Harappan Religion, Art and Craft.

The development phases has took a turn in their religions, art and craft production. Some of these can be studied as follows.

Religion

The Harappan people workshipped female Goddesses. The workship of female Goddess associated with fertility has long being health as one of the major features of Harappan religion. There was a discovery of a large number of teracotta figurines laded as "Mother Goddesses" (Sakti) . The Harappan people also workshipped a Marry God represented as a stetite seal doscovered at Mohenjodaro. He is flanked by an Elephant, Rhinocerose, water Buffalo and Tiger . John Marshall saw a striking resemblences between thise deity and shiva of the later Hindu mythology.

The Harappan people also practiced the workship of trees and animals. The Harappan seals, sealings, amulets and copper plates , depicts a number of trees, plants and animals, some of which have/had cultic significance. The Pipal tree appear often and may have been benerated. Among the animals, humpted and humpless, wool snakes, elephant, rhinoceros, antelope, gharials, may had/have cultic significance. Thus prove, a symbol of the Bull make a vilarity.

The Great Bath was probably one of an elite rituals involving ceremonial bathing. Terracotta found at Kalibangan suggested the practice of animal sacrifices for workship. A Kalibangan cylinder seal may represent a scene of two man sacrifices.

Art and Craft

There is a great variety of standardised mass-produced crafts items at Harappan sites. Ceramic include item such as bricks, teracotta, and fience. The Harappan pottery reflects efficient mass-production. Potteries are of various shapes and design. Most pots are wheel turned. The large pot may have been used to store water or grains, the decorated pots may have a ceremonial use or belong to rich people and the small pots may have been used for drinking purpose. 

Harappan sites have yielded large amount of teracotta. These are figurines of animals such as bulls, buffaloes, monkey and dogs. There are toy cart with solid wheels. Harappan figurines include male and numerous females of various types. The Harappan craftsman also make teracotta bangles, masks, rings, miniature vassels and animals. A distinctive Harappan crafts was a stone warea bangles. Stone works was another important crafts. The Harappan produce stone knives and sickles. The Harappan Civilization is marked by a large number of copper objects. There are artefacts made of pure copper, copper alloyed with arcelis, tin or nickles. The number of pure copper artefact were far greater then alloyed bronze one's. Copper and bronze artefacts includes vassels, spears, knives, short swords, arrowhead, axes, fish-hooks, needles, mirrors and bangles.

Seal making was another important Harappan craft. Most of the seals are square and rectangular. A few cylindrical and round seal can also be found. Most of the seals were made of steatite but there are also few which are made of silver, fience and calcite. The design include the image of elephant, tiger, crocodile, humpbull, buffaloes, rhinocerose, etc.

In the Harappan Civilization, a new materials, styles and techniques was soon on bead making, a new type of cylindrical stone drill was devised and used for piercing beads of semi-precious stones. Harappan craftsman make beads out of steatite, shell, teracotta, silver, copper, gold, etc.

The Harappan make cotton and woolen textile. There are teracotta figurines, weaving cotton shawl, skirts, etc. Several examples of cotton thread and clothes were identified on copper tools. Weaving may have been a cotton industries practiced in villages and also to the same extent in the cities.

The Harappan craft display an impressive standardization. Kenoyer had suggested that state control may have been responsible for a high level of standardization in crafts that were considered to have value in maintaining the socio-economic or ritual orders which use non-local raw material and highly complex technology.