Decipherment of Harappan Script (Set of 2 Volumes)

About the Book

The book Decipherment of Harappan Script is the result of an interest which the author developed in Harappan Archaeology since last 24 years during his stay in the Institute of Archaeology London and later on in the National Museum we Delhi where he was holding charge of Harappan material. Proto Dravidian and the earliest Aryan were present in the Harappan population. The author concluded the Harappan script was Proto Brahmi and their languages were Proto-Dravidian Brahmi and Laukik Sanskrit. The more positive chapter is identification of Harappan script signs.

This book has 27 papers on the Harappan script. The author contradicted the preconceived idea of only Dravidian language theory of Harappan. He prefers Name of South Asian civilization for this earliest Harappan civilization of South Asia.

A unique contribution of the author is the identification of Inscribed double-headed terracotta Siva from Kalibangan. Which has three signs in proto-Brahmi script and the author reads these sign as or Sivam.

About the Author

Dr. D.P. Sharma did his M.A. in Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology from Allahabad University. He continued his fieldwork and participated in various excavations at Pangoraria, Mansar, Narmada Valley, and Bhimbetka. Chopani-Mando, Mehargara, Koldihwa, Mahadaha, Sringaverapura and Bharadwaj Ashram. Besides this, he did extensive exploration in districts of Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Allahabad of U.P. and Buddha area of Madhya Pradesh. Another significant contribution of the author is the discovery of Menander – I (Posthumous) Brahmi inscription from Reh. During 1983-84, he was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship and he meritoriously qualified M.A., (Archaeology) with specialization on Paleolithic-Mesolithic of world, from Institute of Archaeology, University of London. He participated in the excavation of Sussex (U.K.) and Pincenvent (France).

He did D.Phil. research in Allahabad University.

In 1985, he joined as Dy. Keeper at National Museum, New Delhi. In 1992, he was promoted as Keeper in National Museum. He was Associate Professor in National Museum Institute and Head of Collection, Harappan and Prehistory, National Museum, Delhi. He has 33 books and 210 research papers in his credit. At present he is Director Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum. B.H.U. Varanasi.

Preface

This book Decipherment of Harappan Script is the result of interest which the present author developed in Harappan Archaeology since last 24 years when he took over charge of Antiquities of Harappan civilization collection of National Museum New Delhi. National Museum New Delhi has around 4800 art objects of Indus valley in which 400 are inscribed. This book has 27 papers on Harappan Script. The important paper includes D.P. Sharma, I. Mahadevan, J. Newbery Ushanos E.R, G.L. Passel, Pathak, S. Kak, A. Sundara, D. Dhania, K. Kumar B. Chakravarti, S.B. Bhardwaj N.S. Rajaram, B. Priyanka and Madhuri Sharma. A joint publication brought out by Parpola and J.P. Joshi (1987) included all the seals and sealing of the National Museum New Delhi. In this collection we have included all unpublished inscribed material of the National Museum and Loan of objects from the Archaeological Survey of India. The present work was stimulated by the work of my teachers Late Prof G.R Sharma, Prof B.B. Lal, Dr.S., Negi, Dr. L.A. Narian, Dr. S.N. Roy, Dr. Radha Kant Verma, Dr. Ian Glover, Prof V.D. Mishra, and Dr. Mark Kenoyer Sheri Clark, Dr. K.N. Dikshit, Dr. G. Passel, Dr. Jai Narayan Pandey, Dr. Louise Martin Institute of Archaeology, London, Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri Delhi University, V. Shinde Mr. RS. Bisht, and S. Kak.

Proto Dravidian and Aryan were very well present among the Harappan population. New discovery of ocher colored pottery (O.C.P.) from Jodhpur and copper hoard weapons from Sanauli Ganeshwar, Lothal, Madarpur and Mithatal confirms Authors view of copper hoard i.e., Aryans were living together with Dravidian population of Harappan civilization. Editor also concluded the Harappan script is Proto-Brahmi and their Languages were Proto-Dravidian and Laukik Sanskrit. I was much impressed by the work done by S.R. Rao, A. Pathak, Aska Parpola, S. Kak, J.P. Joshi, B.B. Lal and I. Mahadevan but I differ with some views of Parpola. The more positive section of this book is on glyptic seals and identification of Harappan signs.

