write a summary on on the religious beliefs of the people of the Indus valley civilization
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Answer:
The Indus Valley Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Together with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilisations of the Near East and South Asia, and of the three, the most widespread, its sites spanning an area stretching from northeast Afghanistan, through much of Pakistan, and into western and northwestern India. It flourished in the basins of the Indus River, which flows through the length of Pakistan, and along a system of perennial, mostly monsoon-fed, rivers that once coursed in the vicinity of the seasonal Ghaggar-Hakra river in northwest India and eastern Pakistan.
Many historians believe that the religious beliefs of the Indus Valley people was the beginning of modern day Hinduism. Just like Hinduism, Indus Valley people believed in the worship of Shiva, certain animals and trees among many other deities. The discovery of amulets suggests that the Indus valley people had belief in magic and charms.
Answer:
The Indus Valley religion is polytheistic and is made up of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
There are many seals to support the evidence of the Indus Valley Gods. Some seals show animals which resemble the two gods, Shiva and Rudra. Other seals depict a tree which the Indus Valley believed to be the tree of life. The tree was guarded by a spirit to keep the evil forces away from the tree. The guardian was potrayed by many animals such as bull, snake, goat, or any other mythical creature or animal. The evil force is represented by a tiger. One seal shows a figure sitting in a position that may be similar to a yoga pose and is thought to be an early representation of a Hindu God.
The Indus people worshipped a Father God who may have been the forefather of the race.
Figurines found led the scholars to believe that the Indus people worshipped a Mother Goddess symbolising fertility.
They worshipped fertility symbols which were round or pierced stones, a practice that was performed before the worship of Shiva and Parvati in the form of Sivalinga. They may have believed in magical rituals, charms and amulets and also demons and spirits.
A figure of a male god in a seated posture carved on a small stone seal was found. The figure has a white steatite head and bust, clothed in a robe that is placed over the left shoulder, short beard with no moustache, hair cropped and parted in the middle, wearing a necklace, eyes half shut. This was considered as a sacred symbol. The Sun was regarded as one of the greatest gods. Another seal shows a horned figure surrounded by animals such as the deer, antelope, rhinoceros, elephant, tiger and buffalo. The horned figure is called Pashupati which means the lord of the cattle. Pashupati is similar to the gods, Rudra and Shiva.
Swastikas are a sacred symbol for good luck. The Indus Valley people practiced a form of yoga and meditation. The Indus Valley people built bathhouses and practiced ritual bathing. The great bath of Mohenjo-Daro was probably a proto type of a kovil or sacred tank found mostly in ancient temples in southern India where people may have performed important rituals for special occasions.
During the early days of their culture, the Indus people buried their dead. Afterwards, they conducted cremations and kept the ashes in urns. They may have believed in life after death after the discovery of pottery items and ornaments in the burial grounds.