Mohenjo Daro Museum
When we hear the word museum, we think of a venue that gives historical stuff, things related to the past, a place full of stories about past events, and one of the tourist attractions which has perks for history learning. In Pakistan’s Sindh province, there is an archaeological site called Mohenjo-Daro, a collection of mounds on the right bank of the Indus river. All the relics from this site are on display in Mohenjo-Daro Museum. The Mohenjo Daro Museum is fascinating to the people with its beauty and is the most ancient Indus Civilization.
If you’re ever in the mood for a little history lesson, visit the Mohenjo Daro museum Larkana before exploring the mound of the dead men (Mohenjo Daro).
History of Mohenjo-Daro Museum
Historians discovered quite a few ancient civilizations in the world in 1921. Archeologists found the ruins of cities in the Indus Valley. After studying the ruins, they concluded that the cities here existed in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC. Farmers settled in the Indus Valley in the year 3500 BC. The civilization thrived between 2500 to 1800 BC. It was one of the world’s first major cities and the largest settlement of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, existing alongside the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Minoan Crete. The Indus Civilization extended most of what is nowadays Pakistan and North India at its peak. It reached the Iranian border in the west, Gujarat in India in the south, and Bactria in the north. It collapsed suddenly around 1900 BCE.
The city’s ruins remained unknown for approximately 3,700 years until an officer of the Archaeologist Survey of India paid a visit to the location in 1919-1920. Different archeologists conducted Large-scale excavations of Mohenjo-Daro in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, and 1945. Due to the weathering damage to the exposed structures, the government prohibited excavation after 1965. The Mohenjo-Daro National Fund in Pakistan carried out dry core drilling in 2015, which showed that the site is more significant than the area unearthed. The city’s site has undergone considerable excavation since it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, making it the first location in South Asia to receive this honor.
Who Built Mohenjo-Daro Museum?
The government of Sindh built Mohenjo-Daro Museum in Larkana. It is the component of a large project that finished close to the excavation site. It includes a visitor rest area, offices, and storage areas, along with housing for the management team and the workers engaged in the excavating.
What objects are kept in the Mohenjo Daro Museum ?
The Mohenjo Daro Museum is plain and elegant and displays some of Pakistan’s most valuable treasures. The Museum has objects that include seals, jewelry, the art of sculptures, metal tools, weapons, pottery, human body portrayal, and figurines such as the dancing girl discovered at Mohenjo-Daro. Indus Valley reproductions are also available in the museum store.
Ornaments & Cosmetics
Archeologists discovered the gold and gemstone ornaments collection at Mohenjo-Daro and placed them in the Mohenjo Daro Museum. Both men and women decorate themselves with an ornament made of copper, silver, gold, stone, and other metals. Women wore fillets made up of hammered gold, different finger rings, choker, bangles, and hair clips with cons, long pendants. People of this civilization used tiny beads crafted by joining two or more gems to wear in the hair of both men and women. Animal figures, mainly monkeys and squirrels, were also created and used as pinheads and beads.
They applied Cinnabar as a cosmetic and were familiar with face paint, lipstick, and collyrium (eyeliner). Men wore numerous styles and shapes of necklaces, pendants, armlets, and finger rings.
Metal Objects & Stones
Archeologists found Numerous objects in the excavation of Indus Valley, including metal carts, bronze sculptures, copper plates, copper tablets, bronze statues, seals, and many more.
Copper and bronze were the chief metals in the production of tools, utensils, and other pieces of equipment. Smooth Square axes, knives, arrows, arrowheads, small cutting tools (small saw), blades, swords, and scissors are all displayed at Moen-jo-Daro Museum. All of these were created by basic casting, hammering, and cutting.
Pottery
Pottery and terracotta shreds at the Moen-jo-Daro Museum, with many pots containing ash deposits, led archaeologists to conclude they were either used to retain a human’s ashes or to warm up a house on the site. These heaters, or oil lamps, were used to heat the home while also being capable of cooking or straining, while some historians say they just used them for heating. Moen-jo-Daro civilization artisans created the majority of Indus Valley pottery using a wheel, with only a few exceptions being handcrafted. Plain pottery dominates over decorated ceramics which People made with red clay, with or without a fine red or grey slip. The black painted ware boasts a tiny red slip coating with floral and animal patterns painted in glossy black paint.
Mohenjo Daro Museum also has a painted Earthen Jar on a potter’s wheel and clay. Ancient people created a simple, painted black design by applying pressure to the fingers. The finishing touch was high polishing.
Art of Sculptures at Mohenjo Daro Museum
During the excavation of Mohenjo-Daro, archeologists discovered a bunch of sculptures. Maker carefully carved and designed the eyes, hands, and neck of the Indus Valley terracotta figurines. However, terracotta images are poorer in portraying human forms when compared to Indus Valley copper and bronze images. Female sculptures were more common among the human statues. You can see these sculptures in Moen-jo-Daro Museum’s gallery.
The Priest-King
It is a tiny human figure carved, discovered in 1925-1926 during the excavation of Mohenjo-Daro. His stately appearance suggests he was either a priest, a king, or both. He and other priests may have bathed themselves in the Great Bath for worship. Archeologists discovered a seated man soapstone figure in 1927 in a building with unusually decorative brickwork and a wall niche. Even though neither priests nor kings governed Mohenjo-Daro, archaeologists labeled this dignified figure a “Priest-King.” The sculpture, 17.5 centimeters (6.9 inches) tall, features a well-groomed man with neatly combed back hair, pierced earlobes, and a fillet around his head that is likely the remains of a once-expensive headdress or hairstyle. He wore a cloak and armband with trefoil, single circle, and double circle patterns that contained hints of red. He may once have inlaid eyes.
