Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1300 BCE)
Overview
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| IVC Overview | Represented first urban phase in Indian subcontinent. Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BCE) featured grid-pattern cities, baked bricks, advanced drainage, and extensive trade. Declined ~1900 BCE due to ecological factors. |
1. Chronology & Geographical Extension
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Harappan Phases | Early (3300–2600 BCE): Proto-urban (Amri, Kot Diji). Mature (2600–1900 BCE): Urban peak (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro). Late (1900–1300 BCE): De-urbanisation. "Indus Civilization" coined by John Marshall. |
| Geographical Boundaries | Westernmost: Sutkagendor (Dasht River, Pak-Iran border). Northernmost: Manda (Chenab, J&K). Easternmost: Alamgirpur (Hindon, UP). Southernmost: Daimabad (Maharashtra). |
2. Town Planning & Urban Features
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| City Layout & Materials | City division: Lower Town (residential) & Citadel (administrative/rituals). Grid pattern with interlocking baked bricks (ratio 1:2:4). Private sanitation with no street-facing windows. |
| Drainage & Water Structures | Covered drains with cesspits. Granaries with raised platforms & air ducts. Great Bath (Mohenjo-daro) with bitumen waterproofing. Reservoirs at Dholavira. |
3. Society, Religion & Economy
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Society & Politics | Moderate hierarchy; no rigid classes, no kings, no standing armies. Women represented in figurines and bronze "Dancing Girl". Primary burials dominant. Cinnabar cosmetics. |
| Religion & Beliefs | Secular (no temples found). Deities: Mother Goddess & Proto-Shiva (Pashupati). Peepal tree, animal, Yoni-phallic worship. Fire altars at Kalibangan & Lothal. |
| Agriculture & Trade | Crops: Wheat, barley, cotton (Mehrgarh), rice (Lothal, Rangpur). Earliest ploughed field at Kalibangan. Zebu cattle, buffalo. Barter trade with Mesopotamia (Meluha), Magan, Dilmun. Binary/decimal weights. |
| Raw Material Imports | Lapis Lazuli (Shortughai), Carnelian (Lothal), Steatite (South Rajasthan), Copper (Khetri/Oman), Gold (Kolar), Silver (Ajmer/Afghanistan). |
4. Key IVC Sites & Findings
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Mohenjo-daro & Harappa | Mohenjo-daro: Great Bath, Great Granary, Pashupati Seal, Bronze Dancing Girl, Bearded Priest. Harappa: 6 granaries in row, Virgin-Goddess seal, Cemetery-H. |
| Dholavira & Lothal | Dholavira: 3-part city division, water reservoirs, large signboard. Lothal: Tidal dockyard, ivory scale, rice evidence, bead factory. |
| Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi & Others | Kalibangan: Earliest ploughed field, fire altars, no lower town drainage. Rakhigarhi: Largest site in India. Surkotada: Horse remains (debated). Chanhudaro: Bead factory, only city without citadel. |
5. Art, Script & Decline Theories
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Art & Script | Dancing Girl (bronze lost-wax technique), Bearded Priest (steatite), Male Torso (red sandstone). Script: Undeciphered pictographic, Boustrophedon method (L-R, R-L). |
| Decline Theories | Aryan Invasion (Wheeler); Ecological Disturbance (Fairchild); Drying of Saraswati (D.P. Agrawal); Climate Change/weak monsoons (Bhirrana data). |
UPSC High-Yield Recall & Exam Traps
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dancing Girl Material | Made of Bronze using lost-wax process (not carnelian or clay). |
| Dholavira Water Management | Famous for sophisticated water reservoirs and dams (UNESCO WHS). |
| Sohgaura Non-Harappan Trap | Sohgaura is a Mauryan copper plate site (not IVC). |
| Iron Exclusion | IVC had no knowledge of iron (bronze and copper age culture). |
🧬 Rakhigarhi DNA Study & Post-Urban Cultures
- Rakhigarhi aDNA Study (2019): Ancient genome study by Vasant Shinde et al., published in Cell, found no significant Steppe/Central Asian ancestry in the Harappan-era skeletal sample — evidence cited in debates on the Aryan Migration Theory.
- Post-Urban Successor Cultures: After de-urbanisation (~1900 BCE), regional cultures emerged — Jhukar culture (Sindh), Rangpur culture (Saurashtra/Gujarat), and Cemetery H culture (Punjab, distinct burial practices & pottery).
Supplemental Asset Directory
- Sutkagendor Westernmost IVC:
- Manda Northernmost IVC:
- Akhnur Manda Harappan:
- Alamgirpur Easternmost IVC:
- Harappan Extension Map:
- Town Planning Overview:
- Great Bath Mohenjo-daro:
- Pashupati Seal:
- Lothal Dockyard:
- Kalibangan Ploughed Field:
- Dancing Girl Mohenjo-daro:
- Bearded Man Mohenjo-daro:
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