ABSTRACT
This chapter revisits the issue from the viewpoint of ancient Indian literature. It is the combination and scale of the aforementioned traits that make the Harappan Civilization special. One of the most controversial issues in the study of ancient South Asia is the relation of Sanskrit literature to the Harappan culture. The Harappan/Indus Civilization has a rich history of archaeological research. However, its sociopolitical organization remains obscure. There are many ways in which the paradoxes of Harappan archaeology can be contextualized and explained. The modest materiality of the Harappan religion is reflected in the homogeneity of burials. The ideology requiring this modesty must have been formed prior to the transition from the Early to the Mature Harappan period, because the cultural sequence of Mehrgarh displays the gradual simplification of burial rites notwithstanding the growth of complexity. Indiscriminately labeling ancient civilizations as chiefdoms and states is like judging non representational art by the standards of social realism.
