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Who Destroyed Mohenjo-Daro?

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Mohenjo-Daro was one of the early civilizations which was built around 2500 BCE on the westside of the bank of the lower Indus River in Sindh, Pakistan. It is also one of the largest cities of the Harappan civilization and was a symbol of east civilization. Mohenjo-Daro was important for its unique & modern features. Features like standardized bricks, covered sewerage systems etc. were few of them. Also, Mohenjo-Daro had a modern bathing system, which is famously known as the “Great Bath“. From Mohenjo-Daro, some notable artifacts had discovered, like Dancing Girl, Priest-King, etc. Mohenjo-Daro was discovered in the 1920s and was destroyed in the 19th century BCE. There were some reasons behind the destruction of this civilization.

Important Terms Related To Mohenjo-Daro:

  1. Mohenjo-Daro: The word Mohenjo-Daro is a Sindhi word. The meaning of this word is “Mound of the Dead Men“. Currently, Mohenjo-Daro is situated in Pakistan.
  2. Civilization: The civilization word means a place where humans lived/live due to some advantages of that place. The advantages may include weather, source of water, etc.
  3. Ancient Egypt Civilization: This was another early civilization which was built in the northeast region of Africa. This civilization was built in the Nile River valley.
  4. Mesopotamia Civilization: It was another early civilization which was built in the western region. It was built in between the Tigris-Euphrates River valley. It is now situated in current Iraq.
  5. Dancing Girl Statue: It was a bronze statue of a girl whose age might be 15 years. It was 4500 years old statue which was discovered in 1926.
  6. Priest-King Statue: It was a soapstone-made statue which was 17.5 cm long.

Brief Explanation of the Destruction of Mohenjo-Daro:

There was no assumption present that who destroyed the Mohenjo-Daro. Still today, there is no assumption that any outsider had destroyed the civilization. But some believe that Aryans destroyed the civilization by invasion. There are some reasons which will enlighten the reason behind the destruction of an entire civilization. The reasons are:

  1. Invasion of Aryans: As stated above, some Historians believe that Indo-European Tribe or Aryans destroyed the civilization by invading it. They brutally killed the people who belong to that Indus civilization. We can find invasion in Mohenjo-Daro mentioned in Rig Veda.
  2. Climate Change: Many Historians believe in different theories. According to them, climate change was one of the major issues of destruction. According to them, the Sarasvati River was drying at that time. This made the civilization disappear.
  3. Indus Valley Flood Problem: This is another important theory. Flood is the major issue in the Indus valley. Still today, flood disturbs the entire Indus Valley. Some Historians believe that a huge flood caused to disappear this civilization.
  4. Problem With Trade: Some Historians believe that Mohenjo-Daro was the trading partner with Mesopotamia. Due to political unbalance in Mesopotamia, trading was stopped with Mohenjo-Daro. At that time, trading was done with the exchanging of goods in between. This was another reason behind the destruction of Mohenjo-Daro.
  5. Change of Geography: Many Historians believe that the change in Geography was another reason for the collapse of the civilization. Due to changes in the earth’s crust, the Indus River had changed its path. At that time, many cities were beside the river. Closeness with water sources was the main reason behind the establishment of any civilization. As the Indus River changed its position, it was hard to maintain the civilization without a water source.

Related Frequently Asked Questions with Answers:

Q1. Where is Mohenjo-Daro presently situated?

Answer: The word Mohenjo-Daro is a Sindhi word. The meaning of this word is “Mound of the Dead Men”. Currently, Mohenjo-Daro is situated in Larkana District, Pakistan. Mohenjo-Daro was one of the early civilizations which were built on the west of the bank of the lower Indus River in Sindh. In Rig Veda, we can find the invasion details of Mohenjo-Daro. 

Q2. Which was one of the largest cities of the Harappan civilization?

Answer: Mohenjo-Daro was one of the largest cities of the Harappan civilization and had a covered area of around 300 hectares. The Citadel and the Lower City are the two parts in which the city was divided. The city consisted of a central market and a large central well. Also, Mohenjo-Daro has a modern bathing system, which is famously known as the “Great Bath”.

Q3. How did the change in geography affect Mohenjo-Daro?

Answer: Many Historians believe that the change in Geography was another reason for the collapse of civilization. Due to changes in the earth’s crust, the Indus River had changed its path. At that time, many cities were beside the river. Closeness with water sources was the main reason behind the establishment of any civilization. As the Indus River changed its position, it was hard to maintain the civilization without a water source.

Q4. Where was the dancing girl statue located?

Answer: The dancing girl statue is one of the beautiful and remarkable artworks of the artisans, and it was located at Mohenjo-Daro in Sindh, Pakistan.
The dancing girl statue was a bronze statue of a girl whose age might be 15 years. It was 4500 years old statue which was discovered in 1926. After the partition of India in 1947, the statue was given to India and is currently kept in the National Museum, New Delhi.

Q5. How did Aryans destroy Mohenjo-Daro?

Answer: Mohenjo-Daro was discovered in the 1920s and was built around 2500 BCE on the west of the bank of the lower Indus River in Sindh, Pakistan. During the 19th century, Mohenjo-Daro was destroyed. Some Historians believe that Indo-European Tribe or Aryans destroyed the civilization by invading it. They brutally killed the people who belong to that Indus civilization. We can find invasion in Mohenjo-Daro mentioned in Rig Veda.


Last Updated : 21 Jun, 2022
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