The Harappan Civilisation on one page: phases, sites, town planning, economy, religion, script and decline. For explanations, go back to the [chapter](/history/indus-valley-civilisation/).

{{< callout type="tip" title="How to use this sheet" >}}
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. **Bold** entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
{{< /callout >}}

## Timeline

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| c. 7000 BCE | **Mehrgarh** (Balochistan): Neolithic farming, a precursor |
| c. 3300–2600 BCE | Early Harappan (Kot Diji, Amri, Hakra); Kalibangan's **ploughed field** belongs here |
| **c. 2600–1900 BCE** | **Mature Harappan**: cities, seals, script, standard weights |
| c. 2334–2284 BCE (as usually dated) | **Sargon of Akkad** mentions ships from **Meluhha** |
| c. 2200 BCE | **4.2 kiloyear** dry event |
| c. 1900–1300 BCE | **Late Harappan**: de-urbanisation, regional cultures |
| 1826 / 1875 | Charles Masson describes Harappa / **Cunningham** publishes a Harappan seal |
| **1921** | **Harappa** excavated: **Daya Ram Sahni** |
| **1922** | **Mohenjo-daro**: **R.D. Banerji** |
| **20 Sep 1924** | **John Marshall** announces the civilisation (*Illustrated London News*) |
| 1964 | **George Dales**, "The Mythical Massacre at Mohenjo-daro" |
| 1977 | **Iravatham Mahadevan's** concordance: **417 signs** |
| 1980 | Mohenjo-daro a UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| 2019 | **Rakhigarhi** ancient DNA study (*Cell*): no Steppe ancestry in the sample |
| **27 Jul 2021** | **Dholavira** a UNESCO World Heritage Site (India's **40th**) |
| 5 Jan 2025 | Tamil Nadu announces a **US$1 million** prize for deciphering the script |
| Nov 2025 | Drought study (*Communications Earth & Environment*, IIT Gandhinagar): four droughts, each over 85 years |

## Sites at a Glance

| Site | River / setting | State / country | Excavator | Signature find |
|------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------|----------------|
| **Harappa** | **Ravi** | Punjab, Pakistan | Daya Ram Sahni, 1921 | Granary (two rows of six), Cemetery R-37, Cemetery H, coffin burial |
| **Mohenjo-daro** | **Indus** | Sindh, Pakistan | R.D. Banerji, 1922 | **Great Bath**, great hall/"granary", Priest-King, Dancing Girl, Pashupati seal, cotton cloth |
| **Chanhudaro** | Indus | Sindh, Pakistan | N.G. Majumdar, 1931 | **No citadel**; bead workshop |
| **Kalibangan** | **Ghaggar** | Rajasthan | B.B. Lal, B.K. Thapar (1960–69) | **Ploughed field**, **fire altars**, mud bricks |
| **Lothal** | **Bhogava** | Gujarat (Ahmedabad) | S.R. Rao, 1955–60 | **Dockyard**, bead factory, rice husk, double burial, Persian Gulf seal |
| **Dholavira** | Mansar and Manhar streams, Rann of Kutch | Gujarat (Kutch) | J.P. Joshi (found 1967–68); R.S. Bisht (1990–2005) | **Three divisions**, reservoirs, **signboard** |
| **Rakhigarhi** | Ghaggar–Chautang | Haryana (Hisar) | ASI; Vasant Shinde | **Largest in India**; DNA study |
| **Banawali** | Ghaggar basin | Haryana (Fatehabad) | R.S. Bisht | **Terracotta plough**, barley, no strict grid |
| **Surkotada** | Kutch | Gujarat | J.P. Joshi, 1964 | Disputed **horse** bones |
| **Ropar** | **Sutlej** | Punjab (India) | Y.D. Sharma | **Dog buried with human** |
| **Alamgirpur** | Hindon | Uttar Pradesh | Y.D. Sharma, 1958 | **Easternmost** |
| **Manda** | Chenab | Jammu | J.P. Joshi | **Northernmost** |
| **Daimabad** | Pravara | Maharashtra | — | **Southernmost**; bronze hoard (affiliation debated) |
| **Sutkagendor** | Dasht | Balochistan, Pakistan | Aurel Stein; George Dales | **Westernmost** |
| **Shortughai** | Near the Amu Darya | Afghanistan | French team | **Lapis lazuli** outpost; canals |
| Rangpur | Saurashtra | Gujarat | — | Rice husk; Late Harappan culture |

