Bara culture
Encyclopedia
Bara culture was a culture that emerged in the eastern region of the Indus Valley Civilization
around 2000 BCE. It developed in the doab
between the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers, hemmed on its eastern periphery by the Shivalik ranges of the lower Himalayas. This territory corresponds to modern-day Punjab, Haryana
and Western Uttar Pradesh
in North India
. Baran culture is believed to have initially developed independently of the Harappan culture branch of the Indus Valley Civilization from a pre-Harappan tradition, although the two cultures later intermingled in locations such as Kotla Nihang Khan
. In the conventional timeline demarcations of the Indus Valley Tradition, the Bara culture is usually placed in the Late Harappan period.
Bara culture is so-named because initial evidence for its existence was discovered from archeological digs at the site in Bara, Punjab
. Dher Majra
and Sanghol
are other important Bara culture sites that have been excavated.
seeds were found at the excavations at the Baran settlement at Sanghol, which remains the only evidence for citrus
cultivation this far west at that time. Citrus is thought to have been domesticated first in a region centered on Northeastern India, South China and the northern regions of Southeast Asia
, and diffused outwards from there. The finding at Sanghol suggests that westward diffusion may have occurred along the Ganges Valley where the Barans may have gained knowledge of citrus cultivation in the early second millennium BCE period and then contributed to westwards propagation. Citrus cultivation is believed to have arrived in Southwest Asia
in the 1200 BCE period and lemons more specifically in the first millennium CE.
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
around 2000 BCE. It developed in the doab
Doab
A Doab is a term used in India and Pakistan for a "tongue" or tract of land lying between two confluent rivers...
between the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers, hemmed on its eastern periphery by the Shivalik ranges of the lower Himalayas. This territory corresponds to modern-day Punjab, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Western Uttar Pradesh
Western Uttar Pradesh
Western Uttar Pradesh, sometimes simply referred to as West U.P., is a region in India that comprises the western districts of Uttar Pradesh state, including the areas of Rohilkhand and Braj. The region has some demographic, economic and cultural patterns which are distinct from other parts of...
in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. Baran culture is believed to have initially developed independently of the Harappan culture branch of the Indus Valley Civilization from a pre-Harappan tradition, although the two cultures later intermingled in locations such as Kotla Nihang Khan
Kotla Nihang Khan
Kotla Nihang Khan is a town located about 3 kilometers southeast of Ropar city in Punjab, India...
. In the conventional timeline demarcations of the Indus Valley Tradition, the Bara culture is usually placed in the Late Harappan period.
Bara culture is so-named because initial evidence for its existence was discovered from archeological digs at the site in Bara, Punjab
Bara, Punjab
Bara is a village and archeological site in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the left bank of a seasonal monsoon rivulet called Budki Nadi, about 6 kilometers east of the city of Ropar in Punjab. Bara is the site of significant archeological excavations connected...
. Dher Majra
Dher Majra
Dher Majra is an archeological site associated with the Indus Valley Civilization in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. The settlement was believed to primarily belong to the Bara culture strand of the Indus Valley Civilization....
and Sanghol
Sanghol
Sanghol is a village located in Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab, India. It is also known as Uchha Pind Sanghol. It is about 40 km from Chandigarh on the way to Ludhiana and approximately 10 km from Dholewal. This place holds a special position on the archaeological atlas of India...
are other important Bara culture sites that have been excavated.
Baran pottery
Pottery remnants of the Bara culture reveal a style that is consistently differentiable from that of the Harappan culture, though there are some shared features as well. Specific forms quintessentially associated with the Harappans, such as "perforated jar, S shaped jar, tall dish-on-stand with drum, goblet, beaker and handled-cup" are absent. Instead, other forms unique to the Barans are found, including jars and vessels "incised on shoulder and rusticated at the bottom", jars with bulbous bodies, long necks and flaring rims, and collared-rim jars. Harappan dishes-on-stand (i.e. dishes with a stand beneath) have long and slender necks, whereas Baran dishes-on-stand have short and thick ones. Harappan wares tend to be plain, while Baran ware is usually embellished with painted patterns (such as brush-made spirals) and decorative incisions, often on the interior side of vessels and jars.Possible role in propagating citrus cultivation
LemonLemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
seeds were found at the excavations at the Baran settlement at Sanghol, which remains the only evidence for citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
cultivation this far west at that time. Citrus is thought to have been domesticated first in a region centered on Northeastern India, South China and the northern regions of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, and diffused outwards from there. The finding at Sanghol suggests that westward diffusion may have occurred along the Ganges Valley where the Barans may have gained knowledge of citrus cultivation in the early second millennium BCE period and then contributed to westwards propagation. Citrus cultivation is believed to have arrived in Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
in the 1200 BCE period and lemons more specifically in the first millennium CE.
See also
- Indus Valley CivilizationIndus Valley CivilizationThe Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
- Cemetery H cultureCemetery H cultureThe Cemetery H culture developed out of the northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization around 1900 BCE, in and around western Punjab region located in present-day India and Pakistan...
- Bara, PunjabBara, PunjabBara is a village and archeological site in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the left bank of a seasonal monsoon rivulet called Budki Nadi, about 6 kilometers east of the city of Ropar in Punjab. Bara is the site of significant archeological excavations connected...
- Kotla Nihang KhanKotla Nihang KhanKotla Nihang Khan is a town located about 3 kilometers southeast of Ropar city in Punjab, India...