Where it all Began

Archaeologists are people who discover and study ancient ruins. The Indians themselves were surprised when the archaeologists announced that in the valley of the river Indus they had unearthed an entire civilization unknown before. That valley, they found, had been the homeland of a race of skilful builders. Mohenjodaro, largest and best of their cities, shows us strong brick buildings laid out in straight streets by a master plan, with graded drains everywhere. These Indus Valley people have left small primitive clay figures -- a mother goddess, and an early form of Shiva, sitting in yoga posture -- which they apparently worshipped. Scholars think that what we know today as yoga, image-worship, water-rituals, etc., came to the Hindus from these early forbears. Before this discovery everyone thought that Indian history began with the Aryans.

Did they have any higher religion, any myths or doctrines? We might know if we could decipher their language. What we have is written on their "money", small stone rectangles called seals. In this alphabet there are about 270 letters, so you may imagine what trouble it is giving to the scholars! And it is very old. The Indus civilization flourished from about 2500 B.C. to 1600 B.C. What happened then? Some say that when the Aryans came thundering down through the mountain passes from Central Asia, on their horses and chariots, the Indus people, who had never seen a horse, were terrified into panic. Others think the river itself drowned them in a vast flood before invaders arrived. Some recent excavations suggest that there has been a continuous cultural history and no "invasion" at all!