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Vedic civilization is the earliest civilization
in Indian history. Written records of these people have been found.
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This civilization is named after the Veda’s, the
early literature of the Hindu people.
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The Vedic civilization flourished along the
river Saraswati in a region that now consists of the modern Indian states of Haryana
and Punjab.
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The timeline of Vedic civilization is 4500 BC – 1800
BC whereas that of the Indus valley civilization is 3300 BC – 1500 BCE.
Geography:-
The texts describe geography that serves to believe to be in
north India. The greatest river described in the Rig-Veda is Saraswati which
dried up around 1900 BCE. It began in the Indian state of Uttaranchal and
passing through Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan; reaches the Arabian Sea in Gujarat.
Political Organization:-
The grama(village), Vis and Java were political units of the
early Aryans. Vis was probably a sub division of Java whereas grama was smaller
than two.
Vedic Village:-
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Also known as Aryan village
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The early Aryans who had invaded cities of Indus
valley civilization had seen the use of brick in their cities
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However the descendants of Early Aryan people
did not use brick and chose to build their village settlements in timber,
bamboo and thatch, which were readily and abundantly available from the
forests.
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This can result of their knowledge of carpentry
which already excelled in making chariots for the fighting Aryan tribes. It is
likely that they adapted their carpentry skills to build wooden structures.
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Timber structures and bamboo dwellings were also
easier and simpler to maintain or rebuild in case of damage by rains and floods.
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These temporary structures were built because
the builders wee for them were symbolic of a re still nomadic by nature and
permanent structures were against their natural instincts.
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Also, maybe be brick structure for them were
symbolic of people they had conquered and with whom they chose to differ.
Types of Housing:-
Aryan village was an incorporation of timber and thatched
huts of different types:
1] Circular hut
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The most elementary hut was circular in plan,
this was the simplest to construct with bamboo and thatch
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Circular huts, through easy to erect had
obviously functional limitations.
2] Rectangular hut:
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An addition was made to the circular hut and its
form was changed to elastic
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Elastic nature of bamboos was used in roofing. A
barrel like effect was created for the roof by bending the bamboo in the form
of an arch and bending the bamboo over bamboo walls.
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The huts were arranged in groups of the threes
or fours around an open courtyard, a conglomerate of such units was a typical Aryan
village.
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The village was defined and screened off from
the wildlife of the surrounding forests by a timber fence.
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A gateway was installed in front of the entry
portion, constructed much like a fence and having its horizontal ties raised
high enough to provide a controlled entry through which cattle passed to and
fro.
