Indus Valley Civilization Sites

The Indus Valley Civilisation, 3300-1300 BCE, also known as the Harappan Civilization, extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Over 1400 Indus Valley civilisation sites have been discovered, of which 925 sites are in India and 475 sites in Pakistan, while some sites in Afghanistan are believed to be trading colonies.

The Indus Valley Civilisation, 3300-1300 BCE, also known as the Harappan Civilization, extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Over 1400 Indus Valley civilisation sites have been discovered, of which 925 sites are in India and 475 sites in Pakistan, while some sites in Afghanistan are believed to be trading colonies.

Indus Valley Civilization: NCERT History MCQs for UPSC IAS/State PSC and other exams

History of India: Ancient history: Indus Valley Civilization Question Bank

The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Together with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilisations of the Near East and South Asia, and of the three, the most widespread, its sites spanning an area from much of Pakistan, to northeast Afghanistan, and northwestern India.

The civilisation flourished both in the alluvial plain of the Indus River, which flows through the length of Pakistan, and along a system of perennial monsoon-fed rivers that once coursed in the vicinity of the Ghaggar-Hakra, a seasonal river in northwest India and eastern Pakistan.

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List of Indus Valley sites discovered

SiteDistrictProvince/stateCountryExcavations/findings
AlamgirpurMeerut DistrictUttar PradeshIndiaImpression of cloth on trough
AllahdinoKarachi districtSindhPakistanFloor tiles of a house have been discovered at this site
Amri, SindhDadu DistrictSindhPakistanRemains of rhinoceros
Babar KotSaurashtra, RajulaGujaratIndiaA stone fortification wall, plant remains of millets & gram.
Balu, HaryanaKaithalHaryanaIndiaEarliest evidence of garlic. Several plant remains were found here include various types of barley, wheat, rice, horse gram, green gram, various types of a pea, sesamum, melon, watermelon, grapes, dates, garlic, etc. (Saraswat and Pokharia – 2001-2) Which is comparable to a nearby IVC site Kunal, Haryana revealed remains of rice (probably wild).
BanawaliFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaBarley, terracotta figure of plough
BargaonSaharanpur DistrictUttar PradeshIndia
BarorSri Ganganagar districtRajasthanIndiaHuman skeleton, ornaments, 5 meter long and 3 meter clay oven, a pitcher filled with 8000 pearls
Bet DwarkaDevbhoomi Dwarka districtGujaratIndiaLate Harappan seal, inscribed jar, the mould of coppersmith, a copper fishhook
BhagatravBharuch DistrictGujaratIndia
BhirranaFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaGraffiti of a dancing girl on pottery, which resembles a dancing girl statue found at Mohenjo-Daro
ChanhudaroNawabshah DistrictSindhPakistanBead making factory, use of lipstick, only Indus site without a citadel
ChapuwalaCholistanPunjabPakistanunexcavated 9.6 hectares
DaimabadAhmadnagar DistrictMaharashtraIndiaA sculpture of a bronze chariot, 45 cm long and 16 cm wide, yoked to two oxen, driven by a man 16 cm high standing in it; and three other bronze sculptures. Southernmost IVC site in India, Late Harappan Phase
Desalpur in Nakhtrana Taluka,Kutch DistrictGujaratIndiaMassive stone fortification, Harappan pottery, three script bearing seals; one of steatite, one of copper and one of terracotta.
DholaviraKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFigure of chariot tied to a pair of bullocks and driven by a nude human, Water harvesting and number of reservoirs, use of rocks for constructions
FarmanaRohtak DistrictHaryanaIndiaLargest burial site of IVC, with 65 burials,found in India
GanweriwalaPunjabPakistanEquidistant from both Harappa and Mohenjodaro, it is near a dry bed of the former Ghaggar River. It is a site of almost the same size as Mahenjodaro. It may have been the third major center in the IVC as it is near to the copper-rich mines in Rajasthan.
Gola Dhorokutch districtGujaratIndiaProduction of shell bangles, semi-precious beads, etc.
