Very little is known about the religion of the Indus civilization because no written

records exit. There is, however, an assumption that parts of the Harappan tradition were
held in common by ancient religions of the Middle East as well as the later Hinduism.
Prominent among the evidence discovered are the many seals discovered at the sites
along the Indus River, as well as in Mesopotamia. Some of these seals clearly indicate the
sacredness of the bull which later became a common tradition in Hinduism. Other
features are the horned god. These seals have two faces in profile, and one facing
forward. The figure is surrounded by a tiger, an elephant, a rhinoceros, and a buffalo. His
legs are bent with his feet pressed together in a yoga position which has led some to
believe that this god is most likely a proto-Shiva. Shiva is the three-faced Hindu god of
death, destruction, and fertility.

Some of these sites have also yielded terra-cotta figurines. Similar, in many respects, to
evidence discovered in Egypt and Iran, some of these figurines are of broad-hipped
pregnant-looking females. Representative of the Great Mother or nature, these types of
deities, as well as the bull, are common among early agricultural societies of Eurasia.

Excavations of Indus cities have not revealed any buildings that can positively be
identified as temples. No large statues or monumental sculptures, similar to those found
in Egypt, have been discovered. This lack of temples and statuary has resulted in the
belief that the focus of religious life was primarily centered in the home. Anthropologists
are relatively certain that the peoples of the Indus civilization emphasized ritual purity.
Much of this is evidenced by the presence of drainable baths in most of the residences, as
well as a great bath or pool surrounded by a pillared hall with small cell-like rooms.
Scholars have surmised that washing and bathing were integral to the preservation of
purity and that cleanliness was considered necessary to ward off evil spirits.
 Similar to the culture of Egypt, it appears that the Indus religion recognized some type
of life after death. Unlike later Indians, who practiced cremation, this civilization
carefully buried their dead with their heads facing north and the feet pointing south.
Included in the graves were pottery jars containing food and weapons for use in the
afterlife.