The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), one of the world’s earliest urban cultures, continues to fascinate historians, linguists, and archaeologists. Its undeciphered script, stamped on seals and terracotta artefacts, has remained an unsolved puzzle for over four millennia. With the advent of artificial intelligence in the 21st century, the possibility of decoding this ancient script has drawn renewed global attention. While excavated ruins of this Bronze Age civilisation largely belong to northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, voices from southern India have recently become active in sponsoring cryptographic research, even announcing million-dollar rewards for anyone who successfully decrypts the script.

The cryptographer Bharath Rao, also known as Yajanadevam. His ongoing attempts to decipher the script suggest that he may be close to a breakthrough. If achieved, it could fundamentally reshape our understanding of Indian history, particularly in countering the much-debated Aryan Invasion Theory. According to his work, the Indus script may in fact be an early precursor of the Brahmi script, later used to inscribe Sanskrit.

Amidst this intellectual excitement, however, lies a tragic irony. While global interest in Indus Valley research is on the rise, the actual artefacts that hold the key to unlocking these mysteries are languishing in neglect. A prime example of this paradox is the little-known Swami Omananda Saraswati Museum in Jhajjar, Haryana.

A Treasure Trove in........

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