Unique urban characteristic of Harappan culture ensures place in the annals of world architecture: Patil

by Punjabnewswire4u

 CHANDIGARH, OCT 27

 Archeology bridges the past with the present and defines our journey to the future. Archeology department has made an outstanding contribution to revealing our country’s rich historical and cultural heritage and protecting it for our posterity.

       Expressing these views while presiding our International Seminar on the Archeology of Harappan civilization, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Mr. Shivraj V. Patil said the Indus Valley Civilisation which is also known as the Harappan Civilisation as the first of its cities to be unearthed was located at Harappa, excavated in the 1920s.

       welcoming all the delegates who are here to participate in this Conference, Mr Patil wished them a very happy and meaningful stay in this beautiful city of Chandigarh; the architecture of which can be compared with the architecture of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro to understand the science and technology which was used in building cities and culture in the area which covers Indus Valley Civilisation.

The Governor said ,if we visit Angkarvat temples in Combodia at Kanehi Ellora and Ajanta caves, Taj Mahal at Agra, the remains of the cities in Gujarat, in Harappa and Mohenjodaro, the structures in Tashkant, paramids in Egypt, pyramids in Mexico, and such other structures in different parts of the world, we can understand something of the expertise and skills of the people who lived in ancient medieval, and modern times and decide as to how develop, less or more developed, were the civilization than the civilization in which we live in the present time.  

He said the ancient and medieval civilizations in different parts of the world were not less developed in many areas of their lives than the modern civilization is. But in essence, they are not very different from one another, even though they are separated from one another by the space and the time which establishes the substructure of the unity one and the sameness of the space, the time, the energy, the knowledge, the science and the skills, and all other things, and men, he added.

Mr. Patil further said that we owe much of our understanding of our pre-modern past to the expensive exploratory works, excavations and careful documentation done by the Archeological survey of India. He said the Harappan civilization would have remained unknown but for the extensive work done by this organization. He said the twin cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa formed the hub of the civilization, which is an amazing example of native people, without the benefit of technology, adapting to local conditions and intuitively producing an architecture eminently suited to the climate.

Paying rich tributes to the dedicated conservators who have, over the generations, preserved this precious legacy of ours and indeed of all human kind, Mr. Patil said, the Archaeological Survey of India, has over the years, developed high capabilities in exploration, excavation, conservation, environmental up gradation and research and publication.

       Mr. Patil said that the Indus Valley Civilization, or the Harappan Culture, formed the earliest urban civilisation on the Indian Sub-continent, and one of the earliest in the world. Its unique urban characteristic ensures it a place in the annals of world architecture.

Prominent amongst others who spoke on the occasion included Dr. Gautam Sen Gupta, Director General ASI, Prof. B.B. Lal, former Director General ASI, Mr. K.K. Sharma, Adviser to Administrator and Mr. M.P. Singh, Principal Secretary to Governor.