## Town Planning

| Feature | Fact |
|---------|------|
| Layout | **Citadel (west, raised)** + **lower town (east)**; Dholavira three parts; Chanhudaro no citadel |
| Streets | Grid, crossing at right angles (Banawali the exception) |
| Bricks | Burnt and sun-dried; ratio **1 : 2 : 4**; Kalibangan mostly mud brick |
| Drains | Covered, with inspection openings and cesspits |
| Houses | Courtyard; doors to side lanes; bathrooms; wells (**about 700** at Mohenjo-daro) |
| Great Bath | About **12 × 7 m, 2.4 m deep**; gypsum mortar and **bitumen**; steps north and south |
| No | Palaces, temples, iron, stone buildings |

## Economy

| Item | Fact |
|------|------|
| Staples | **Wheat, barley**; pulses, sesame, mustard, **cotton** |
| Rice | Lothal, Rangpur |
| Animals | Humped bull, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, dog; **horse not on seals** |
| Metals | Copper, bronze, gold, silver, lead; **no iron** |
| Weights | Chert, cubical; **binary** (small), decimal (large) |
| Scales | Ivory (Lothal), shell (Mohenjo-daro) |
| Exchange | **Barter**, no coins |
| Sources | Copper: Khetri, Oman · Lapis: Badakhshan via Shortughai · Carnelian: Bharuch · Chert: Rohri |
| Gulf names | **Dilmun = Bahrain · Magan = Oman · Meluhha = Indus** |

## Religion, Art and Script

| Item | Fact |
|------|------|
| Mother Goddess | Terracotta female figurines |
| **Pashupati seal** | Steatite, Mohenjo-daro; **elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo**, two deer; Marshall's "proto-Shiva" |
| Fire altars | **Kalibangan, Lothal** |
| Other | Pipal, humped bull, "unicorn" (commonest seal motif), swastika, amulets; **no temples** |
| Burials | Extended inhumation; coffin (Harappa), double (Lothal), dog (Ropar), pot burials (Cemetery H) |
| Dancing Girl | **Bronze**, lost-wax; National Museum, New Delhi |
| Priest-King | **Steatite**; trefoil shawl; Karachi |
| Script | About **400** signs (Mahadevan **417**); **right to left**; longest text about **26 signs**; undeciphered (as of 2026) |

## Decline: Theory and Scholar

| Theory | Scholar |
|--------|---------|
| Aryan invasion ("Indra stands accused") | **Mortimer Wheeler** |
| Refutation of the massacre | **George Dales (1964)** |
| Floods / tectonic uplift | M.R. Sahni, R.L. Raikes, G.F. Dales |
| Indus changed course | **H.T. Lambrick** |
| Aridity | Aurel Stein, A.N. Ghosh; 2025 drought study |
| Ecological overuse | **Walter Fairservis** |
| Disease | K.A.R. Kennedy |
| Consensus | **Multiple causes**, gradual de-urbanisation; migration east and south |

## Don't Confuse

| This | vs | That |
|------|----|------|
| Harappa — **first** excavated (1921), Ravi | vs | Mohenjo-daro — 1922, Indus, Great Bath |
| Kalibangan — ploughed **field** | vs | Banawali — plough **model** |
| Chanhudaro — **no** citadel | vs | Dholavira — **three** divisions |
| Rakhigarhi — largest in **India** | vs | Mohenjo-daro — UNESCO site in **Pakistan** |
| Dilmun — Bahrain | vs | Magan — Oman |
| Dancing Girl — bronze | vs | Priest-King — steatite |
| Indus script — right to left | vs | Brahmi — left to right |
| Wheeler — invasion | vs | Dales — refutation (1964) |

