The Harappan Script: A New Perspective

Three thousand years before the birth of Christ a magnificent civilization flourished in the vast area, now constituting Pakistan and western part of India. More than one thousand Harappan sites, dotted across this wide area, have already been identified and quite a few excavated. Our knowledge of this civilization has greatly expanded since it first came into notice in 1924. However, since its script is still a mystery, we are in the dark about their identity.

This book is a fresh attempt at reading the Harappan script; analyzing and reading the signs and inscriptions forming its main burden. In the absence of a bilingual inscription, the author has relied on visual bilinguals and interpretation of Harappan artistic motifs in making initial bridgehead for reading the signs and clinching the language issue. It is observed that there are surprising parallels between Harappan motifs and Rigvedic metaphors. These parallels cannot be more coincidence The similarities are possible, only if Harappans and Rigvedic Aryans were tapping their imageries from a shared cultural stream.

The author is of the view that Aryan language is a serious contender for the Harappan script. The script is found to be logo-syllabic, with very little grammatical content. Although the language of the script appears to be an Aryan, the Harappans are not found to be synonymous with Rigvedic Aryans. For example, the Harappan inscriptions refer to ‘vrtra’ who was held in esteem by them. However, students of Rigveda know that there this word mainly conveyed hostile and inimical connotations. At the same time many Rigvedic political, cultural, social concepts are reflected in Harappan inscriptions. This can only be explained by the fact that the ancestors of the Rigvedic people also formed part of the Harappan social milieu. The Harappans perhaps had considerable social and cultural diversity, as has been the case in India, all through the recorded history. The book provides a fresh insight into the unresolved issue of the Harappan script.