the Persian Gulf, Egypt and possibly the Mediterranean. The span of the Harappan civilization was quite extensive, and included much of modern Sindh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Western UP. But prior to its disappearance, there is also evidence of considerable social decay and disintegration.
Excavations from the later phases of the Harappan civilization suggest that population pressures led to greater anarchy in building construction. Urban dwellings became smaller and settlements became more unplanned indicating a breakdown of social practices and structures that promoted urban regulations and enforced construction codes.
Between 1800 and 1700 BCE, civilization on the Indus Plain vanished. The degeneration of these people is unknown. One suspected cause is a shift in the Indus River. Another is that people dammed the water along the lower portion of the Indus River without realizing the consequences such as flooding up river. Another suspected cause is a decline in rainfall. Agriculture declined and people abandoned the cities in search of food.
Later, a few people of a different culture settled in some of the abandoned cities, in what archaeologists call a “squatter period.” Then the squatters disappeared. Knowledge of the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa civilization died until archaeologists discovered the civilization in the mid-19th century.
From complex Mohenjo-daro and Harappan towns to Delhi’s Qutub Minar, India’s indigenous technologies were very sophisticated. They included the design and planning of water supply, traffic flow, natural air conditioning, complex stone work, and construction engineering. In forthcoming sections, we are going to discuss in detail about the ancient India’s civilization and their contributions towards science and technology in the present world.