{{< callout type="warning" title="Favourite MCQ trap" >}}
"The Pashupati seal shows a bull, and the Harappans used iron ploughs found at Kalibangan." Every part is wrong: the seal shows an **elephant, tiger, rhinoceros and buffalo**; the Harappans had **no iron**; Kalibangan has a **ploughed field**, and the plough **model** is from **Banawali**.
{{< /callout >}}

---
Source: https://cgpscnotes.in/history/indus-valley-civilisation/quick-revision/

History Indus Valley Civilisation

Indus Valley Civilisation — Quick Revision

One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Indus Valley Civilisation: every site, river, excavator, object, scholar and date in tables for last-minute revision.

5 min read Updated Oct 2026 #quick revision#cgpsc#indus valley civilisation

The Harappan Civilisation on one page: phases, sites, town planning, economy, religion, script and decline. For explanations, go back to the chapter.

How to use this sheet

Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.

Timeline

Date	Event
c. 7000 BCE	Mehrgarh (Balochistan): Neolithic farming, a precursor
c. 3300–2600 BCE	Early Harappan (Kot Diji, Amri, Hakra); Kalibangan’s ploughed field belongs here
c. 2600–1900 BCE	Mature Harappan: cities, seals, script, standard weights
c. 2334–2284 BCE (as usually dated)	Sargon of Akkad mentions ships from Meluhha
c. 2200 BCE	4.2 kiloyear dry event
c. 1900–1300 BCE	Late Harappan: de-urbanisation, regional cultures
1826 / 1875	Charles Masson describes Harappa / Cunningham publishes a Harappan seal
1921	Harappa excavated: Daya Ram Sahni
1922	Mohenjo-daro: R.D. Banerji
20 Sep 1924	John Marshall announces the civilisation (Illustrated London News)
1964	George Dales, “The Mythical Massacre at Mohenjo-daro”
1977	Iravatham Mahadevan’s concordance: 417 signs
1980	Mohenjo-daro a UNESCO World Heritage Site
2019	Rakhigarhi ancient DNA study (Cell): no Steppe ancestry in the sample
27 Jul 2021	Dholavira a UNESCO World Heritage Site (India’s 40th)
5 Jan 2025	Tamil Nadu announces a US$1 million prize for deciphering the script
Nov 2025	Drought study (Communications Earth & Environment, IIT Gandhinagar): four droughts, each over 85 years

Sites at a Glance

Site	River / setting	State / country	Excavator	Signature find
Harappa	Ravi	Punjab, Pakistan	Daya Ram Sahni, 1921	Granary (two rows of six), Cemetery R-37, Cemetery H, coffin burial
Mohenjo-daro	Indus	Sindh, Pakistan	R.D. Banerji, 1922	Great Bath, great hall/“granary”, Priest-King, Dancing Girl, Pashupati seal, cotton cloth
Chanhudaro	Indus	Sindh, Pakistan	N.G. Majumdar, 1931	No citadel; bead workshop
Kalibangan	Ghaggar	Rajasthan	B.B. Lal, B.K. Thapar (1960–69)	Ploughed field, fire altars, mud bricks
Lothal	Bhogava	Gujarat (Ahmedabad)	S.R. Rao, 1955–60	Dockyard, bead factory, rice husk, double burial, Persian Gulf seal
Dholavira	Mansar and Manhar streams, Rann of Kutch	Gujarat (Kutch)	J.P. Joshi (found 1967–68); R.S. Bisht (1990–2005)	Three divisions, reservoirs, signboard
Rakhigarhi	Ghaggar–Chautang	Haryana (Hisar)	ASI; Vasant Shinde	Largest in India; DNA study
Banawali	Ghaggar basin	Haryana (Fatehabad)	R.S. Bisht	Terracotta plough, barley, no strict grid
Surkotada	Kutch	Gujarat	J.P. Joshi, 1964	Disputed horse bones
Ropar	Sutlej	Punjab (India)	Y.D. Sharma	Dog buried with human
Alamgirpur	Hindon	Uttar Pradesh	Y.D. Sharma, 1958	Easternmost
Manda	Chenab	Jammu	J.P. Joshi	Northernmost
Daimabad	Pravara	Maharashtra	—	Southernmost; bronze hoard (affiliation debated)
Sutkagendor	Dasht	Balochistan, Pakistan	Aurel Stein; George Dales	Westernmost
Shortughai	Near the Amu Darya	Afghanistan	French team	Lapis lazuli outpost; canals
Rangpur	Saurashtra	Gujarat	—	Rice husk; Late Harappan culture

