A History of India, Third Edition

EARLY CIVILISATIONS OF THE NORTHWEST

A special feature of New Kalibangan was a third smaller natural mound
at a distance of about 240 feet from the lower city. This mound contained
only remnants of fire altars. Perhaps it was a religious centre for the people
of the lower city whereas the altars of the acropolis were reserved for its
residents. Only further research will provide answers to such questions.
The absence of mother goddess figurines in Kalibangan is peculiar, since
these goddesses were ubiquitous in all other centres of the Indus
civilisation.
New Kalibangan seems to have flourished without interruption until the
eighteenth century BC. After a brief period of decline, the inhabitants
abandoned the city in the seventeenth century BC. The reasons for its
decline seem to be rather obvious: the Ghaggar river had dried up and thus
the city lost its agricultural base.

Lothal

The fourth site whose anatomy we want to examine is Lothal near
Ahmadabad which is presumed to be the great port of its age. Lothal was
founded much later than the other three settlements discussed so far.
Construction began here around 2200 BC during the Mature Harappan
period. Lothal had the features typical of all towns of the Indus
civilisation. Its acropolis was built on a high platform, about 150 by 120
feet, but its city walls surrounded both the lower city and the acropolis.
The pattern of streets and alleys was the same as that of Mohenjo-Daro
and Harappa.
But Lothal had a unique feature: a large basin, 770 feet long, about 120
feet wide and 15 feet deep, east of the city. The walls were made of hard
bricks and had two openings which are believed to have been sluice gates.
Four large round stones with holes in their middles were found at the
bottom of the basin. It is thought they may have served as anchors for
ships which used this basin as a dock. A raised platform between the basin
and the city also seem to indicate that this was the dock of a major port,
an emporium of trade between the Indus civilisation and Mesopotamia.
Critics have doubted this interpretation and have pointed out that the
‘dock’ may have been a water reservoir which served the city and was also
used for irrigating the neighbouring fields. But, regardless of the use of this
basin, there seems to be no doubt that Lothal was an important trading
centre and a major sea port.
Many tools, stone beads and seals were found in Lothal, among them
the famous ‘Persian Gulf seal’. Probably Lothal not only served long-
distance trade but also supplied the cities on the Indus with raw materials
such as cotton from Gujarat and copper from Rajasthan. This would
explain why Lothal was founded at a rather late stage when the demand
for these raw materials was at its height in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.