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For that matter, how were large parts of Afghanistan ruled by Hindu Shahi kings.

So are you saying that the Harappans simpy stopped building houses, making pottery, and generally doing what a settled people do, after the demise of the IVC? Why are there no (or less) post-harappan settlements in the Indus Valley? I think its you who is finding it hard to understand that...

Actually, nothing of the sort is true. The only unfriendly nation is Pakistan. You get the wrong perception because these defence forums are usually populated by the small minority ultranationalist types who think that their own country is perpetually suffering at the hands of foreigners.

Yes, Mr. A Rahman Sir. Is it a flamebait?

Wow. And here I was thinking that no, Mr. Munshi does not have expansionist wet dreams, especially since I had once posted an article on "Greater Bangladesh" on this forum, but Munshi here had forcefully denied that the article was worth something. And here, we have, a few months later, Mr...

^First of all, this isn't a seasonal mass-migration like a herd of animals, so stop making it out to be one. It is a progressive eastward shift of settlements due to changes in climate over several centuries. Do you get it? Please tell us, that why are the post-harappan cultures which...

Actually, you need to be the biggest coward seeking a shortcut to heaven.

Well, then how is Pakistan as a single entity separate from India if the kingdoms within Pakistan were separate from each other as well? We can go on and on about this, or else we can stop labelling everything and take a more authentic and broad look at the history of the Indic civilizations...

That is actually only partially true. The earliest Chinese civilizations did not keep historical record either, but record keeping emerged later. Also, some branches of Indic civilization (like the Tamils) did indeed keep bureaucratic records, though these were done on copper plates rather...

The first point of contention is that you must avoid exclusivist and isolationist interpretations (Pakistan was always separate, was always independent, always different etc.) which are basically not true. Pakistan and India have a shared history, and it is impossible to study the history on...

Indeed, I have had the pleasure of speaking to IA officers about Kashmir. there, every single day is a battle for survival. Things have improved significantly since the Kargil conflict, but during the late 80s and early 90s it used to be hell on earth. Militants used to open fire from anywhere -...

Arey Bhai, the term Saraswati doesn't appear till much later in the Rig Veda. Here we are discussing a satellite image which clearly shows the bed of an extinct river, and numerous harappan sites located strung along it. Actually, in terms of numbers, the sites along the Ghaggar -Hakra river...

The river is clearly not the only factor involved. Dr. Gupta mentions a weakening of the Summer monsoon. Because they were nomadic peoples, used to far harsher climates of Central Asia, so they probably found the Indus valley hospitable in comparison. Why bring up the Saraswati at all? The...

It would seem astonishing, but if you consider the fact that there were no competing cultures with the Harappan one, which could jostle for influence, its not so surprising. Actually, there is very little evidence for any sort of state machinery at all. Infact, the most basic tool of the state...

It would, because I don't think I've seen it being referred to as an empire before. I don't think there was political order at all. It could have been some sort of ritual order, but even that would be within the citiies themselves. The cities maintained links with one another mainly through...

^Was harappa an empire? I think it was more of a culture than an empire with a central authority.

Friend, settlements are always constructed over older ones, which is why archaeological digs are done in "levels". If the Harappan sites have been excavated, they would have to uncover the most recent settlements first and the older settlements later. Obviously, that would mean that the...

Wow - that's the most myopic worldview I have ever encountered. Marvellous, keep your blinkers on. The better for us Indians.