Module: | Society, Religion & Burial Practices
Q39: Consider the following statements regarding the archaeological evidence of animism and religious structures in the Harappan civilization:
1. Certain Harappan seals depict elaborate religious scenes featuring rituals being performed in front of tree spirits, specifically indicating the veneration of the peepal tree.
2. Numerous conical stone objects found across various Harappan sites have been classified by archaeologists as lingas, indicating the presence of early phallic worship.
3. To house these sacred tree spirits and stone lingas, the Harappans constructed massive, monumental stone temples structurally identical to the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. Numerous conical stone objects found across various Harappan sites have been classified by archaeologists as lingas, indicating the presence of early phallic worship.
3. To house these sacred tree spirits and stone lingas, the Harappans constructed massive, monumental stone temples structurally identical to the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
🎯 Quick Answer:
Option A is the correct answer because statement 3 is factually false regarding the existence of monumental temples in the Harappan civilization.Structural Breakdown: The visual evidence on seals strongly points to nature veneration, with clear depictions of the peepal tree.
Additionally, the discovery of polished, conical stone baetyls strongly suggests that the worship of the linga (a symbol later associated with Shiva) had its roots in the Harappan era.
Historical/Related Context: In contemporary Mesopotamia and Egypt, religion was deeply institutionalized, centered around massive stone or mud-brick structures (Ziggurats and Temple Complexes) that dominated the urban landscape and economy.
Causal Reasoning: Statement 3 is a complete archaeological fallacy.
Despite over a century of extensive excavation at major sites like Harappa, Mohenjodaro, and Dholavira, archaeologists have never found a single structure that can be definitively identified as a temple or a palace.
Harappan worship appears to have been a decentralized, possibly domestic or open-air practice, starkly differentiating them from their temple-building contemporaries in the Near East.