MATHURA – AN EXAMPLE

MATHURA – AN EXAMPLE

Very often, a single town was important for a variety of reasons. Let us look at the example of Mathura (see in Map).

Mathura has been an important settlement for more than 2500 years. It was important because it was located at the crossroads of two major routes of travel and trade — from the northwest to the east and from north to south. There were fortifications around the city and several shrines. Farmers and herders from adjoining areas provided food for people in the city. Mathura was also a center where some extremely fine sculpture was produced.

Around 2000 years ago Mathura became the second capital of the Kushanas, about whom you will be reading in Chapter 9(TRADERS, KINGS AND PILGRIMS). Mathura was also a religious center — there were Buddhist monasteries, Jaina shrines, and it was an important center for the worship of Krishna.

Several inscriptions on surfaces such as stone slabs and statues have been found in Mathura.

Generally, these are short inscriptions, recording gifts made by men (and sometimes women) to monasteries and shrines. These were made by kings and queens, officers, merchants, and crafts persons who lived in the city. For instance, inscriptions from Mathura mention goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, perfumers.

Activity:

1.List the functions performed by men and women who live in your city or village. In what ways are these similar to those performed by people who lived in Mathura? In what ways are they different?

2. Make a list of the occupations of people who lived in Mathura. List one occupation that was not practiced in Harappan cities.

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK.