Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus | Explore & Learn

The Divine World: Indus Valley

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For the Indus culture religious beliefs are reflected in imagery on seals, figurines, painted pottery, and even in the layout of cities. One symbol that appears associated with deities is the pipal tree. There is no evidence for temples, and it is possible that these sacred trees may have been important shrines in the Indus culture. On tablets and seals, deities emerge from the center of pipal trees or stand under an arch of pipal leaves. Abstract symbols with special significance include the swastika and endless knot, possibly related to later Hindu and Buddhist use of the symbols to invoke protection and order. Male and female figures may have been related to ideas of fertility. One of the most common motifs in Indus ritual art is the image of a bearded man wearing a headdress of wide, spreading bull or water-buffalo horns, with a triple-leafed branch sprouting from the center. Some figures are beardless and have breasts perhaps representing a female aspect of the same deity. Animals appearing on seals include mythological creatures, such as the unicorn, human-animal composites, and multiheaded animals. Bathing was clearly important, perhaps for ritual purity, and the Indus cities have elaborate drainage systems for the removal of polluted water and sewage.


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Images, from top to bottom: Stamp seal with a seated male figure, ca. 2000–1900 B.C.; Harappan. Indus Valley, Mohenjo-daro, DK 12050. Indus inscription. Islamabad Museum, Islamabad NMP 50.296. Courtesy of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Ministry of Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Affairs, Government of Pakistan. Stamp seal with a deity in a tree and a human-headed horned quadruped, ca. 2000–1900 B.C.; Harappan. Indus Valley, Mohenjo-daro, DK 6847. Indus inscription. Steatite; L. 4.1 cm (1 5/8 in.); W. 3.4 cm (1 3/8 in.). Islamabad Museum, Islamabad NMP 50.295. Courtesy of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Ministry of Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Affairs, Government of Pakistan.

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