APPSC Groups Study material(Indian History)

INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

•      It is also known as Harappan Civilization


•      It was discovered by Sir.Daya Ram Sahni in 1921.


•      IVC extended in an area of 1.3 million square kms from,

• Ÿ  Sutkagendar (Baluchistan) – West


• Ÿ  Alamgirpur (U.P.) – East


• Ÿ  Manda (Jammu) – North


• Ÿ  Diamabad (Maharashtra) – South


• Ÿ  (Mnemonic – SAMAD)

•      The Indus Valley Civilization had its beginnings in Chalcolithic Age and had its maturity phase in Bronze Age.


•      When Indus Valley Civilization was discovered in 1921, Sir. John Marshall was the head of Archeological Survey of India.

Features of IVC

• Town Planning is one of the most characteristic features of Indus Valley Civilization.


•      All the cities have grid system with streets and lanes intersecting at right angles, dividing the entire city into several rectangular blocks.


•      The cities have two distinct parts - a Citadel, which is a mound built on a high podium of mud bricks and the Lower Town, which is the main residential area.


• Standardized burnt bricks were used for construction in all the cities of Indus Valley.


•      There was an excellent underground drainage system connecting all houses into street drains equipped with manholes.


•      Some of the main cities of Indus Valley Civilization are

• Ÿ  Harappa


• Ÿ  Mohenjodaro,


• Ÿ  Chanhudaro,


• Ÿ  Kalibangan,


• Ÿ  Lothal,


• Ÿ  Sukthazendar,


• Ÿ  Balakote  


• Ÿ  Rangapur


• Ÿ  Rakhigarghi

•      Administration was centralised, well organised and very efficient.


•      The ruling authority is believed to be the class of Merchants.


•      Indus Valley Civilization is an urban civilization, it's economy based on both agriculture and trade.


•      They worshiped Mother Goddess, Pasupati, animals like humped bull and trees like neem and pipal.


•      Indus Valley script is pictographic in nature and has not yet been deciphered.


•      It is written in boustrophedon style.

IVC Towns

•      Harappa –






• Ÿ  the first city to be discovered


• Ÿ  located on the bank of river Ravi


• Ÿ  Contains 12 granaries arranged in 2 rows of 6 each.






•      Mohenjodaro –






• Ÿ  located on the left bank of Indus


• Ÿ  has a Great Bath,


• Ÿ  has a huge Great Granary


• Ÿ  has a multi-pillared Assembly Hall.


• Ÿ  Largest city of IVC






•      Chanhudaro –






• Ÿ  located on the right bank of Indus


• Ÿ  it is the only city without a Citadel


• Ÿ  ink-pot type pottery was unearthed here.






•      Kalibanghan –






• Ÿ  located on the bank of river Ghaggar (Saraswati)


• Ÿ  both the Citadel and Lower Town were fortified


• Ÿ  the worship of Mother Goddess was absent here.


• Ÿ  It was excavated by B.K.Thapar






•      Lothal –






• Ÿ  located on the banks of river Bhogava


• Ÿ  has an artificial brick dockyard


• Ÿ  evidence of extensive rice cultivation are found here.


• Ÿ  Excavated by S.R.Rao






•      Other port cities were Suktazendar, Balakote, Rangapur etc.


•      Rakhigarhi in Haryana is the most recently excavated Indus Valley Town in India.