HARAPPAN CIVILISATION HARAPPAN CIVILISATION

● With the forests and grass cover gradually disappearing, there Harappa 1921 Daya Ram Montgomery ● It is a planned city with a grid
were more floods and droughts. Sahni district of pattern.
● This depletion of the subsistence base caused strain on the entire Punjab (Now in
economy of the civilization. Pakistan) on the Major Findings:
bank of Ravi ● 6 granaries covering an area of
river 275 square metres.
There is no single cause that can explain the decline of civilization in totality. At the maximum these
● Coffin burial.
can explain the decay of certain sites or areas only. Hence, each of the theories has met with
● Cemetery-H of alien people.
criticism. Nevertheless, the archaeological evidence indicates that the Harappan civilization did not
● Virgin-Goddess.
collapse all of a sudden but declined gradually and ultimately merged with other local cultures.
● Stone symbols of Lingam and
Yoni.
TRANSMISSION OF THE HARAPPAN TRADITIONS
● Pear-shaped 16 firepits- ash and
The end of the cities did not mean the end of the Harappan tradition. It is evident from tar-coal found in these pits
archaeological remains that the Harappan communities merged into the surrounding agricultural indicate that the Harappan
groups. The Harappan communities which continued after the urban phase would have definitely people had the knowledge of
retained their older traditions such as: making tar-coal.
● More than 891 Seals.
● The cults of Pasupati (Siva) and of the mother goddess and phallic worship seem to have come ● Wheat and Barley in wooden
down to us from the Harappan tradition. mortar.
● Similarly, the cult of sacred places, rivers or trees and sacred animals show a distinct continuity ● Copper scale, Dice, Vanity box,
in the subsequent historic civilization of India. Copper made mirror, workmen's
● The evidence of fire worship and sacrifice in Kalibangan and Lothal is significant. These were the quarter.
most significant elements of the Vedic religion.
● It is a possibility that aryans might have learnt these practices from Harappan priesthood. That Mohenjo- 1922 R D Banerjee Larkana district It is Grid planned city.
is, the priestly groups of the Harappans merged into the ruling groups of the Aryans. As such Daro in Sindh on the Major Findings:
the Harappan religious tradition would be transmitted to historical India bank of Indus ● Great Granary
● Many aspects of domestic life like the house plans, disposition of water supply and attention to River (Now in ● Great Bath (the largest building)
bathing survived in the settlements of the subsequent periods. Pakistan) ● Assembly hall
● The traditional weight and currency system of India, based on a ratio of sixteen as the unit, was ● Shell strips
already present in the Harappan civilization; it might well have been derived from there. ● Pashupati Mahadeva Seal
● The techniques of making potter’s wheel in modern India is similar to those used by the ● Bronze image of a nude woman
Harappans. dancer-Dancing girl.
○ For Example: The folk communities retained the traditions of craftsmanship as is evident ● Steatite image of bearded man
from the pottery and tool making traditions. Human skeletons showing
● Bullock carts and boats used in modern India were already present in the Harappan cities. invasion and massacre.
● Evidence from places such as Hastinapura, kaushambi, Atranji Khera near Aligarh, along with ● Painted seal (Demi God).
the deccan sites like Navdatoli and Nevasa , show that there were many settlements who knew ● Clay Figure of mother goddess.
the use of metal that they learned from Harappans.
Sutkagen- 1927 R.L. Stein Dasht river It is Port city-acted as a trade point
Thus, despite of the decline , many elements of the Harappan civilization have been preserved dor Balochistan between Harappa and Babylon.
without a breakdown to the present day. (Pakistan) Major Findings:
● Human bones
HARAPPAN SITES: AT A GLANCE ● Copper axe
● Ash pot
Name of site Year of Excavator River/Region Major Archaeological Findings
excavat
i-on