Seals
It is the most famous art craft of the Mohenjo-Daro Indus Valley Civilization and an excellent source of fascination. Stamp Seals were a sign of wealth and social rank in history.
Archeologists discovered hundreds of seal stamps during the excavation of the Indus Valley Civilization. The design was the classic Indus Valley Civilization. The description of it was a “bull” without a hump. They were also employed as amulets, carried on the owners’ person, and maybe as modern identity cards. Archeologists discovered thousands of seals at the sites, mostly made of grind up but also of a gemstone, clay, copper, fused glass, and Terracotta, and featured stunning sculptures of animals such as unicorns, bulls, rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, bison, goats, and buffalos.
The typical Indus valley civilization seal was 2 x 2 square inches.
Pashupati Seal
Seals of Pashupati Mahadeva found in Mohenjo-Daro are also present in Mohenjo-Daro Museum. The seal represents a cross-legged human figure. An elephant and a tiger are on display on the right side. While a rhinoceros and a buffalo are on display on the left. Underneath the seat (nearby his feet) are two species (deer). Some academics believe that the figure represents a yogi, while others believe it means a three-headed “proto-Shiva” who is the “Lord of Animals.”
Toys & Musical Instruments
Many Toys and Instruments are on display at Mohenjo Daro Museum Larkana. Ancient people used Terracotta to create gamesmen, discs, animals, birds, rattles, whistles, and toy carts with wheels. Clay rattles and whistles are the most common. They typically designed whistles like birds or eggs. During the excavation of the city, archeologists also discovered small twirling tops. The archaeologists also found traces of a ball and puzzle game. From the Indus Valley civilization’s archaeological sites, archaeologists recovered musical instruments like the seven-holed flute and various stringed instruments like the Ravanahatha and cymbals. They preserved them in the Mohenjo Daro Museum. Evidence implies that the Indus Valley culture also used drums or dhol.
The Dancing Girl
The Dancing Girl is a 4,500-year-old Bronze figurine discovered in the Mohenjo-Daro excavation. It is a one-of-a-kind and rare masterpiece unearthed in the old Mohenjo-Daro site in 1926.
Based on her vocation, the sculpture was named “Dancing Girl.” Large eyes, healthy cheeks, a flat nose, a big head, and curly hair characterize the sculpture.
Her arms and legs were long and sensuously shaped, with a tucked-in stomach.
Archaeologists regard the Dancing Girl as “the most attractive art revealed from the Indus Valley Civilization.”
Mother God Idol
The idol, discovered by John Marshall in 1931, appears to replicate certain qualities associated with the Mother Goddess religion popular in many early Near Eastern civilizations. Sculptures and figurines at Mohenjo Daro Museum show women as part of Indus valley civilization, society, and religion, with several female items retrieved during Marshall’s archaeological excavation. According to Marshall, these figures were not appropriately sorted, so it is unclear where archeologists recovered them.
Seven-Stranded Necklace
A 4500 years old seven-stranded necklace is also present in the Moen-jo-Daro Museum. Seven strands of bronze metal nuggets that resemble beads connect each arm of the ornamented “S” shape of the necklace’s clasp.
Mohenjo-Daro Museum Ticket Price & Timings
The Museum is open throughout the week, and its timing starts from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. You can get the ticket for Rs. 20 per adult person.
Location of Mohenjo-Daro Museum Larkana
Mohenjo-Daro museum Larkana is located about 200 meters from the leading archeological site of Mohenjo-Daro in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The Museum is simple and elegant with very basic facilities but houses some of the most precious artifacts of Pakistan. One of the oldest and most suitable places to visit in Larkana.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mohenjo Daro Museum
Which is older, Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro?
Mohenjo-Daro, established around the 26 Century BCE, is older than Harappa. Mohenjo Daro is in Sindh, while Harrapa is in Punjab. The ancient Indus Valley civilization, also known as the Harappa Civilization, which arose from the prehistoric Indus culture around 3,000 BCE, included one of its largest cities. In contrast, Harrapa came into being in 2600 BCE.
Who invented Mohenjo-Daro?
Two years after significant excavations at Harappa, located 590 kilometers north, R. D. Banerji, an Archaeological Survey of India officer, discovered Mohenjo-Daro in 1922. John Marshall, K. N. carried out large-scale excavations at the archeological site of Mohenjo Daro.
Where is the dancing girl found?
Ernest Mackay, a British archaeologist, found the Dancing Girl at Mohenjo-Daro in 1926. This old artifact made of bronze is on exhibit in New Delhi’s National Museum. Its dimensions are 10.5cm x 5cm (41/8 inches x 2 inches).
Conclusions
The Mohenjo Daro Museum Larkana shows that the Indus Valley Civilization had a high level of culture and organization. It is a place where people can learn about their ancient culture, lifestyle, and techniques. It also has a vast ground, numerous amusements, and food courts near it. You also find some animal figures painted on the walls of the Mohenjo Daro Museum.
So, Visit the Mohenjo-Daro Larkana museum and learn about your ancient civilization. It is a very informative, very well-maintained, and vast place.