Indus Valley Civilisation

A. Answer the following questions?

a. Who discovered the Indus Valley Civilisation and when?

Answer: Mr. Daya Ram Sahni discovered the ruins of Harappa in 1921. Next year, in 1922 Dr.
Rakhal Das Bannerjee discovered the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.

b. What does civilisation mean? Give four characteristics of a civilisation.

Answer: The stage of development when man looks for more than just fulfilment of his basic
needs, is called civilisation.

Characteristics of a civilisation:

1. Surplus food production.

2. Flourishing of many arts and crafts.

3. Law and order exists 4. Presence of a government.

c. Why did the earliest civilisations grow up near rivers?

Answer: The earliest civilisations grew up on the banks of rivers because of the following
reasons.

1. The rivers provided abundant supply of water for various purposes all through the year.

2. The lands near the rivers were very fertile, hence good for growing crops.

3. Rivers provided means of transport and communication.

d. Name the different sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Answer: Various sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation were —The river valleys had warm and
pleasant climate which favoured permanent settlement of population. Harappa, Mohenjo-
Daro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Ropar, Alamgirpur, Banwali, Sutkagendor and others.

e. Describe the town planning and the drainage system of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Answer: The cities were divided into two parts. The upper part called ‘citadel’ was built on a
raised ground. It was inhabited by the upper class and had public buildings such as granaries.
The lower part was inhabited by the common people. Each house had a courtyard, several
rooms around it, a toilet and a well. All the buildings were built of burnt bricks. Large blocks of
houses were built along both the sides of streets. The roads were wide and straight and cut
each other at right angles. Smaller streets led to bigger streets. The streets had lamp posts. The
drainage system was of the highest order; even many of our present towns do not have such
excellent drainage system. House drains were connected to the street drains which joined the
main drains which emptied outside the city limits. The drains were covered with stone slabs
and had manholes at regular intervals. They were cleaned regularly. The Indus people were
very conscious of hygiene and sanitation.

f. Describe the Great Bath. Where has it been found? What was it used for?
Answer:
1. The Great Bath was a sort of modem swimming pool, discovered at Mohenjo-Daro. It is
an example of excellent engineering’ work. It was built of burnt brick. It measures 11.-88 x
7.01 metres
2. The lands near the rivers were very fertile, hence good for growing crops.
3. Rivers provided means of transport and communication.
4. The river valleys had warm and pleasant climate which favoured permanent settlement
of population.

g. Describe the Great Granary. Where has it been found?

Answer: The Great Granary was found at Mohenjo-Daro and it was the largest building
discovered there. It was used for storing grains in huge quantities for lean periods. Brick
platforms have been found near the granaries which were used for threshing grain. Many two-
room shelters have also been found nearby which were perhaps used by labourers. Granaries
were built close to river banks to facilitate easier transportation of grains during emergencies.

h. Describe the religion of Indus Valley Civilisation.

Answer: The Harappans worshiped the pipal tree and humped bull which have been found on
hundreds of seals. They also worshiped Mother Goddess which were beautifully depicted as
terracotta figurines. The Harappans also worshiped ‘Shiva’ or ‘Pashupati’. A three-faced figure
with horns has been found sitting in the posture of a yogi. He is surrounded by a tiger, a
rhinoceros, a buffalo, and an elephant. But no temple or any other religious building has been
found so far. The Harappans believed in life after death and buried the dead with his
belongings.

i. Name the three social classes of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Answer: The three social classes were:

1. Rich merchants and priests e. the ruling class.

2. Small merchants, artisans, and craftsmen.

3. Peasants and labourers.

j. What were the probable causes which could have brought about an abrupt end to the
Indus Valley Civilisation?

Answer: There are many reasons attributed to the fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

1. The Harappan cities were destroyed by invaders who were probably the Aryans.

2. Natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes and epidemics might have destroyed the
civilisation.

3. River Indus might have changed its course and turned the region into a desert.
 ADDITIONAL QUESTION
A. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:
a. Why is the Indus Valley Civilization also calling the Harappan civilization?

Answer: The Indus Valley civilization is also called the Harappan civilizations because the things
found in all the sites were very much like the articles found at Harappa.

b. Why did the Indus Valley people build granaries close to the river bank?

Answer: All the granaries were built close to the river bank so that the grains could be easily
transported with the help of boats.

c. Give one example to prove that the Indus Valley bronzesmiths were skilled craftspeople.
Answer: The bronzesmiths made tools, weapons, and metal sculptures such as the famous
figure of the ‘dancing girl.’ They were also engaged in other crafts like brick laying, boat
making, stone cutting, masonry, and carpentry.
d. How do we know that the Harappans had trade relations with the Mesopotamians?

