INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

By- Vishal Chauhan

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Vishal Chauhan

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History faculty for UPSC-CSE

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Important Sites Of Harappan Culture

• Nearly 1500 sites have been discovered which

attest to the presence of Harappan civilization.
➢ Northern-most site- Manda ( Jammu and
Kashmir)
➢ Southern- most site- Daimabad ( Maharashtra)
➢Western-most site- Sutkagendor ( Pakistan-Iran
border)
➢ Eastern-most site- Alamgirpur ( Uttar Pradesh)
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture

HARAPPA-
• Situated in Montgomery district of Punjab, now
in Pakistan, on the banks of river Ravi.
• The re-discovery of Harappa in the early 19th
century was done by the explorer Charles
Masson (1826) and later Alexander Burnes, and
formally by the archaeologist Alexander
Cunningham in the 1870's.
• Their work led to the first excavations in the early
20th century at Harappa by Rai Bahadur Daya
Ram Sahni (1920).
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• Major findings are Granary of about 800 m2,
little bullock carts and 'Ekkas', Stone symbols of
Lingam (male sex organs) and Yoni (female sex
organs).
• It is the only site of Indus Valley civilization
which provides evidence of coffin burial.
• Rig Veda (Mandal VI) mentions it as 'Harupiya', a
battle site ruins.
Excavation site at Harappa
Granary at Harappa
Cart pulled by bullocks and Horses (Ekkas)
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
MOHENJODARO-
• The word Mohenjodaro means 'Mound of
Dead'.
• It is situated in Larkana district of Sind on the
right bank of the river Indus.
• R.D. Banerjee was the first to excavate this site
in (1921).
• Major findings- Citadel, The Great Bath (public
bath), Great Granary, piece of woven cotton,
bronze dancing girl, seals of Pashupati
Mahadeo, Steatite Statue of bearded man, a
seal and two potsherd depicting ships, bronze
buffalo and ram.
Aerial view of Citadel in Mohenjodaro
Citadel in Mohenjodaro
Great Bath in Mohenjodaro
Granary in Mohenjodaro
The Great Bath and The Granary
Bronze dancing girl
Pashupati seal
Statue of a Bearded man- A Priest
Potsherd and a Seal depicting Ship
A seal depicting bull and a Bronze statue of
Buffalo
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
CHANHUDARO
• Situated in Sindh, about 130 km south of
Mohenjodaro, on the plains of Indus.
• Excavated by N.G. Mazumdar Mackay (1931).
• This site was famous as the bead factory.
• Seals, shell bead and bangles were also
manufatured here.
• Chanhudaro had no citadel.
• Major findings- dogs' paw on brickwork, a small
pot, evidence of mustard, copper or bronze
models of carts with seated drivers, etc.
Chanhudaro
Chanhudaro's beads
A small pot
Carts with drivers
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
LOTHAL
• A port, in Gujrat on Bhogava river near the
Gulf of Cambay.
• It was excavated by Prof. S.R. Rao in 1957.
• An artificial brick dockyard, connecting the
Bhogava river with the Gulf of Cambay has
been found here.
• Remains of husk of rice has also been found
here.
• It differs from the other sites in respect of the
houses that open onto the main street.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• There is no citadel complex.
• Evidence of joint burial of male and female,
found only at this Indus site, suggest the
practice of Sati.
• Major findings - rice husk, doubtful terracotta
figurines of horses, fire altars, 'Persian Gulf'
type of seals and terracotta model of a ship
suggesting sea trade.
• The site is also known for bead factory.
Artificial brick dockyard
Twin burial
Terracotta figurine of Horse
Fire Altar
Persian Seals
Terracotta model of ship
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
KALIBANGAN (Sothi Culture)-
• Situated in Hanumangarh district of northern
rajasthan, on the banks of Ghaggar river.
• First excavated by A. Ghosh in 1953.
• Kalibangan show two phases- Pre-Harappan
and Harappan phase.
• It got its name from the black bangles found
there.
• At Kalibangan, fire altars have been
discovered, suggesting practice of fire
worship.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• Furrowed land (pre-Harappan) and wooden
furrow, copper bead, cartwheel having a
single hub and the bones of a camel have also
been found at Kalibangan.
• The pottery found her is wheel made and has
six fabrics.
• A big public fire-pit altar made of burnt bricks
is found here containing bones of cattle
which suggest public sacrifice and is situated
in the outer city.
• There is no clear-cut evidence of drainage
system here.
Fire Altar at Kalibangan
Pottery
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
BANAWALI-
• Located in the Fatehabad district of
Haryana, on the banks of the River Saraswati.
• It was first discovered by R.S. Bisht in 1974.
• The site shows pre-Harappan and Harappan
phases.
• The heavy pottery made from fine clay found
here shows the traces of Bara culture.
• A good amount of barley has been found
here.
Terracotta wheels
