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Indus Valley Civilization: Important Dates, Sites &

Decline of IVC
What is Harappan Civilization?
Harappan was first excavated in 1921 by Dayaram Sahni. Indus Valley Civilization was larger than
ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia civilisations.
Northernmost site àManda (Jammu-Kashmir), Southernmost site àDaimabad (Maharashtra), Easternmost
site à Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh), Western-most site à Sutkagendor (Pakistan-Iran border)

Systematic town-planning on the lines of ‘grid

system’
IMPORTANT FEATURES of Indus Valley Use of burnt bricks in construction.
Underground drainage system.
Civilization:
Own characteristic pottery, seals and script.
Fortified citadel (except Chanhudaro).

PHASES OF Indus Valley Civilization:

Early Harappan Phase From 3300 to 2600 BCE

Mature Harappan Phase From 2600 to 1900 BCE

Late Harappan Phase From 1900 to 1300 BCE

Major Site of Indus

Discovery within the Indus Valley Civilization
Valley Civilization
Harappa
Granaries, Red sandstone Male torso, Stone symbols of Lingam and Yoni,
Painted pottery, Mother Goddess, Dice
(Ravi)
Mohenjodaro Discovered by R D Banerjee in 1922. Largest site of Indus civilization, Post
cremation burial, Great Granary, Great Bath (largest building of civilization),
Pasupathi seal, Bronze dancing girl.
Chanhudaro Discovered by N G Mazumdar in 1931. Inkpot, Lipstick, Metal workers,
Shell-ornament makers and bead makers shop, dog’s paw imprint on brick,
(Indus) Terracotta model of bullock cart, Bronze toy cart.

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Lothal Discovered by S Rao in 1953. Important naval trade site, Cremation site,
Dockyard, Granaries, Rice husk, Double burial (male female together)
(Bhogava)
Dholavira Discovered by R Bisht in 1985. Unique water harnessing system and its
storm water drainage system, only site divided in 3 parts, Megalithic stone
(Luni) circle.
Surkotada Discovered – S Joshi (1964). Only site with horse remains, Oval grave, Pot
burials, Soldiers sign on potsherd
(Gujrat)
Kalibangan
Discovered – A Ghosh. Bangle factory, Ploughed field surface, Camel bones,
Fire altars.
(Ghaggar)

Geographical Expansion
of Indus Valley Locations of the Indus Valley Civilization
Civilization
Banawali (Ghaggar): Oval shaped settlement, Lack of
systematic drainage system, Barley grains, Lapis Lazuli, Fire
altars, Only city with Radial streets.
HARYANA (INDIA) Rakhigarhi (Ghaggar): Largest Indian site of Indus valley
civilization. Granary, cemetery, drains, terracotta bricks
Bhagwanpura

Ropar (Sutlej): Dog buried with human oval pit burials,

PUNJAB (INDIA) copper axe, first site to be excavated after independence

Alamgirpur (Yamuna): Broken copper blade, ceramic

UTTAR PRADESH (INDIA) items and impression of cloth on a trough.
Manpur, Bargaon, Hulas, Sanauli

Daimabad (Pravara): Bronze images (charioteer with

MAHARASHTRA (INDIA) chariot, ox, elephant and rhinoceros)

Overview of the
Key Characteristics of the Indus Valley
Indus Valley
Civilization
Civilization
TOWN PLANNING AND The towns were in a rectangular grid pattern with roads at right
STRUCTURES angles.
Used burnt mud bricks joined with gypsum mortar (contemporary
Egypt dried bricks were used).

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The city was divided in two parts, the city on raised platform, Known
as Upper citadel & the lower town known as lower citadel (working
class quarters)
Most buildings have private wells and properly ventilated bathrooms.
Do not have large monumental structures such as temples or palaces
for rulers unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilisation.
Advanced drainage system.

Main crops: Two types of Wheat and Barley. Evidence of cultivation of

rice in Lothal and Rangpur (Gujarat) only. Other crops: Dates,
mustard, sesamum, cotton, rai, peas etc.
First to produce cotton in the world so Greeks called them Sindon.
Used animal drawn wooden plough, and stone sickles.
AGRICULTURE Gabarbands or nalas enclosed by dams found but channel or canal
irrigation was probably not practised
Produced sufficient food grains and cereals were received as taxes from
peasants and stored in granaries for wages and emergencies same as
Mesopotamia.

Oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs, dogs, cats, asses and camels
were domesticated. Humped bulls were favoured by the Harappans.
DOMESTICATION OF Not horse centered but evidence in Surkotada, Mohenjo Daro and
ANIMALS Lothal. Lion was not known. Elephants and Rhinoceros (Amari) were
well known.

