THE DECLINE OF THE HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION: AN ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC FACTORS
हड़प्पा सभ्यता का अवसान : पर्यावरणीय एवं मौसमी कारकों का विश्लेषण
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhgyan.v4.i1.2026.94Keywords:
Indus Valley Civilization, Decline, Climate Change, MonsoonAbstract [English]
This research paper analyzes the gradual decline of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), one of the most advanced urban-centered civilizations of the ancient world, and the crucial role of climate change in its demise. For a long time, it was believed that the civilization ended due to foreign invasions or sudden floods, but modern archaeological evidence and paleoclimate data tell a different story.
The main focus of this study is the weakening of the South-West Monsoon around 1900 BCE and the resulting prolonged aridity. This paper examines how the changes in monsoon patterns affected river levels, particularly impacting the Ghaggar-Hakra (Saraswati) river system. The water scarcity not only eliminated agricultural surpluses but also disrupted the food supply chains of the large cities.
In conclusion, this research establishes that the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization was not a sudden event but a cultural transformation, where adverse climatic conditions forced people to abandon organized urban life and migrate eastward (to the Ganges plains) and southward in the form of smaller rural communities. This study also offers a historical warning and lesson for the current global climate crisis.
Abstract [Hindi]
यह शोध पत्र प्राचीन विश्व की सबसे उन्नत नगर-केंद्रित सभ्यताओं में से एक, सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता (IVC) के क्रमिक पतन और उसमें जलवायु परिवर्तन (Climate Change) की निर्णायक भूमिका का विश्लेषण करता है। लंबे समय तक यह माना जाता रहा कि इस सभ्यता का अंत विदेशी आक्रमणों या अचानक आई बाढ़ के कारण हुआ, किंतु आधुनिक पुरातात्विक साक्ष्य और पुरा-जलवायु (Paleo-climate) डेटा एक अलग कहानी बयां करते हैं।
इस अध्ययन का मुख्य केंद्र 1900 ई.पू. के आसपास दक्षिण-पश्चिमी मानसून (South-West Monsoon) के कमजोर होने और उसके परिणामस्वरूप उत्पन्न हुई निरंतर शुष्कता (Aridity) है। यह शोध पत्र परीक्षण करता है कि कैसे मानसून के पैटर्न में आए बदलाव ने नदियों के जलस्तर को प्रभावित किया, जिससे विशेष रूप से घग्गर-हकरा (सरस्वती) नदी तंत्र प्रभावित हुआ। जल की कमी ने न केवल कृषि अधिशेष (Agricultural Surplus) को समाप्त किया, बल्कि बड़े शहरों की भोजन आपूर्ति श्रृंखला को भी ध्वस्त कर दिया।
निष्कर्षतः, यह शोध यह स्थापित करता है कि सिंधु घाटी का पतन कोई आकस्मिक घटना नहीं थी, बल्कि एक सांस्कृतिक रूपांतरण (Cultural Transformation) था, जहाँ प्रतिकूल जलवायु परिस्थितियों के कारण लोग संगठित नगरीय जीवन को छोड़कर छोटे ग्रामीण समुदायों के रूप में पूर्व (गंगा के मैदानों) और दक्षिण की ओर पलायन करने पर मजबूर हुए। यह अध्ययन वर्तमान वैश्विक जलवायु संकट के लिए भी एक ऐतिहासिक चेतावनी और सबक प्रस्तुत करता है।
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