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 HARAPPAN CIVILISATION HARAPPAN CIVILISATION

Chanhu-daro 1931 N Gopal Indus River It is City without a citadel. Lothal 1954- S R Rao Between Major Findings:
Majumdar Sindh Major Findings 58 Bhogava & ● First man-made port in the world
● Inkpot Sabarmati rivers Dockyard made by burnt bricks.
● Lipstick Ahmedabad ● Painted jar (bird-fox).
● Metal works district (Gujarat) ● Bead makers factory.
● Shell-ornament makers ● Rice husk
● Bead makers ● Fire altars
● Dog's paw imprint on a brick ● A measuring scale
● Terracotta bullock cart ● Chess board
● Bronze toy cart with seated ● Terracotta figurines of a horse
drivers and a ship etc.
● Double burial (Male & Female)
Amri 1935 N.G. Indus river Major Findings: ● Dyeing Vat
Majumdar Sindh (Pakistan) ● Evidence of Antelope ● Persian/Iranian seal
● Bharainean seal
Kalibangan 1953 Amalananda Rajasthan on This site shows both the Pre-
Alamgirpur 1958 Y.D. Sharma Hindon River Easternmost site of Civilization
Ghosh the left bank of harappan & Harappan phases.
Meerut Major Findings:
Ghaggar river Major Findings:
● Impression of cloth on a trough
● Furrowed land (Pre-harappan)
● 7 fire altars
● Camel bones Surkotada 1964 J.P. (Jagpati) Luni River Kutch Major Findings:
● Well Joshi (Gujarat) ● Bones of horse
● Wheels of a toy cart ● Bead making shops
● Mesopotamian cylindrical seal ● Oval grave
● Gram ● Pot burials
● Tiger marked seal
Banawali 1973 R.N. Ghaggar river Major Findings:
Kot Diji 1955- Faizal Ahmed Indus River Major Findings: (Ravindra Hisar district ● Shows both pre Harappan &
57 Khan Sindh (Pakistan) ● Wheel made painted pottery Nath) Bisht (Haryana) Harappan phase
● 16 layers of culture ● Toy plough
● Defensive wall and aligned streets ● Clay figures of mother Goddess
● Metallurgy and artistic toys ● Good quantity of barley and rice
● 5 figurines of Mother Goddess ● Lack of systematic drainage
system
Rangpur 1953 M S Vats, B B Mahar river Major Findings:
Lal and S R (Gujarat) ● Cultivation of rice Balakot 1963 - George F The Arabian Sea Major Findings:
Rao 79 Dales Las Bela Valley ● Mounds (9.7 mts height, 2.8 sq.
hectare of area)
Ropar 1955- Y.D. (Yagya Sutlej River Major Findings:
56 Dutta) Punjab (India) ● Burying a dog with a master in a
Sharma rectangular mudbrick chamber.
● Scented soil
● Five-fold cultures (Harappa,
Kushan. Gupta and Medieval)

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 HARAPPAN CIVILISATION HARAPPAN CIVILISATION

Dholavira 1985- R. N. Bisht Luni River Major Findings: script

90 Rann of Kutch ● Unique water management. ● An unfinished seal
(Gujarat) ● Largest site of large wells and a ● Pre-Harappan and Harappan Red
bath. Ware.
● Three parts of the city.
● Seven cultural stages.
➢ Excavations at these sites have been a continuous process and usually involve many excavators
● Largest Harappan inscription used
at different periods of times. For the convenience of students, In the above table only main
for civil purposes.
excavators and their year of excavation are mentioned.
● A stadium. ➢ Mohenjodaro is the largest site of the Harappan Civilization.
● Sign Boards ➢ Rakhigarhi is the largest Indian site of Harappan Civilization.
Rakhigarhi 1969 Prof Ghaggar-Hakra Major Findings:
(the largest Surajbhan River Plain ● Planned city- Evidence of paved UPSC PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS
Indian site of Hisar district roads, drainage system, large PRELIMS
Indus (Haryana) rainwater collection, storage Q.1) Which one of the following is not a Harappan site?
Civilization) system, terracotta bricks. (a) Chanhudaro
● Pits surrounded by walls have (b) Kot Diji
been found, which are thought to (c) Sohgaura
be for sacrificial or some religious (d) Desalpur
ceremonies.
● A burial site has been found with Answer: (C)
11 skeletons, with their heads in
the north direction- Near the Q.2) With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley
heads of these skeletons, utensils people, which of the following statements is/are correct?
for everyday use were kept. 1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley
● A granary belonging to the Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
mature Harappan phase. 2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and
● Hunting tools like copper hafts iron.
and fish hooks. 3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people
● Cotton cloth traces preserved on having been aware of this animal.
silver or bronze objects. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
● Two of the skeletons, a man (a) 1 only
between 35 and 40 years old and (b) 2 and 3 only
a woman in early 20s were found (c) 1 and 3 only
buried together side by side with (d) 1, 2 and 3
the men's head facing the
women. Answer: (C)
● Two granaries including a granary
with guard-room. Q.3) Which of the following characterizes/ characterize the people of Indus Civilization?
● Evidence of large-scale rainwater 1. They possessed great palaces and temples.
collection. 2. They worshipped both male and female deities.
● A cemetery with 8 graves and 3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
symbolic burial Select the correct statement/ statements using the codes given below. (2013)
● Four complete human skeletons (a) 1 and 2 only
with grave-goods . (b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
Manda 1975- J.P. Joshi & Chenab river Major Findings: (d) None of the statements given above is correct
76 Madhu Bala Akhnoor ● Northernmost site of civilization
(Jammu) ● Copper pin Answer: (B)
● Saddle querns
● Pot-shreds bearing incised Indus

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