Answer: Trade relations with Mesopotamia have been proved with the discovery of
Mesopotamian seals in the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization and Harappan seals in the
ancient cities of Mesopotamia.

B. Answer the following questions briefly:

a. How were the Harappan cities planned? Explain briefly the main features of their dwelling
houses.

Answer: The Harappan cities were well-planned. The main streets ran parallel to each other,
cut at right angles by smaller, streets, dividing the cities into rectangular blocks. The main
roads were straight and very wide. The streets were often paved with baked bricks. Dwelling
houses were building that people live in. They were in different sizes. They were made of
baked bricks of very good quality. But they not used as office, trading place etc.

b. With reference to the engineering skills of the Indus Valley people, explain briefly the
features of (1) The Great Bath and (2) the drainage system?

Answer:

1. The Great Bath: It was important building at Mohenjo-Daro. This building resembled a large
swimming pool, it had six entrances, central bathing pool, galleries, and dressing rooms. It was
probably used by the general public during religious ceremonies.

2. The drainage system: The people of the Indus valley had an excellent, well-planned drainage
system. The Kitchens and the bathrooms had drains connected to the street drains. The street
drains ran along the side of the streets and were usually covered. They had manholes at
regular intervals. The drainage system proves that the Indus Valley people paid great attention
to sanitation and cleanliness.

c. Give a brief account of 1. Great Granary 2. Assembly Hall

Answer:
1. Great Granary: The Great Granary at Harappa was a large building. Historians believe that it was
used to store surplus food grains. There were two rows of granaries. Each row had six granaries.

2. Assembly Hall: The Assembly Hall was another striking building found in Mohenjo-Daro. It was a
pillared hall with thick walls and 20 pillars made of burnt or baked bricks. This may have been and
assembly hall, a prayer hall, or a palace.

d. Describe 1. The dress and 2. Ornaments of the Indus Valley people.

Answer:

1. Dress: People wore cotton and woollen garments. Two- piece dresses were worn by both
men and women. The men wore a garment like the dhoti while the women wore skirts. The
upper garments were a shawl worn around the shoulder.

2. Ornaments: Both men and women wore ornaments. They wore necklaces, amulets, and
finger rings. The women also wore a headdress, earrings, bangles, girdles, bracelets, and
anklets. The rich wore ornaments made of gold, silver, and ivory. The poor wore shell, bone,
and copper jewellery.

e. Describe the occupation and crafts of the Harappan people.

Answer: The main occupation of the people of the Indus Valley was farming. Farmers grew
wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables. They also cultivated cotton. The land was fertile. The
second occupation of the people of the Indus Valley was domestication of animals like goat,
sheep, buffaloes, elephants, bulls, dogs, and cats. The Indus Valley people were excellent
potters and skilled crafts people. They made pottery of various shapes and sizes. They also
made terracotta. The goldsmiths made gold and silver jewellery, copper smiths made utensils
and the bronze smith made tools, weapons, and metal sculptures. The people were also
engaged in other crafts like brick laying, boat making, stone cutting, masonry, and carpentry.
Spinning and weaving were important occupations.

f. Write short notes on the following:

1. Trade 2. Seals of the Indus Valley

Answer:

1. Trade: The Indus Valley people carried on flourishing trade both within and outside India.
They traded with countries like Mesopotamia, (Iraq), Persia (Iran) and Afghanistan. Trade was
carried on both by land and sea routes. Bullock carts, boats and ships were probably used for
transport. A dockyard has been discovered at Lothal.

2. Seals of the Indus Valley: More than 2,000 seals have been unearthed from various sites.
They are generally small, flat, rectangular, or square in shape and made of clay, soapstone and
copper. They are skilfully carved with figures of humans and animals such as the unicorn,
humped bull, goat, tiger, elephant, etc. These seals were probably used by merchants and
traders to stamp goods.
g. The study of objects and artifacts found in the ruins of the Indus Valley cities help us us to
form an idea of Harrapan religion. Explain.

Answer: Some of the objects found in the ruins help us to form an idea of the religion of the
Harappans. No temples have been found. Numerous smoke-stained clay figures of a female
deity have been found. This was probably the Mother Goddess. A three faced figure, seated in
a yogic posture and surrounded by various animals is engraved on some seals. The pipal tree
was probably regarded as sacred and worshiped. The discovery of many amulets suggests that
people probably wore them as lucky charms to ward off evil spirits.

h. How did the Harappan civilization end?

Answer: These are some causes of the decay of the Harappan civilization.

1. The Harappan might have been destroyed by natural calamities like earthquakes, floods.

2. The climate also began to change and the region became more and more dry like a desert.

3. Perhaps the Aryans attacked their cities and destroyed them.

4. An epidemic or some terrible disease might have killed the people.