The Sarasvati Civilisation


Book Description

Who were the Harappans? How are they related to present-day Indians? Was there never an "Aryan Invasion"? The Sarasvati Civilization: A New Paradigm in Ancient Indian History brings together evidence from satellite imagery, geology, hydrodynamics, archaeology, epigraphy, textual hermeneutics, and DNA research to place together ancient Indian history in the light of new discoveries and facts which were simply not available to colonial historians of the 19th century and have been overlooked thereafter. At the heart of the ancient Indian Civilization was the mighty Sarasvati river which was in full flow 5000-6000 years ago. 60-80 % of the so-called Indus Valley Civilisation sites which have been discovered are not on the banks of the Indus but on the course of the Sarasvati. The drying-out of the river is the most significant factor in the history and migrations of the ancient Indians. With new evidence, the time has come for a significant paradigm shift in Indology. This book breaks new ground to lay the foundation for an authentic Indian history.




The Lost River


Book Description

The Indian subcontinent was the scene of dramatic upheavals a few thousand years ago. The Northwest region entered an arid phase, and erosion coupled with tectonic events played havoc with river courses. One of them disappeared. Celebrated as -Sarasvati' in the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, this river was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century through topographic explorations by British officials. Recently, geological and climatological studies have probed its evolution and disappearance, while satellite imagery has traced the river's buried courses and isotope analyses have dated ancient waters still stored under the Thar Desert. In the same Northwest, the subcontinent's first urban society"the Indus civilization"flourished and declined. But it was not watered by the Indus alone: since Aurel Stein's expedition in the 1940s, hundreds of Harappan sites have been identified in the now dry Sarasvati's basin. The rich Harappan legacy in technologies, arts and culture sowed the seeds of Indian civilization as we know it now. Drawing from recent research in a wide range of disciplines, this book discusses differing viewpoints and proposes a harmonious synthesis"a fascinating tale of exploration that brings to life the vital role the -lost river of the Indian desert' played before its waters gurgled to a stop.




In Search of the Cradle of Civilization


Book Description

In this pathbreaking book, the authors show that the ancient Indians were no primitives but possessed a high spiritual culture, which not only influenced the evolution of the Western world in decisive ways but which still hs much to teach us today. India's archaic spirituality is codified in the rich symbols, metaphors and myths of the magnificent Rig-Veda, which is shown to be much older than has been widely assumed by scholars. The present book also unravels the astonishing mathematical and astronomical code hidden in the Vedic hymns. Anyone interested in ancient cultural history, India, archaeo-astronomy or spirituality will find this well researched and cross-cultural work spellbinding and enriching.




The Sarasvatī Flows on


Book Description







Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization


Book Description

This work is a continuum of Sarasvatī - River & Civilization (2020). A perspective is presented to explain how Ancient India became the richest nation on the globe as of 1 Common Era (pace Angus Maddison). The major focus is the contributions of Ancient Indian artisans and seafaring merchants (who called themselves Meluhha, mleccha) during the Tin-Bronze Revolution from ca. 5th millennium BCE. The continuum from Veda culture is demonstrated. A principal contribution made is in using Primary Sources from over 9000 Epigraphs of the Civilization, thanks to the successful decipherment of Indus Script.




The Lost Saraswati Civilization


Book Description

The Lost Saraswati Civilization is an edited work of Deo Prakash Sharma and madhuri Sharma. Till today around 2668 Harappan and its associated sites have been reported in north-West south Asia in which 1100 sites are located on dry banks of river Saraswati and its tributaries. During 3rd millennium B.C. Hindon was a tributary of river Saraswati and around 250 Harappan sites have been reported on the banks of river Hindon, mandi, Hulas, Alamgirpur, Sanuoli Toppal are important Harappan sites located on the bank of river Hindon which is now a tributary of yamuna. We have excavated 208 Harappan sites. Ganweriwala is the largest (350 hectares) Harappan site located on dry bank of Saraswati (or Hakra) in Cholistan (Pakistan) . Few excabvated harappan sites in Saraswati region are Desalpur, Dholavira, kalibangan, Bhirrana, Barror, Dhalewan, Banawali, Kunal and Rakhigarhi. Saraswati or Hakra or Ghaggar was a holy river. From 6000 B.C. to 1800 B.C. Saraswati flowed from south of Siwalik through Himachal, Haryana, Punjab, Northern Rajasthan and Finally was joining Desalpur in Arabian sea. Due to tectonic disturbance in the Siwalik, Saraswati river course moved streadily in the clockwise direction eventually flowing eastsouth east rather than south. The stream captured by the emerging Yamuna river compromised its water shed and river Saraswati began to dry up around 1800 B.C. Archeologists observed after analyzing literature and remote sensing images that river Saraswati flowed through Rajasthan desert. This lost river Saraswati was 1500 km. Long and between 3 to 12 km. Wide. This volume includes 27 papers.




India: The Ancient Past


Book Description

India: The Ancient Past provides a clear and systematic introduction to the cultural, political, economic, social and geographical history of ancient India from the time of the pre-Harappan culture nine thousand years ago up until the beginning of the second millennium of the Common Era. The book engages with methodological and controversial issues by examining key themes such as the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, the Aryan controversy, the development of Vedic and heterodox religions, and the political economy and social life of ancient Indian kingdoms. This fully revised and updated second edition includes: Three new chapters examining the differences and commonalities between the north and south of India; Extended discussion on contested issues, such as the origins of the Aryans and the role of feudalism in ancient India; New source excerpts to introduce students to the most significant works in the historiography of India, and questions for discussion; Study guides, including a list of key issues, suggested readings and a selection of internet sources for each chapter; Specially designed maps to illustrate different time periods and geographical regions This richly illustrated guide provides a fascinating account of the early development of Indian culture and civilization that will appeal to all students of Indian history.




The Indus Civilization


Book Description

The Indus Civilization of India and Pakistan was contemporary with, and equally complex as the better-known cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. The dean of North American Indus scholars, Gregory Possehl, attempts here to marshal the state of knowledge about this fascinating culture in a readable synthesis. He traces the rise and fall of this civilization, examines the economic, architectural, artistic, religious, and intellectual components of this culture, describes its most famous sites, and shows the relationships between the Indus Civilization and the other cultures of its time. As a sourcebook for scholars, a textbook for archaeology students, and an informative volume for the lay reader, The Indus Civilization will be an exciting and informative read.




A Peaceful Realm


Book Description

Some 5000 years ago, civilized societies emerged in the valleys of four great rivers: the Nile, the Euphrates, the Yellow, and the Indus. Of these primary Old World civilizations, that of the Indus remains the least known and the most enigmatic, though, paradoxically, it has left perhaps the most lasting influence on the societies that followed it. In this lucid account - abundantly illustrated with maps and photographs, including sixteen pages in full color - archaeologist Jane McIntosh addresses what we know about the rise and fall of the civilization of the Indus and Saraswati valleys, what it might be reasonable to speculate, and what we still hope to learn. While drawing on archaeological and linguistic evidence to create a portrait of the civilization from the inside, McIntosh also carefully pieces together a wider picture of the Indus civilization using evidence from its trading partners in Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, and Southwest Asia. The result is an outstandingly vivid recreation of one of the world's great but all-but-lost ancient civilizations.