Pottery
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
KOT DIJI-
• It is situated in Sindh, on the left bank of the
Indus river.
• It was excavated in and after 1955 by the
Pakistan Archaeological department.
• The various indications at this site points to
floods and that stones were piled up as a
protection.
• Major findings include blades, a fragment of a
bronze bangle, object of copper, pottery of
brownish paint, etc.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• The foundation of fortification wall and houses
are made of stone at this site.
• Evidence shows that Kot-Diji was destroyed by
fire.
• There are obvious signs of extensive burns over
the entire site, including both the lower
habitation area and the high mound (the
fortified town).
Ruins of Kot Diji
Fragment of Bronze bangles
Pottery of Brownish paint
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
RAKHIGARHI-
• It is a village in the Hisar District, Haryana,
located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.
• The site was excavated by Amarendra Nath of
ASI.
• The survey of India mentioned it as mounds in
1915.
• Prof. Suraj Bhan in 1969, for the first time
recorded the mature Harappan traditions in
town planning, architecture, art and crafts in a
part of the site.
• It is the largest site of Indus Valley Civilization.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• Rakhigarhi shows pre-Indus phase dating back
to about 6500 BCE and also a part of the
mature Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to
2600-1900 BCE.
• The pottery found at this site is similar to that
of Kalibangan and Banawali.
• There is evidence of the use of fire in religious
ceremonies.
• Terracotta statues, weights, bronze artifacts and
vessels, combs, copper fish hooks, burial (heads
in the north direction), needles and terracotta
seals have also been found.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• A granary and cemetery belonging to mature
Harappan phase has also been found.
Ruins of Rakhigarhi
Pottery
Terracotta figures
Burial site
Granary
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
AMRI-
• Located in Sindh, west of the River Indus.
• It was excavated under the guidance of N.G.
Majumdar in 1929 and later by a French team
directed by J.M. Casal.
• A beautiful painted humped Indian bull has
been found on this site.
• Other findings - fragment of copper and
bronze, pottery of both plain and polychrome
style and indication of chert blade industry.
Painted humped Indian bull
Broken vase
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
ALAMGIRPUR-
• Located in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district along
the Yamuna river.
• Also known as Parasaram-ka-Khera, this
settlement existed from 3300 BC to 1300 BC
from the Harappan-Bara period.
• Excavated by B.S. Samaj (1958)
• Major findings- several ceramic items like roof
tiles, cups, vases, beads and carts, among
others.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• Also a humped bull and broken copper blade
were unearthed at this site.
• It represents the last phase, i.e. post-Harappan
culture.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
SUTKAGENDOR
• Located about 480 km west of Karachi on the
Makran coast near Gwadar, close to the Iranian
border, in Pakistan's Baluchistan Province
• It belongs to mature phase.
• It was excavated by R.L. Stein in 1927.
• A great fortification exists here around the
Harappan outpost.
• It was probably a trading post and the citadel
was fortified in rubble stone instead of bricks.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
• Stone vessels, stone arrowheads, copper
arrowheads, shell beads, pottery, and various
other items were found.
Stone arrowheads
Copper Arrowheads
Pottery
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
SURKOTADA
• First excavated by J. Joshi in 1964
• It is a coastal site, located at the head of Rann of
Kutch in Gujrat.
• Both the citadel and lower town are fortified.
• Major findings- bones of horse, bead making
shops, pot burials, shipping complex, large
stone-age jar with short inscription.
Ruins of Surkotada
Horse bones found at Surkotada
Pot Burial
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
ROPAR
• It is situated in the Rupanagar district of Punjab
on the bank of river Sutlej.
• It was first excavated by Y.D. Sharma in 1953.
• It was the first Harappan site excavated in
independent India.
• Harappan as well as post-Harappan phase have
been noticed here.
• Major finding- beads and bangles, copper
object, black and red ware, etc.
Red and Black Ware
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
RANGPUR
• It is situated in the north-west of larger site of
Lothal in Gujrat.
• The first excavation was done by M.S. Vats in
1931.
• Almost all phases of Harappan culture i.e. pre-
Harappan, Harappan and post-Harappan have
been found here.
• Rice husks are the most important finding here.
Important Sites Of Harappan Culture
ALI MURAD
• Situated in Sindh, it has yielded a massive stone
fort.
 Chauhan_Sir_History

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