Authors: Professor (Dr.) Lalith Kumar Dharvath
Abstract: This study establishes a distinct line of structural and behavioural continuity between the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and the modern Gor Banjara community by cross-examining Sir John Marshall's 1920s excavation data with surviving Gor Boli oral traditions, functional architectural memories—such as reinterpreting the Mohenjo-daro basin as a communal grain warehouse (Gor Vamshiyokahud)—and the adaptive socio-spatial matrix of the portable Tanda. This study evaluates the groundbreaking historiographical hypothesis that the Gorvamshiya (ancestors of the Gor Banjaras) were the primary pioneers, engineers, and architects of the ancient Indus Valley (Sindhu) Civilization. Conventional South Asian archaeology has long relied on deductive logic and materialistic estimates to interpret excavated spaces, frequently overlooking the living, intangible oral archives of regional communities. By cross-examining the foundational 1920s excavation field reports of Sir John Marshall with surviving Gor Boli oral traditions, folk music, and material culture, this paper establishes a distinct line of structural and behavioral continuity bridging the ancient urban centers of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa with the modern migratory community. Linguistic and architectural mapping reveals that the intricate urban grid frameworks documented by Marshall are explicitly preserved in the collective folk memory of "1,800 lanes and 1,600 gates," alongside specific architectural descriptors like Maadi (multi-story buildings) and Haveli (mansions). The study offers a functional reinterpretation of the iconic 31 x 23 x 8-foot basin at Mohenjo-daro, demonstrating that its dimensions and waterproofing methods match a communal subterranean grain warehouse—the Gor Vamshiyokahud—rather than a speculative ritual bath. This structural interpretation is corroborated by identical agricultural preservation wells found throughout medieval Afghanistan, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, as well as the community's deep-rooted, multi-varied wheat processing traditions (Pataliroti, Poli, Papad). Furthermore, this paper analyzes the severe climate shifts and hydro-tectonic river avulsions of 1750 BCE not as a point of total civilizational extinction, but as a catalyst for strategic socio-spatial adaptation. As documented in the ancestral migration song "Mat Chutjayse meri Baburi Haveli," the population compressed their urban neighborhood blueprint into a portable, highly organized caravan network known as the Tanda. Finally, the study explores how the socio-spiritual commands of leaders like Sant Sevalal Maharaj functioned as a cultural lock, preserving this ancient heritage against colonial criminalization and modern state policy actions. The paper concludes that the modern Gor Banjara identity represents an unbroken, living archive of the primary architectural planning of the ancient Sindhu basin.
