Discuss the functions that may have …

Historians have diverse opinions regarding the existence of rulers in the Harappan society. While some historians believe that the Harappan society had no rulers, other claim that there were rulers. Historians who believe in the existence of rulers claim that the elaborate town planning and use of same weights and measures across the IVC indicate that it were rulers who set standards and implemented such complex decisions.

Functions that were probably performed by the rulers of the Harappan society were:

• During excavations, archaeologist have found the remains of planned Harappan cities. The bricks used on making houses were of standardized ratio and were used in all Harappan cities. There was a well planned drainage system in place. There are indications of complex decisions being taken and implemented in Harappan society. There was a uniformity of Harappan artefacts such as pottery, seals, weight and measures. Thus, one of the functions of the ruler was to set guidelines for making houses and other commodities.
• In the IVC, settlements were strategically set up in specific locations for various reasons. One such case is the setting up of settlements near the source of raw materials so that it is easy to produce various ornaments and craft products. Thus, another function of the ruler could be of maintain production centers and chalking out strategies to procure raw materials from distance lands.
• Another function of the ruler may have to mobilise the work force for procuring bricks and required materials for constructing houses and other buildings.
• The Harappan established flourishing trade relations with far off lands like Oman, Mesopotamia and Bahrain. The presence of uniformity in seals, weights and measures indicate that the rulers looked after the economy of their territory.