Moenjodaro (Mound of the Dead)

Moenjodaro (Mound of the Dead), discovered in 1922, is situated on the West Bank of the river Indus. It has one of the earliest and the most developed urban civilizations of ancient world. It forms a part of the Indus River civilization of Harappa and was discovered in 1921. It is located 1287.48 km away from Moenjodaro. The Indus River civilization flourished from somewhere third till the middle of second millenium B.C. before it vanquished from the world.

Moenjodaro had mud-brick and baked-brick buildings. Covered drainage system in addition to this, soakpits for disposal bins, a large state grannary, a spacious pillared hall, a collage of priests, a large and imposing building (probably a palace) and a citadel mound which incorporates in its margin a system of solid burnt brick tower.

Moenjodaro looks like a planned, organized and master architecture of urban settlement. Beneath the citadel, parallel streets, some 30 feet wide, stretched away and are crossed by other straight streets, which divide the town into a great oblong block, each 400 yards in length, and 200 to 300 yards in width. 

The most imposing remains are those of a Great Hall which consisted of an open quadrangle with verandahs on four sides, galleries and rooms on the back, a group of halls on the north and a large bathing pool. It was probably used for religious or ceremonial bathing.

Nearby are the remains of Great Granary, possibly a public treasury where taxes were paid. We can assume the sensibility of the artistic mind by the discovery of necklaces, pendants of beads, earrings and ankles of ivory and mother of pearl, vessels of silver and bronze and stone weights and measures which suggests the existence of stringent civic regulations.

When the first seal was found in Harappa in 1875 it was thought to be of a foreign origin. A humpless bull with an illegible inscription comprising six characters, were engraved on dark brown jasper.
The significance of this, and the multitude of other seals to follow, was felt when it was realized that the engraved characters and pictures are not only indigenous to the Indus civilization but a thorough understanding of engravings can give a comprehensive account of the true nature of the Indus civilization. First it was thought that the pictograph and the ideograms were related to Brahmi characters or where perhaps the forerunner of Brahmi. It was also suggested that the seal was ideophonographic and resembled the Hieroglyphic seal.

On the other hand work was being carried on to prove that Dravdian had inherited many Indus signs thus proving the Dravdic affinity of the Indus seal. Its destruction was by the hands of invading Aryan hordes, as some historians believe, or was triggered by an earthquake, or flood the remains of which are yet to be established. The Moenjodaro museum, close to the site of excavation, houses price-less relics found there, including these engraved seals, ornamental utensils, pottery, weapons and toys. Some of the precious things have been recently shifted from the site museum to the local government treasury.

Interestingly, the bullock carts, boats, drinking jars, toys used even today in the adjoining areas, bare strong resemblance to those used by the ancient citizens of Moenjodaro. Through the discovery of coins and potteries, archeologists believe that trade and cultural links existed between Moenjodaro and the contemporary civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Various objects d'art found at Moenjodaro include burnt clay male and female figurines, and models of bird, a steatite bust a noble man or a priest-king, wearing a loose robe on which the tretoil pattern is engraved and a small dancing girl of bronze with slim figures and flat negroid features. Steatite seals bearing lifelike representation of animals and mythological creatures such as the unicorn best illustrate the figural. They bear short inscription in a remarkable pictographic script, which has yet to be deciphered.

The various layers of the excavated site show that upon the debris of the ancient civilization rose the buildings and edifices of a much latter settlement dating back to the Kushan period (between the first and the third centuries A.D.). The remains of the Buddhist stupa and the monastery, rising to the height of 10.66 meters (35 feet) above the surrounding area, are of this later period. How this remarkable civilization came to an end after 1800 B.C. remains a mystery. Human skeletons show signs of violent end. Weather this came as a result of massacre is not certain.

According to Father Heras the vertical fish sign meant a star, because in most of the Dravidian languages both the star and the fish are referred to as mint. There are many other examples of a similar nature quoted in his works. All this inspired many scholars including, Soviet, Scandinavian and Pakistanis, to start looking into the matter more seriously. Moenjodaro promises tourists, a journey spread over thousand years in one single excursion!

The ruins of an immense city, Moenjodaro, which flourished in the valley of the Indus in the 3rd millennium B.C. were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1980. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of River Indus, about 12 kilometres from Moenjodaro railway station, in Larkana District of Sind.
The well-planned city, built mostly in baked brick buildings, having public baths, and a college of priests, elaborate drainage system, soak pits for disposal of sewerage and large state granary, bears testimony that it was a metropolis of great importance, with approximately forty thousand inhabitants, enjoying a well-organized civic, economic, social and cultural life.

Excavations comprising figures of animals like rhinoceros, tigers and elephants on seals recovered from the site, and the brick-lined street drains, suggest that the region enjoyed heavier rainfall at that time than at present. Wheat, barely, sesamum, field peas, dates and cotton appear to have been the main crops. Discovery of precious stones and other metallic objects, not normally found in this region, indicate trade with foreign countries.
It is not known for certain, how the great metropolis came to a tragic end. A gradual decline of the civilization, before the ultimate end is however, clearly noticeable, and an invasion by the Aryans or the neighbouring hill tribes, appears to have sealed the fate of Moenjodaro.

The remarkable structural remains of Moenjodaro, when excavated in the early 20s, were in excellent state of preservation, but the phenomenon of salt efflorescence on them was soon noticed. Over the years the problem has assumed alarming proportions, leading to damaging of bricks and disintegration of the structures. Another serious threat to Moenjodaro is that of inundation, posed by the River Indus, flowing very close to the site.

UNESCO, approached by the Government of Pakistan launched an International campaign to safeguard Moenjodaro. The international community responded favourably, and the international organizations such as UNDP, provided financial as well as technical resources to address the main problems of River and Ground Water Control. Some equipment for scientific study and execution of work and training of a few specialists was also arranged. Conservation of structural remains however, did not match the speed of deterioration. The International Campaign has since been closed, and the responsibility of maintenance and further conservation now rests with the Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan.