Indus Valley Civilization [3300-1300 BCE] | Comprehensive UPSC Notes

Indus Valley Civilization UPSC Notes

• One of the Earliest Civilizations: The Harappan Civilization was one of the four earliest civilizations of the world, along with the civilization of Mesopotamian Civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Shang Civilization on the River Hwang Ho, and the Egyptian Civilization on the River Nile.
• A Bronze Age Civilization: Harappan Civilization is considered to be a Bronze Age Civilization.
• Number of Settlements: Till now almost 1500 settlements have been discovered.
• Geographical Spread:
  • The North-South spread of this civilization was 1400 km and the East-West spread was 1600 km.
  • It covered an area of about 1299600 sq. km.
  • Around 80% of settlements are located on the bank of the river Saraswati which is extinct today.
• Archaeological Division: The Indus Valley Civilization was divided into Early, Mature, and Late Harappan by archaeologists like Mortimer Wheeler.

Geographical Extent

Northernmost site	Manda (On the bank of the Chenab River in the foothills of the Pir Panjal range, 28 km northwest of Jammu)
Southernmost site	Daimabad (Maharashtra)
Westernmost site	Sutkagan dor on the Makran Coast of Balochistan (Pakistan)
Easternmost site	Alamgirpur (UP)

Indus Valley Sites Map

Major Indus Valley Sites and Archaeological Findings

Name of the Sites	Archaeological findings
Harappa Year of excavation – 1921 by Dayaram Sahni (the first site to be discovered) Location – On the bank of river Ravi, Montgomery district of Punjab province (Now in Pakistan)	Six Granaries in a row. Grid planned city. Coffin burial Virgin-Goddess(seal) Stone symbols of Lingam and Yoni. Clay figures of mother Goddess. Naked male torso (red sandstone) Wheat and Barley in a wooden mortar. Copper scale. Dice, Vanity box; mirror made of Copper, workmen’s quarter.
Mohenjodaro In the Sindhi language, the word Mohenjodaro means mound of the dead. Excavation – 1922 by Rakhaldas Banerjee Location – On the bank of Indus, Larkana district of Sindh, Pakistan	Grid-planned city, Great Granary, Great Bath (the largest building), Assembly hall, Pashupati seal, Bronze image of a nude woman dancer, steatite image of a bearded man, Clay figure of a mother goddess.
Lothal Excavation year – 1954 by S.R.Rao Location – On the confluence of the Bhogava and Sabarmati rivers near the Gulf of Cambay (Gujarat)	The first man-made port in the world, Dockyard made by burnt bricks, painted jar, Rice husk, Fire altars, Measuring scale, Double burial (Male & Female), The earliest cultivation of rice.
Chanhudaro Year of Excavation – 1925 Location – On the bank of the Indus River, Nawabshah District in Sindh(Pakistan)	Bead Making Factory Only Indus site without a citadel Fire altars; camel bones; well; wheels of a toy cart; Mesopotamian cylindrical seal, tiger marked coin.
Farmana Location – Rohtak, Haryana	Largest burial site with 65 burials
Rakhigarhi Year of excavation – 1969 Location – Hisar, Haryana	Largest Indus site. Cotton cloth traces on silver or bronze objects.
Banawali – 1973 Location – Ghaggar River, Hisar district (Haryana)	Terracotta figure of a plough, Lack of systematic drainage system
Surkotada – 1964 Location – Luni Kutch Gujrat (India)	The only site with evidence of horse bones
Amri – 1935 Location – Sindh, Pakistan	Remains of rhinoceros
Ropar – 1955 Location – Sutlej Punjab (India)	Dog buried with humans.
Dholavira Excavation – 1967-68 Location – On the bank of Luni, Kutchh, Gujarat	Earliest Water management system in the world The largest site of the large well and bath Three parts of city Largest Harrappan inscription used for civil purposes a stadium
Balakot Location – Balochistan, Pakistan	The earliest evidence of a furnace
Kunal Location – Haryana	Earliest Pre-Harappan site, Copper smelting
Kalibangan Location – Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan	Fire altars Cylindrical seal
Alamgirpur – 1958 Location – Hindon Meerut (UP)	Impression of cloth on trough
Daimabad Location – Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra	A sculpture of a bronze chariot, Southernmost IVC site
Shortughai Location – Northern Afghanistan	A trading post of the Indus Valley Civilization on the bank of the Oxus River (Amu Darya) near the lapis lazuli mines.

