Map of the Great Indian Civilization. (Pic Source: Original Image)
In ancient times, all major civilizations developed around rivers. Rivers provided a vital source of fresh water essential for drinking, cooking, and agriculture. Moreover, their seasonal flooding enriched the land with fertile soil, making it ideal for farming. It would not be wrong to say that rivers were the lifelines of civilizations— and in some cases, when the rivers perished, so did the civilizations.
The Egyptian Civilization developed along the Nile, the Mesopotamian Civilization around the Tigris and Euphrates, the early Chinese Civilization along the Yellow River, and the Indus Civilization along the Indus and the now dried-up Ghaggar-Hakra river system (often identified with the Sarasvati).
But all civilizations are named after the nations that founded them or are at least credited to the nations they belonged to — rightly so, as it would be a great injustice to deny them the legacy of what their ancestors built thousands of years ago. The Indus civilization, however, stands as a unique exception, as it continues to be named after a river rather than a nation.
Time to Replace “Indus” with “Indian”
Almost a century ago, John Marshall suggested that the term “Indian” would be more appropriate than “Indus” if evidence confirmed a wider diffusion of the civilization. (Pic Source: Harappa.com)
John Marshall, Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1902 to 1928, initially named the civilization after the Indus River, as its earliest discoveries—Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro—were located in the Indus Valley. However, he explicitly acknowledged that the civilization might have extended far beyond the Indus Valley and the Punjab region. If proven, he suggested that “Indian” rather than “Indus” would be a more appropriate term to designate the civilization.
“To this civilization I have tentatively given the name of ‘Indus’, because of its close association with the country watered by that river and its tributaries. For all we know, however, it may have extended well beyond the eastern limits of the Panjab. On that point we have no specific evidence one way or the other. If it proves eventually to have done so, the term ‘Indian’ rather than ‘Indus’ may be more appropriate; but for the moment it seemed advisable to avoid designating it by a name which might be taken to imply a wider diffusion than is actually warranted by our discoveries. Let me emphasize the fact, however, that we have no sufficient grounds as yet for affirming positively that this civilization was limited to the Indus Valley and the plains of the Panjab.”
John Marshall, Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, Chapter 7: “Extent of the Indus Civilization,” p. 91 (1931).
Marshall was aware that future archaeological discoveries could reveal more about the civilization’s extent. He left the door open for renaming it “Indian Civilization” if evidence supported a wider diffusion.
And today, we know that the Indus Civilization did indeed extend far beyond the Indus Valley—sites like Dholavira (Gujarat), Rakhigarhi (Haryana), and Lothal (Gujarat) in India, as well as sites in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, demonstrate its vast reach. In fact, the true extent of the civilization remains unknown, as new sites, such as the recently discovered Morodharo, continue to be unearthed across India.
Given this, Marshall’s suggestion to call it “Indian Civilization” seems farsighted, as it better reflects the civilization’s true scale and enduring cultural legacy across the Indian subcontinent.
The Great Indian Civilization
The term “Indus Civilization” is misleading because it implies that the civilization was confined solely to the Indus Valley, which we now know is far from accurate. It ties the civilization to a single river or region, failing to reflect its broader cultural and geographical scope. As already mentioned above, the civilization is spread far beyond the Indus Valley.
It is disappointing to see that India has failed to adopt Marshall’s suggestion made almost a century ago. Instead of replacing “Indus” with “Indian” to accurately reflect the civilization’s true expanse and origins, the conversation has been hijacked by historians and scholars proposing names like “Indus-Sarasvati Civilization” (or “Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization”). None of these names honor the people who built the civilization. Rivers did not build civilizations—people did. The Egyptians built the Egyptian Civilization, the Mesopotamians built the Mesopotamian Civilization, and the Indians built the Indian Civilization.
In fact, given the vast area it covered (approximately 1.25 million square kilometers!) and its remarkable advancements in urban planning, trade, and society—compared to other ancient civilizations—it would be more fitting to call it “The Great Indian Civilization.”
It is high time for a serious reconsideration of this terminology —its time for India to claim its civilization.
