The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c14.s1.t2.6

c14.s1.t2.6

Let it be stated straight away, that in the present stage of our studies, the formative stages, if any, of this great Urban civilization have yet to be explored. Even the so-called "Pre-Harappan" Kot-Diji casts the same burden on the archaeologist. Hence the relation of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa to the "Upland communities" of the Pre-Harappa period, cannot be specified, inspite of certain common artistic and ceramic elements.³ At present it appears to us like Minerva born in a panoply. As Sir Mortimer put it, "the integrity of the Indus civilization stands unchallenged". The greatest challenge to the archaeologist, is to explain the origin of this great urban civilization, with its "impressive bulk" of inter-relationship with those of Western Asia and its "abundant and significant variation" in its sculpture, art, seals, terra-cottas, language and script.⁴ Only the spade, discriminately used, can cut this Gordian knot, and help us understand this jumble of words without a meaning. The true epi-centre of the Harappa culture needs to be ascertained.