Indus Valley Civilization - Points to Remember for UPSC Civil Services Exam

Urbanization & Town Planning

• Town planning is the most important and distinguishing feature of the Harappan Civilization. Hence, it was called an urban civilization.
• Towns were divided into parts namely citadel and lower town. Citadels were occupied by members of the ruling class and the lower town was inhabited by the common people. 
• Another important feature of IVC is the drainage system. Drains were built of burnt bricks and covered by stone lids.
• Chanhudaro was the only town without a citadel. 

Agriculture & Economy

• They grew wheat and barley on a large scale. Other crops that they grew included pulses, cereals, cotton, dates, melons, pea, sesamum, and mustard.
• No clear evidence of rice has been found. 
• Harappan people were mostly peasants and thus the Harappan civilization was an agro-commercial civilization. 
• Harappans were the earliest people to grow cotton. 
• Their most important artistic work are seals. Seals are made of steatite and they are square in shape. 
• The most depicted animal is the bull. 
• Bangle making and shell ornament making was also practiced. 
• Land and sea trade was in vogue in Indus Valley Civilization.
• A dockyard has been found at Lothal which is the longest building of Harappan Civilization.

Religion of Harappans

• Pashupati seal has been found in Mohenjodaro in which a Yogi has been depicted. 
• The Yogi on the seal is surrounded by buffalo, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, and deer.
• Signs of phallic worship have been found. 
• Harappans worshipped the mother Goddess. It is evident from the terracotta figurine recovered from Harappa. 
• A building called the Great Bath has been found at Mohenjodaro. It was meant for ritual bathing.
• No evidence of temples has been found in this civilization.
• Amulets were found in large numbers. 

Script of Harappans

• The Harappans knew the art of writing.
• More than 4000 specimens of scripts were found in excavations.
• The script, however, is not alphabetical but pictographic and it has not been deciphered yet. 

Administration 

• Evidence of complex decision-making in Harappan society is seen in the uniformity of artefacts like pottery, seals, weights, and bricks 
• Some archaeologists believe there were no rulers and society was egalitarian.
• Others suggest multiple rulers in different cities (e.g., Mohenjodaro and Harappa).
• Most plausible theory: A single state with central authority, due to: standardised artefacts and brick sizes, planned urban layouts, settlements near raw material sources.