This is known as the first urbanization in India.

Along with stone, but were well acquainted with bronze (occasionally
mixed arsenic with copper instead of tin). As neither tin nor copper
was easily available, bronze tools do not abound in the region.
TECHNOLOGY AND Iron was not known to the people.
CRAFT Important crafts: spinning (Spindle whorls), bricklaying, boat-making,
seal making, terracotta manufacturing (potter’s wheel), goldsmiths, bead
making.
They were aware of the use of the wheel.

Trade importance supported by Granaries, seals, a uniform script, and

regulated weights and measures.
Engages in inter-regional as well as foreign trade. Sumerian texts refer
trade relation with Meluha ie. ancient name given to Indus region &
mentions 2 intermediate trading stations- Dilmun (Bahrain) & Makan
(Makran coast).
TRADE AND
COMMERCE Used boats and bullock-carts for transportation.
Carried exchanges through a barter system.
IMPORT: Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Jade, Steatite
EXPORTS: Agricultural products, cotton goods, terracotta figurines,
beads from Chanhudaro, conch-shell from Lothal, ivory products,
copper.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Hierarchy in urban habitation. Merchants and priests were important
class of this period
Harappans were fashion conscious. Different hairstyles and wearing a
beard were popular. The use of cosmetics was common (Cinnabar,
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lipstick and collyrium)

Necklaces, filets, armlets and finger rings were worn by both men and
women but bangles, girdles, anklets, ear-rings were worn by women
only.
Beads were made from gold, copper, bronze, cornelian, quartz, steatite,
lapis lazuli etc – naturalistic animal models as pin-heads and beads.
Fishing, hunting and bull fighting were pastimes.

Central authority may have contributed to uniform culture.

No clear idea of an organized force or standing army.
POLITY Priests did not rule in Harappa as they did in the cities of lower
Mesopotamia but were possibly ruled by a class of merchants.

Seal-Male deity Pashupati Mahadeva (proto-siva)-three-horned heads,

and is represented in the sitting posture of a yogi, with one leg placed
above the other surrounded by an elephant, a tiger, a rhinoceros, and
below his throne there is a buffalo, and at his feet two deer.

Prevalence of the Phallus (lingam) and Yoni worship. The Rig Veda speaks of
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES non-Aryan people who were phallus worshippers.

Chief female deity was mother Goddess. They also worshiped fire.
The people of the Indus region also worshipped trees (ex: pipal) and
animals (unicorn, humped bull etc).
Harappans believed in ghosts and evil forces and, therefore, they used
amulets against them.

Oldest script in Indian subcontinent.

Pictographic script (yet to be deciphered).
SCRIPT Writing was boustrophedon -writing in right to left in one line & then
left to right in the next line.

Plain pottery is more common than painted ware and is generally of

red clay, and is uniformly sturdy and well baked.
The painted pottery is also known as Red and Black Pottery as it used
red colour to paint the background and glossy black paint was used to
draw designs and figures on the red background. Trees, birds, animal
POTTERY figures and geometrical patterns were the recurring themes of the
paintings.
Most of the pottery is wheel-made.
Rare polychrome pottery has also been found (geometric patterns in
red, black, green, rarely white and yellow).

Most of the seals are square plaque (2×2 square inches) made mostly
from Steatite.
Seals had an animal (no Cow) or human figure on one side and an
inscription on the opposite side or inscriptions on both the sides.
SEALS AND SEALINGS Seals were primarily used for commercial purposes, as amulets, as
form of identification, for educational purposes as well.
Seals with symbols similar to ‘Swastika’ design have also been found.
Types – Square OR Rectangular.

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BRONZE CASTING:

Practiced on a wide scale using the ‘lost wax’ technique or Cire

Perdue.
They mainly consist of human and animal figures. Example: ‘Dancing
Girl’. She stands in a ‘tribhanga’ dancing posture.

STONE STATUES:

ART Bearded man– (found in Mohenjo-daro and made of Steatite),

interpreted as a priest
Red sandstone – figure of a male torso (found in Harappa and made of
Red sandstone).

TERRACOTTA FIGURES

Found are less in number and crude in shape and form. Examples:
Mother Goddess, mask of horned deity, toys, etc

After 2000 BC Indus Valley Civilization declined & gradually faded away.

Possible reasons – declined soil fertility, depression in land, Aryans

DECLINE
invasion, decline of trade, Floods, Earthquake etc.
Most acceptable reason is ecological imbalance.

Also Read: Vedic Period: History Notes for UPSC & Govt. Exams

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