Town Planning

• The main feature of Harappan town is that the cities were divided into rectilinear grids divided by roads that intersected at right angles.
• Towns were encircled by fortifications.
• Most buildings were built with fired and mortared brick.
• Some buildings were built with sun-dried, mud-brick, and wooden superstructures.
• Towns were divided into two different sections: an “upper town” or citadel and a “lower town“.
• The lower town consisted of residential buildings located on the eastern side of the city, while the citadel was on the western side of the city which probably contained public buildings.
• The citadel area was built in the higher part of the city.
• The layout of streets and buildings suggests a degree of centralized planning and administration.

Large Buildings

Citadels	1. It is the upper part of the political, economic-rich area. 2. There was the presence of multi-story buildings. Houses are created from stone, mud-brick, and wood. Assembly halls are also found there.
Public baths	1. These were used for rituals and ceremonies. 2. There were small rooms along with a bath. 3. Bricks are used for making public baths.
Granaries	These are found in citadels to save from rats and the other reasons. These are also found at Lothal Dockyard as storage places for import and export. The “Great Granary” is the largest building in the Indus Valley civilization.
The Lothal Dock Yard	It is away from the main current to avoid the deposition of silt. There is a wood lock gate system to avoid tidal flow.
Artificial lakes	Dug out of stone to store water.
Corbelling	Used extensively by the Harappans. A corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood, or metal in a wall to carry a superincumbent weight.

Water Management system

• Water management was highly developed by the Harappan civilization.
• Large-scale works, such as drainage channels, rainwater harvesting, and street ducts were done.
• Drains from houses were connected to wider public drains laid along the main streets.
• The drains had holes at regular intervals which were used for cleaning.
• Most houses had private wells.
• Dams were constructed to control water inlets.
• Dholavira has a sophisticated water conservation system and reservoirs. It is the earliest found Water management system in the world.

Art

Dancing Girl	It is made of bronze using the lost-wax casting method. It has been found in Mohenjodaro. The statue is 10.5 centimeters (4.1 in) tall and depicts a nude young girl.
Priest King	It is a small male figure sculpted in steatite (a type of metamorphic rock). It has been found in Mohenjodaro.
Cubical Weights	Harappan people used cubical weights made of cherts (fine-grained sedimentary rock) for measurement. These chert weights were in a ratio of 5:2:1. They used a decimal system for measurement. The discovery of these standardized weights at multiple Indus Valley sites suggests the existence of a widespread and organized trading network.
Seals	Thousands of steatite seals have been recovered.

Economy

• Agriculture:
  • The fertile floodplains of the Indus River and its tributaries provided an ideal environment for agriculture.
  • The Indus Valley people practiced both irrigated and rain-fed agriculture.
  • They cultivated a variety of crops, including wheat, barley, peas, cotton, and sesame.
  • Sophisticated irrigation systems, such as canals and wells, were developed to ensure consistent water supply to farmlands, contributing to high agricultural productivity.
• Trade:
  • The Indus Valley Civilization engaged in extensive trade networks, both within the region and with distant civilizations.
  • Archaeological evidence suggests trade relations with Mesopotamia, Oman, Bahrain, and other regions.
  • Trade items included pottery, beads, textiles, metals (such as copper, bronze, and gold), semi-precious stones, and agricultural products.
  • The discovery of Indus seals in Mesopotamian cities like Ur and evidence of Harappan artifacts in the Persian Gulf region highlight the extent of their trade connections.
• Craftsmanship:
  • Harappan pottery was particularly notable for its uniformity and precision, with distinctive shapes and designs.
  • Intricately carved seals made of steatite or ivory were used for administrative and commercial purposes, indicating a system of trade and governance.
• Standardization: Uniform weights and measures, evidenced by the discovery of cubical stone weights and standardized brick sizes, facilitated trade and commerce.

Script Used in Indus Valley Civilization

• The Indus script has not yet been deciphered.
• There is no known bilingual inscription to help decipher the script.
• The characters are largely pictorial, depicting objects found in that time.
• Most scholars agree that the Indus script was read from right to left.