HarappaSahiwal DistrictPunjabPakistanGranaries, coffin burial, lot of artifacts, important Indus Valley civilisation town, the first town which is excavated and studied in detail
Hisar mound inside Firoz Shah PalaceHisar DistrictHaryanaIndiaUnexcavated site
HulasSaharanpur DistrictUttar PradeshIndia
Juni KuranKutch DistrictGujaratIndiafortified citadel, lower town, public gathering area
JognakheraKurukshetraHaryanaIndiaCopper smelting furnaces with copper slag and pot shards.
KajGir Somnath DistrictGujaratIndiaCeramic artifacts, including bowls. Ancient port.
KanjetarGir Somnath DistrictGujaratIndiaSingle phase Harapppan site.
KalibanganHanumangarh DistrictRajasthanIndiaBaked/burnt bangles, fire altars, small circular pits containing large urns and accompanied by pottery, bones of camel
Karanpura near Bhadra cityHanumangarh districtRajasthanIndiaSkeleton of child, terracotta like pottery, bangles, seals similar to other Harappan sites
KhirasaraKutch districtGujaratIndiaWare House, Industrial area, gold, copper, semi-precious stone, shell objects, and weight hoards
Kerala-no-dhoro or PadriSaurashtraGujaratIndiaSalt production centre, by evaporating sea water
Kot Bala (also, Balakot)Lasbela DistrictBalochistanPakistanEarliest evidence of furnace, seaport
Kot DijiKhairpur DistrictSindhPakistan
Kotada BhadliKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFortification bastion few houses foundations
Kunal, HaryanaFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaEarliest Pre-Harappan site, Copper smelting.
KuntasiRajkot DistrictGujaratIndiaSmall port
Lakhan-jo-daroSukkur DistrictSindhPakistanmajor unexcavated site (greater than 300 hectares)
LarkanaLarkana DistrictSindhPakistan
LoteshwarPatan DistrictGujaratIndiaAncient archaeological site
LothalAhmedabad DistrictGujaratIndiaBead making factory, dockyard, button seal, fire altars, painted jar, earliest cultivation of rice (1800 BC)
Manda, JammuJammu DistrictJammu & KashmirIndianorthernmost Harappan site in Himalayan foothills
MalwanSurat DistrictGujaratIndiaSouthernmost Harappan site in India
MandiMuzaffarnagar districtUttar PradeshIndia
MehrgarhKachi DistrictBalochistanPakistanEarliest agricultural community (7000-5000 BC)
MitathalBhiwani DistrictHaryanaIndia
Mohenjo-DaroLarkana DistrictSindhPakistanGreat Bath (the biggest bath ghat), Great granary, Bronze dancing girl, Bearded man, terracotta toys, Bull seal, Pashupati seal, three cylindrical seals of the Mesopotamian type, a piece of woven cloth
NageshwarKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaShell working site
NavinalKutch districtGujaratIndia
Nausharo near DadharKachi DistrictBalochistanPakistan
OngarHyderabadSindhPakistan
PabumathKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaA large building complex, unicorn seal, shell bangles, beads, copper bangles, needles, antimony rods, steatite micro beads; pottery include large and medium size jars, beaker, dishes, dish-on-stand, perforated jars etc.; fine red pottery with black painted designs etc
Pathani DambMakranBalochistanPakistanAt 100 hectares, this has the potential to be another city
Pir Shah JurioKarachiSindhPakistan
PirakSibiBalochistanPakistan
RakhigarhiHisar DistrictHaryanaIndiaTerrecotta wheels, toys, figurines, pottery. Large site partially excavated.
RangpurAhmedabad DistrictGujaratIndiaSeaport
Rehman DheriDera Ismail KhanKhyber PakhtunkhwaPakistan
RojdiRajkot DistrictGujaratIndia
RuparRupnagar DistrictPunjabIndia
SanauliBaghpat DistrictUttar PradeshIndiaBurial site with 125 burials found
Sheri Khan TarakaiBannu DistrictKhyber-PakhtunkhwaPakistanpottery, lithic artifact
Shikarpur, GujaratKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFood habit details of Harappans
ShortugaiDarqad DistrictTakhar ProvinceAfghanistan
SiswalHisar (district)HaryanaIndia
Sokhta KohMakranBalochistanPakistanPottery
Sothi near BarautBagpat districtUttar PradeshIndia
SurkotadaKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaBones of a horse (only site)
Sutkagan DorMakranBalochistanPakistanBangles of clay, Westernmost known site of IVC
TigranaBhiwani districtHaryanaIndiaHouses, pottery, terracotta, seals with script, semi-precious stones, evidence of crop cultivation and anima; domestication
VejalkaBotad districtGujaratIndiapottery

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