What were the Differences between Indus civilization & Vedic Culture?

The Indus civilization and Vedic culture constitute two great corner stone’s in the history of Indian culture and civilization. When we make a comparison between the two, we notice more differences than similarities. Our sources of information of the Harappan civilization are mainly archaeological, while the Vedic culture is mostly known from the literary sources – the Vedas.

Differences: Harappans are said to have been the original inhabitants of India while the Aryans, the founders of Vedic culture, are believed to have come to India from Central Asia. The Harappan civilization was urban in nature as is evidenced by its town-planning, drainage system, and granary and so on.

The Vedic culture was rural. There is almost complete absence of towns in the Rigvedic period. At best the Rigvedic Aryans lived in fortified places protected by mud walls; and these cannot be regarded as towns in the Harappan sense. The Indus towns were well-planned, divided into two well- laid out parts – the citadel and lower town with elaborate gateways.

In the Indus civilization trade, internal and external, crafts as well as industries were the main sources of economy, while the later- Vedic economy had predominance of agriculture and cattle rearing.

The various agricultural operations, including the ploughing of fields, were better known to the later-Vedic people and they owed this knowledge to the non-Vedic people. For early Vedic people pastoralism was the more prestigious profession. In the Harappan civilization the only instance of furrowing the fields has been found from Kalibangan.

Indus people did not know the use of iron. It was purely a ‘copper-bronze’ culture, while the Vedic culture in its later phase is replete with references to iron. The horse, which played a decisive role in the Aryan system of warfare, was not known to the Indus people. A few bones of horse and terracotta figure of a ‘horse-like animal’ have been unearthed from Surkotada (Gujarat) and still it has not been convincingly proved that the horse was employed by the Harappans.

Indus people were basically peace loving. Their arms (swords, daggers, arrow-heads, and spears) were primitive in nature. No evidence of armour, helmet, body armour or shield is available. The Aryans, on the contrary, were warlike people and were conversant with all kinds of traditional arms and armour and had devised a full-fledged ‘science of war’. The Vedic society was primarily based on kinship where as the Harappan culture could not be basically kin-based.

The Vedic religion differed from that of the Harappans. The Aryans worshiped Varuna, Indra, Aditi and a large number of other deities which stood for the principal phenomena of nature. They performed sacrifices and offered milk, ghee, etc. to their gods.

The Harappans worshipped Pashupati, Mother Goddess, animals, snake and nature. The fire-altars were discovered from only one Harappan site at Kalibangan. The Harappans practised earth burials whereas the Aryans practised cremation.

The Harappan pottery called ‘black or red pottery’ was wheel made and very distinctive in nature. From all the Harappan sites fragments of this typical pottery have been collected in large numbers. The distinctive Aryan pottery is known as PGW (Painted Grey Ware).

The facial features and the physical types differed considerably. The Harappans were short stature, black in complexion and comparatively thin with short nose, thick lips and tiny eyes. The Aryans were tall, well-built and handsome with long and pointed nose, thin lips, pointed chins, broad shoulders and fair complexion.

The life style was also different. The Harappans ate all birds and animals including cow and calf. They attached great importance to individual and community bathing as is witnessed by the private bathrooms and great Bath at Mohenjodaro. They ate wheat, barley and bread. The Aryans preferred milk and its products, specially ghee or butter and enjoyed Soma drink. Meat of the animals scarified was eaten.

The dress and costumes, the hair-do’s and the cosmetics, the jewellery and the ornaments etc. of the two cultures differed. The Harappan women put on a skirt and men used a band of cloth round their loins. The Aryans used embroidered cloth along with the ones made of leather, hide or skin. Cotton was the basic fabric of the Harappans while the Aryans put on woollen garments too.

Vedic Sanskrit is the mother of all non-Dravidian languages of India and almost all Indian Languages were deeply influenced by it, but the Indus script still remains undeciphered and we are completely in the dark about its literary developments. However, it is clear that the Indus people were literate whereas the Vedic people were illiterate. We do not have any word for writing in any of the Vedic texts.