Introduction
Harappa: A City of Mysteries
Harappa was one of the most important cities in the Indus
Civilization. It was located on the banks of the mighty Indus River, which
provided water for the city's people and their farms. Harappa was a busy place
with lots of houses, streets, and even public buildings.
Smart City Planning: What's really cool about Harappa is
how well it was planned. The streets were laid out in a grid pattern, which
means they crossed each other like lines on a checkerboard. It made the city
very organized.
Clever Plumbing: Harappa had a super-smart plumbing
system. The houses had bathrooms with drains to carry away dirty water, just
like our modern toilets!
The Mysterious Script: People in Harappa used a writing
system that we still can't understand today. They left behind symbols on seals
and pots, but their meaning remains a mystery.
Mohenjo-Daro: The Mound of the Dead
Mohenjo-Daro was another major city of the Indus
Civilization, located not too far from Harappa. Its name means "Mound of
the Dead" because it was discovered as a big pile of ancient ruins.
Great Baths: One of the coolest things about Mohenjo-Daro
was its giant bathhouse. It's one of the oldest known public baths in the
world! People would go there to wash and maybe even relax.
Fancy Houses: The houses in Mohenjo-Daro were pretty
fancy for their time. They had rooms for cooking, sleeping, and even a
backyard!
Advanced Planning: Like Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro had
well-planned streets and a clever sewage system. They even had a big citadel,
which was like a fort for protection.
The Mystery of Their Disappearance
Both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were thriving cities, but around 1900 BCE, they began to decline, and eventually, the entire Indus Civilization disappeared. We're not exactly sure why this happened. Some say it could have been because the rivers changed course, or maybe there were problems with the climate. Others think there might have been fights or invasions.
