Chanhu Daro

Chanhu Daro is an important archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilisation (Harappan Civilisation), located near the modern village of New Jatoi in Nawabshah district (now Shaheed Benazirabad) of Sindh, Pakistan. Excavations have revealed that Chanhu Daro was a significant urban and industrial centre, flourishing around 2500–1700 BCE, contemporary with other major Harappan sites such as Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Lothal. The site provides crucial insights into the technological, economic, and social organisation of one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations.

Geographical Location and Discovery

Chanhu Daro lies approximately 130 kilometres south of Mohenjo-Daro and about 17 kilometres south of Nawabshah, near the Indus River in southern Sindh. Its location along an ancient distributary of the Indus facilitated trade and communication within the broader Harappan network.
The site was first discovered by the Indian archaeologist N. G. Majumdar in 1931, during a survey of the lower Indus region. Systematic excavations were later conducted in 1935–36 by a team from the American School of Indic and Iranian Studies and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, led by Ernest J. H. Mackay, who had also excavated Mohenjo-Daro. These excavations revealed an urban settlement comparable in sophistication to other Indus cities, despite being smaller in scale.

Layout and Urban Planning

Chanhu Daro displays the characteristic urban planning and architectural precision of the Harappan civilisation. The city was divided into well-laid-out blocks with streets running at right angles, forming a grid pattern. Houses were built mainly of baked brick, with flat roofs and multiple rooms, and some structures had private wells and bathrooms, reflecting a high standard of living.
The settlement lacked a distinct citadel area, unlike Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro, which suggests that Chanhu Daro may have functioned primarily as a commercial or manufacturing town rather than an administrative or religious centre. The discovery of drains, soak-pits, and street gutters indicates an advanced drainage system, underscoring the Harappans’ emphasis on hygiene and civic organisation.

Industrial and Economic Activities

One of the most striking aspects of Chanhu Daro is its evidence of craft specialisation and industrial production. The site has yielded numerous artefacts demonstrating the presence of organised industries:

• Bead-making workshops: The city appears to have been a major centre for the production of beads made from carnelian, agate, steatite, shell, and faience. Stone drills and furnaces found at the site indicate advanced lapidary techniques.
• Metalworking: Artifacts of copper and bronze, including tools, knives, and ornaments, show that metallurgy was well developed.
• Seal-making: Several cylinder and square seals bearing typical Harappan motifs and inscriptions were discovered, suggesting administrative and commercial activities.
• Pottery and terracotta work: Painted and plain pottery, figurines of animals and humans, and toy carts reflect artistic expression and domestic utility.
• Textile impressions: Imprints of woven fabric on clay suggest that textile production may have been another important industry.

These findings indicate that Chanhu Daro was a manufacturing and trade hub, possibly exporting goods to other parts of the Indus region and beyond.

Social and Cultural Aspects

The urban features and artefacts discovered at Chanhu Daro provide a glimpse into Harappan social life. The uniformity in building design and artefact style suggests a standardised urban culture with limited social stratification. Small figurines of mother goddesses and animals hint at the religious beliefs and symbolic practices of the inhabitants, possibly related to fertility and nature worship.
Weights and measures made of chert confirm the Harappans’ use of a decimal-based system, demonstrating their precision in trade and administration. The discovery of inscribed seals shows the continued use of the undeciphered Indus script, a hallmark of the civilisation’s bureaucratic sophistication.

Archaeological Discoveries and Finds

Major discoveries from Chanhu Daro include:

• Stone and bronze tools, indicating craftsmanship and daily utility.
• Terracotta figurines of animals, humans, and toys, reflecting both domestic life and artistic sensibility.
• Steatite seals engraved with animals such as unicorns, bulls, and elephants, signifying trade documentation.
• Bead furnaces and drills, confirming industrial-level bead production.
• Pottery kilns and storage jars, suggesting food preservation and large-scale manufacturing.
• A small hoard of copper objects, pointing to trade in metals.

These findings collectively affirm Chanhu Daro’s importance as an industrial suburb of the Harappan world.

Destruction and Decline

Evidence from excavations indicates that Chanhu Daro experienced repeated episodes of destruction, possibly caused by flooding or invasions. The city appears to have been rebuilt several times, suggesting resilience but also vulnerability to natural disasters associated with shifts in the Indus River’s course.
By around 1700 BCE, the site was finally abandoned, coinciding with the decline of the Harappan civilisation. This decline is often attributed to environmental changes, river drying, or disruptions in trade networks rather than sudden conquest.

Importance and Significance

Chanhu Daro occupies a unique place in the study of the Indus Valley Civilisation for several reasons:

• It is the only major Harappan site excavated entirely without a fortified citadel, highlighting the diversity of urban forms within the civilisation.
• Its artefacts show strong evidence of industrial specialisation, particularly in bead-making and metallurgy.
• The site provides valuable data on urban planning, sanitation, and social organisation in non-capital Harappan towns.
• It underscores the economic interdependence among Indus cities, where different centres specialised in distinct crafts and trades.