Although some academics have made conclusive statements concerning the Indus Valley civilization's religion, it is important to realize that all of these claims are very speculative, since they are based exclusively on the remnants of the cities.
Grains, animal bones, remains of fabric, and building
foundations provide a strong foundation for learning about this culture's
material life—what people ate, dressed, and the sorts of houses they lived in.
Religion, on the other hand, is a significantly more
abstract concept.
Not only is it more difficult to deduce what sorts of
religion were practiced from the items discovered, but these same artifacts may
also be utilized as evidence for radically disparate conclusions.
The things themselves are deafeningly silent and may be
interpreted in a variety of ways.
Nonetheless, there are a few remarkable relics among these
items.
Ceramic female figurines with greatly exaggerated feminine
characteristics—breasts, buttocks, and genitalia—have been discovered at Indus
Valley civilization sites.
These figures are very similar to the "Venus of
Willendorf," a Bronze Age European picture connected with the worship of
female fertility and procreative power.
Given these parallels, it's possible that the Indus Valley
culture had a comparable cult.
The sculptures provide no indication of how prevalent this
religion was, or if it was tied to other fertility cults or merely a parallel
development.
There is no evidence that this cult served as the foundation
for Hindu worship of the Goddess as the highest reality later on.
Such statements, at best, are very speculative; at worst,
they are reckless and motivated by a hidden goal.
Seals, of which several hundred have been discovered, are
the other remarkable relics from the Indus Valley civilization.
Many of the seals include images of animals or daily things,
but three of the Harappa seals have an image of a horned figure sitting
cross-legged on a little platform.
Because it bears numerous elements connected with the Hindu
deity Shiva—the sitting position is linked with the practice of yoga, and the
figure's horns reflect his form as Pashupati, the "Lord of
Beasts"—some observers have dubbed it a "Proto-Shiva."
Proponents of this hypothesis refer to the Indus Valley civilization as Shiva's
origins, correctly pointing out that, although Shiva becomes important in later
Hinduism, he is almost completely missing from the Vedic pantheon.
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, one of the most recent of the
mystical books known as the Upanishads, identifies the deity Rudra—later
associated with Shiva—as the universe's highest force.
Although it is likely that Shiva worship is rooted in Indus
Valley culture, anybody who is not predisposed to accept this at the beginning
would find this specific evidence difficult to believe.
There is also cryptic text on the seals, and these
connections may become apparent if and when this writing is understood.
Also see Veda.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