Religion

• There was no such thing as a temple because none of the buildings discovered so far can be called temples.
• Numerous symbols of one phallus (lingam) and female sex organs made of stone indicate the prevalence of lingam and yoni worship.
• The difference between the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic civilization can be noted because the Lingam worshipers are condemned in the Rigveda.
• Probably worship of the mother goddess was widespread. This characteristic of the religious life of the Indus Valley indicates its connection with Western Asia rather than the Vedic civilization.
• The Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro is thought to have been used for religious purposes, a place for ritual purification.

Standing figure of the Mother goddess	Standing figure of terracotta found at Mohenjodaro and similar class of terracotta figurines of the IVC sites have been identified as a “mother goddess“.
	Priest-King
	A seated male in a namaskar pose was found at Harappa
	Dish container on a stand
	Pashupati seal from Mohenjodaro. It is assumed that this god was Shiva.
	Amulets

The Decline of Indus Valley Civilization

The reason for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization remains a subject of intense debate among historians and archaeologists. While the exact causes are not definitively known, several theories have been proposed to explain the decline of this once-thriving civilization around 1900 BCE.

Aryan invasion	Mortimer Wheeler
Climate change	RL Stein, AN Ghosh
Flood	Marshal, SR Rao, Maickey
Epidemic	KVR Kennedy
Change in course of river Ghaggar	GF Holes

Indus Valley Civilization UPSC PSC Questions

UPSC PSC Questions on Indus Valley Civilization

1. Which of the following sites is not associated with the Indus Valley Civilization?

• (a) Mohenjo-Daro
• (b) Harappa
• (c) Kalibangan
• (d) Pataliputra
  Answer: (d) Pataliputra
  Explanation: Pataliputra is an ancient city located in Bihar, associated with the Maurya and Gupta empires, not the Indus Valley Civilization.

2. The Great Bath, found at Mohenjo-Daro, was used for:

• (a) Religious ceremonies
• (b) Public meetings
• (c) Bathing
• (d) Storage of water
  Answer: (c) Bathing
  Explanation: The Great Bath is a large, public bathing area found at Mohenjo-Daro, suggesting its use for ritual purification or personal hygiene.

3. Which of the following was not a feature of Indus Valley cities?

• (a) Well-planned street layout
• (b) Advanced drainage system
• (c) Pyramid-shaped temples
• (d) Standardized weights and measures
  Answer: (c) Pyramid-shaped temples
  Explanation: Indus Valley cities had well-planned streets, advanced drainage systems, and standardized weights, but they did not feature pyramid-shaped temples, which were characteristic of other ancient civilizations.

4. The script of the Indus Valley Civilization is:

• (a) Well-understood and fully deciphered
• (b) Known but undeciphered
• (c) In a language of Sanskrit
• (d) Derived from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
  Answer: (b) Known but undeciphered
  Explanation: The script of the Indus Valley Civilization remains undeciphered, despite numerous attempts to understand it.

5. The primary source of information about the Indus Valley Civilization comes from:

• (a) Vedic texts
• (b) Inscriptions on ancient coins
• (c) Archaeological excavations
• (d) Historical accounts by Greek travelers
  Answer: (c) Archaeological excavations
  Explanation: Our knowledge of the Indus Valley Civilization primarily comes from archaeological excavations of sites like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

6. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as:

• (a) The Harappan Civilization
• (b) The Aryan Civilization
• (c) The Vedic Civilization
• (d) The Mauryan Civilization
  Answer: (a) The Harappan Civilization
  Explanation: The Indus Valley Civilization is often called the Harappan Civilization because Harappa was one of its major cities.

7. Which of the following was a prominent feature of Indus Valley trade?

• (a) Trade with Mesopotamia
• (b) Trade with China
• (c) Trade with Greece
• (d) Trade with Egypt
  Answer: (a) Trade with Mesopotamia
  Explanation: The Indus Valley Civilization engaged in trade with Mesopotamia, as evidenced by the discovery of Indus seals in Mesopotamia and Mesopotamian items in Indus Valley sites.