In 1985 when I joined as Day Keeper, Prehistory and Archaeology at National Museum, New Delhi and later on I was promoted as keeper and I took over charge of Harappan Antiquities. Soon after the team of Aska Parpola and J.P. Joshi examined Seals from Harappan sites. I showed them Inscribed Harappan material for five years and while doing this work I developed interest in Harappan script.

I did not like the preconceived idea of only the Dravidian origin of some scholars (Parpola Mahadevan and others) and we need some more archaeological material and earliest evidence of Dravidian language in support of only the Dravidian origin theory which is lacking. Planet worship and the importance of Siva and celestial Gods had been a dominant factor of Harappan religion and this is a common denominator religious factor among the Dravidian and early Aryan population of South Asia. The term for South Asia is most appropriate for this Civilization and the term was also accepted by B.B. La! and Mark Kenoyer.

V Hi) The main obstacle in deciphering the Harappan script is the complete lack of translations, known scripts and language, we do not have Greek version or Brahmi version of this unknown script which was available in Rosetta stone inscription of Egyptian hieroglyph in other known scripts. Like logosyllabic script of Indus Valley and their interpretation, the stamp seal of Nindowari on Indus sign depicts the palm-squirrel (M-1202).

On the basis of the above-mentioned observation, the present author concluded “Indus script was logo-syllabic and akin to Brahmi. The Egyptians were the first who knew about script around 3000 B.C. when they came in contact with the proto-Elamite invaders of Mesopotamia.

 

Introduction

During the third millennium B.C. a highly developed civilization known as Harappan Civilization, existed along the rivers Indus and Saraswati and Western Uttar Pradesh, all located in the north-western part of South Asia. The area covered 2.6 million sq. km by the Harappan Civilization extended from Suktagendor shahi Tump on the Makran coast situated on the border of S.E. Iran and Pakistan to Alamgirpur and Hulas, Mandi and Shamlinagar, Sanouli, Nahcauli and Toppal (near Greater Noida) all on the Hindon river in western Uttar Pradesh, and Shurtaghai (Mghanistan) in the north to Daimabad in western Maharashtra. Harappan sites in Delhi are Bhorgarh, Mandauli, Dhansa and Karkari Nahar. On the basis of calibrated radiocarbon dates the age for the Mature Harappan Civilization ranges to circa 2700-1900 B.C. The early Harappa’s first made their village settlement around circa 3500 B.C. in Baluchistan. Later on they shifted to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and developed themselves as Mature Urban Harappa’s.

The Harappan houses were built mostly of bricks and stone on high platforms. The pattern of this civilization in certain respects was uniform as in evident, not only from the seals, sealing’s, writings, beads, weights and measures, pottery etc., but also from the bricks and brick-laying technique which are the same. The linear measuring scale has been found at Lothal, Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro and Allahdino. Mature Harappan sites like Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Kalibangan had each a citadel on high mound in the west and a fortified chessboard patterned lower town in the east. The Dholavira town planning was having three principal divisions named as Acropolis (Citadel), middle town and lower town, which was surrounded by a rectangular massive stone fortification wall. This requires confirmation from other Harappan sites. The Great Bath tank at Mohenjo-Daro shows the state of perfection reached in perfect building techniques. It is 39 x 23 feet in area and 8 feet deep. Identical tanks were found at Dholavira.

The most beautiful of all the figurines found at Mohenjo-Daro are two small figures of a dancing girl in bronze. The famous stone bust of a bearded man, dad in embroidered shawl with trefoil motif, now in the National Museum, Karachi, resembles the image of a priest.

A similar type of headless seated stone priest and Mongooses recently reported from Dholavira. Now They used gold and silver to make bracelets, necklaces, bangles, earrings, and headMohenjo-Daro, Farman, Nindowari, Sanouli, Allahdino, Bhimana, Rakhigarhi, Lothal, Quetta, Dholavira, and Harappa.

Book’s Contents and Sample Pages