List of Major Sites in Indus Valley Civilization and Findings

List of Major Indus Valley Civilization Sites

A list of Indus Valley Civilization Sites will provide valuable information about the date of discovery, the location of Harappan sites, and key findings at these sites. Indus Valley Civilization Sites are important for the UPSC Prelims Exam (Ancient Indian History) and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 1- Indian History- Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.)

Indus Valley Civilization

Indian history began at the same time when the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) emerged. It is estimated that the Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the Harappan Civilization) flourished from 3300 to 1300 BCE. The Indus Civilization reached its mature state between 2600 and 1900 BCE.

The 1900 BCE – 1500 BCE period saw the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation which coincided with a wave of migration of the Aryan people from the north, most likely the Iranian Plateau.

List of Major Sites of Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan Civilization

The first site of the Indus Valley Civilization was Harappa, which founded in the 1920s by Madho Sarup Vats, Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni, and Marshall. The discovery of Mohenjo-daro, it is located in the Sindh (Sind) region near to the Indus River.

List of Major Harappan Sites, their discovery, and Key artefacts found at these sites are mentioned below-

Year	Site	Discovered by	Location	Features
1921	Harappa	Marshall, Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni and Madho Sarup Vats.	Located in the Montgomery district of Punjab, on the banks of the Ravi River.	Granaries, bullock carts, and sandstone human anatomy sculptures
1922	Mohenjodaro	R.D. Banerjee, E. J. H. MacKay and Marshall.	Located in the Punjab district of Larkana on the banks of the Indus River	Mound of Dead Great bath Granary Bronze dancing girl Seal of Pashupati Mahadeva statue Steatite of beard man A plethora of seals have been discovered. The most significant employment was agriculture. Cotton cultivation was pioneered by the earliest civilisation. Domesticated animals included sheep, goats, and pigs.
1929	Sutkagendor	Stein	Dast river in Pakistan’s southern Balochistan province	Harappa’s and Babylon’s trading post
1931	Chanhudaro	N.G Majumdar	Sindh is located on the Indus River.	Shop with bead makers a dog chasing a cat’s footprint
1935	Amri	N.G Majumdar	On the banks of the Indus.	Evidence of antelope Rhinoceros’ evidence
1953	Kalibangan	Ghose	Rajasthan, beside the Ghaggar River.	Altar of fire Bones from camels. Plough of wood
1953	Lothal	R.Rao	Gujarat on Bhogva river near Gulf of Cambay.	The first artificial port. Dockyard. husk of rice Altars of fire Graveyard Ivory weight balance Copper dog Chess-playing
1964	Surkotada	J.P Joshi	Gujarat.	Horse skeletons Beads Stone Covered Beads
1974	Banawali	R.S Bisht	Haryana’s Hisar district.	Evidence of Beads, Barley Both pre-Harappan and Harappan cultures have been discovered. Toy plough The largest number of barley grains
1985	Dholavira.	R.S Bisht in	Gujara, Rann of Kachchh.	Exclusive water management Giant water reservoir Unique water harnessing system Dams Embankments Stadium Rock – Cut architecture

The Indus civilization, also known as the Indus valley civilization or Harappan civilization, was the Indian subcontinent’s first known urban culture and one of the world’s three early civilizations (the others being Mesopotamia and Egypt). Sophisticated settlements and development of trade and society are the key features of the Harappan Civilization.

Check: All UPSC History Notes

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