8. What is the significance of the seals found in the Indus Valley Civilization?

• (a) They were used as currency
• (b) They indicate a writing system
• (c) They were used for religious rituals
• (d) They were decorative items
  Answer: (b) They indicate a writing system
  Explanation: The seals, which often bear inscriptions, are believed to indicate a form of writing or record-keeping in the Indus Valley Civilization.

9. The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization is believed to be due to:

• (a) Invasion by Aryans
• (b) Natural calamities
• (c) Internal rebellion
• (d) Trade disruption
  Answer: (b) Natural calamities
  Explanation: The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization is attributed to natural calamities such as floods, droughts, or changes in river patterns, which led to the abandonment of cities.

10. The Indus Valley Civilization was primarily located in which modern-day country?

• (a) India
• (b) Pakistan
• (c) Bangladesh
• (d) Nepal
  Answer: (b) Pakistan
  Explanation: The majority of the Indus Valley Civilization sites are located in present-day Pakistan, with some extending into northwest India.

11. Which of the following was a significant urban planning feature of the Indus Valley Civilization?

• (a) Ziggurats
• (b) Citadels
• (c) Pyramids
• (d) Palaces
  Answer: (b) Citadels
  Explanation: The Indus Valley cities had citadels or elevated areas used for important public and administrative buildings, separating them from the lower residential areas.

12. What material were the famous seals of the Indus Valley Civilization made of?

• (a) Stone
• (b) Metal
• (c) Clay
• (d) Wood
  Answer: (a) Stone
  Explanation: The seals were primarily made of stone, often carved with intricate designs and inscriptions.

13. The Indus Valley Civilization had a significant system of:

• (a) Brick construction
• (b) Metalworking
• (c) Maritime trade
• (d) Animal domestication
  Answer: (a) Brick construction
  Explanation: The cities of the Indus Valley Civilization were known for their standardized brick construction, which was advanced for its time.

14. What evidence suggests that the Indus Valley Civilization had a centralized administration?

• (a) Large palaces
• (b) Uniform city layouts
• (c) Extensive written records
• (d) Elaborate tombs
  Answer: (b) Uniform city layouts
  Explanation: The uniformity in city layouts, including streets and drainage systems, suggests a planned approach likely indicative of centralized administration.

15. The script of the Indus Valley Civilization is inscribed on:

• (a) Pottery
• (b) Seals
• (c) Statues
• (d) Coins
  Answer: (b) Seals
  Explanation: Most of the Indus script has been found inscribed on seals, which were used for stamping and possibly administrative purposes.

16. What was a common feature of the residential buildings in the Indus Valley Civilization?

• (a) Large courtyards
• (b) Multi-story structures
• (c) Decorative murals
• (d) Wooden beams
  Answer: (b) Multi-story structures
  Explanation: Residential buildings often had multiple stories and were constructed with baked bricks, demonstrating advanced architectural skills.

17. Which of the following is a significant Indus Valley Civilization site in India?

• (a) Lothal
• (b) Harappa
• (c) Mohenjo-Daro
• (d) Mesopotamia
  Answer: (a) Lothal
  Explanation: Lothal, located in Gujarat, is one of the key sites in India that provided evidence of a dockyard, indicating the civilization’s maritime activities.

18. Which feature of the Indus Valley Civilization indicates their advanced understanding of hydraulic engineering?

• (a) Granaries
• (b) Dockyards
• (c) Public baths
• (d) Fortifications
  Answer: (c) Public baths
  Explanation: The sophisticated design of public baths, such as the Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro, demonstrates advanced knowledge of hydraulic engineering.

19. The Indus Valley Civilization is noted for its trade relations with which region?

• (a) Central Asia
• (b) Southeast Asia
• (c) Mesopotamia
• (d) China
  Answer: (c) Mesopotamia
  Explanation: The Indus Valley Civilization had established trade links with Mesopotamia, as evidenced by the discovery of Indus seals in Mesopotamian sites and vice versa.

20. What was the primary economic activity of the Indus Valley Civilization?

• (a) Agriculture
• (b) Mining
• (c) Fishing
• (d) Textile production
  Answer: (a) Agriculture
  Explanation: Agriculture was the primary economic activity, with evidence of sophisticated irrigation systems supporting crop cultivation.

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