Town Planning

Feature	Fact
Layout	Citadel (west, raised) + lower town (east); Dholavira three parts; Chanhudaro no citadel
Streets	Grid, crossing at right angles (Banawali the exception)
Bricks	Burnt and sun-dried; ratio 1 : 2 : 4; Kalibangan mostly mud brick
Drains	Covered, with inspection openings and cesspits
Houses	Courtyard; doors to side lanes; bathrooms; wells (about 700 at Mohenjo-daro)
Great Bath	About 12 × 7 m, 2.4 m deep; gypsum mortar and bitumen; steps north and south
No	Palaces, temples, iron, stone buildings

Economy

Item	Fact
Staples	Wheat, barley; pulses, sesame, mustard, cotton
Rice	Lothal, Rangpur
Animals	Humped bull, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, dog; horse not on seals
Metals	Copper, bronze, gold, silver, lead; no iron
Weights	Chert, cubical; binary (small), decimal (large)
Scales	Ivory (Lothal), shell (Mohenjo-daro)
Exchange	Barter, no coins
Sources	Copper: Khetri, Oman · Lapis: Badakhshan via Shortughai · Carnelian: Bharuch · Chert: Rohri
Gulf names	Dilmun = Bahrain · Magan = Oman · Meluhha = Indus

Religion, Art and Script

Item	Fact
Mother Goddess	Terracotta female figurines
Pashupati seal	Steatite, Mohenjo-daro; elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo, two deer; Marshall’s “proto-Shiva”
Fire altars	Kalibangan, Lothal
Other	Pipal, humped bull, “unicorn” (commonest seal motif), swastika, amulets; no temples
Burials	Extended inhumation; coffin (Harappa), double (Lothal), dog (Ropar), pot burials (Cemetery H)
Dancing Girl	Bronze, lost-wax; National Museum, New Delhi
Priest-King	Steatite; trefoil shawl; Karachi
Script	About 400 signs (Mahadevan 417); right to left; longest text about 26 signs; undeciphered (as of 2026)

Decline: Theory and Scholar

Theory	Scholar
Aryan invasion (“Indra stands accused”)	Mortimer Wheeler
Refutation of the massacre	George Dales (1964)
Floods / tectonic uplift	M.R. Sahni, R.L. Raikes, G.F. Dales
Indus changed course	H.T. Lambrick
Aridity	Aurel Stein, A.N. Ghosh; 2025 drought study
Ecological overuse	Walter Fairservis
Disease	K.A.R. Kennedy
Consensus	Multiple causes, gradual de-urbanisation; migration east and south

Don’t Confuse

This	vs	That
Harappa — first excavated (1921), Ravi	vs	Mohenjo-daro — 1922, Indus, Great Bath
Kalibangan — ploughed field	vs	Banawali — plough model
Chanhudaro — no citadel	vs	Dholavira — three divisions
Rakhigarhi — largest in India	vs	Mohenjo-daro — UNESCO site in Pakistan
Dilmun — Bahrain	vs	Magan — Oman
Dancing Girl — bronze	vs	Priest-King — steatite
Indus script — right to left	vs	Brahmi — left to right
Wheeler — invasion	vs	Dales — refutation (1964)

Favourite MCQ trap

“The Pashupati seal shows a bull, and the Harappans used iron ploughs found at Kalibangan.” Every part is wrong: the seal shows an elephant, tiger, rhinoceros and buffalo; the Harappans had no iron; Kalibangan has a ploughed field, and the plough model is from Banawali.

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