100 GK Questions and Answers on Indus Valley Civilization
🏛 Introduction
The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), also known as the Harappan Civilization, was one of the world’s oldest urban civilizations. It flourished around 2500 BCE to 1750 BCE in present-day India and Pakistan.
Here are the Top 100 GK Questions with Answers and Explanations for competitive exams.
🔹 Top 100 GK Questions & Answers on Indus Valley Civilization
🔸 General & Discovery
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Q: When was the Indus Valley Civilization discovered?
👉 1921 (Harappa), 1922 (Mohenjo-daro)
Explanation: Harappa was discovered in 1921 by Daya Ram Sahni; Mohenjo-daro in 1922 by Rakhal Das Banerjee. -
Q: Who discovered Harappa?
👉 Daya Ram Sahni
Explanation: He excavated Harappa in Punjab in 1921. -
Q: Who discovered Mohenjo-daro?
👉 Rakhal Das Banerjee
Explanation: Excavated in 1922 in Sindh region. -
Q: Another name of Indus Valley Civilization?
👉 Harappan Civilization
Because Harappa was the first site found. -
Q: Time period of Indus Valley Civilization?
👉 2500 BCE – 1750 BCE
Explanation: Mature Harappan phase lasted nearly 800 years. -
Q: Which river system was the base of IVC?
👉 Indus River and its tributaries -
Q: Which site is the largest in IVC?
👉 Mohenjo-daro -
Q: Which is the smallest site?
👉 Allahdino (Sindh) -
Q: Which Indus site is in Gujarat?
👉 Lothal, Dholavira, Surkotada -
Q: Main occupation of Indus people?
👉 Agriculture
Explanation: They cultivated wheat, barley, cotton, peas.
🔸 Sites & Discoveries
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Q: Great Bath was found at?
👉 Mohenjo-daro
Explanation: Used for ritual bathing, shows water management. -
Q: Great Granary was found at?
👉 Harappa & Mohenjo-daro -
Q: Dancing Girl statue was found at?
👉 Mohenjo-daro (Bronze) -
Q: Bearded Priest statue was found at?
👉 Mohenjo-daro (Steatite) -
Q: Which site has dockyard?
👉 Lothal -
Q: Which site shows ploughed fields?
👉 Kalibangan -
Q: Which site shows fire altars?
👉 Kalibangan -
Q: Rice husk was found at?
👉 Lothal & Rangpur -
Q: Bead-making center was at?
👉 Chanhudaro -
Q: Which site shows earliest evidence of horse bones?
👉 Surkotada (Gujarat)
🔸 Town Planning
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Q: What type of town planning did IVC have?
👉 Grid System -
Q: Roads intersected at?
👉 Right angles -
Q: Houses were made of?
👉 Baked bricks -
Q: Each house had?
👉 Courtyard & drainage system -
Q: Drainage system was made of?
👉 Covered baked brick drains -
Q: Largest building found at Mohenjo-daro?
👉 Granary -
Q: Lothal is famous for?
👉 Dockyard & trade -
Q: Dholavira is famous for?
👉 Water reservoirs -
Q: Kalibangan is famous for?
👉 Fire altars & ploughed fields -
Q: Surkotada is famous for?
👉 Horse remains
🔸 Economy & Trade
-
Q: Main occupation of Indus people?
👉 Agriculture -
Q: Major crops?
👉 Wheat, Barley, Cotton, Mustard, Peas -
Q: Which site shows earliest use of cotton?
👉 Mohenjo-daro -
Q: Did they use coins?
👉 No, they used barter system & weights -
Q: Weights were made of?
👉 Chert (stone) -
Q: Did Indus people know iron?
👉 No, only copper, bronze, gold, silver -
Q: Which metal was most used?
👉 Copper & bronze -
Q: Major trade partners?
👉 Mesopotamia, Persia, Afghanistan -
Q: Which seals were found in Mesopotamia?
👉 Indus seals -
Q: Dockyard shows trade relation of?
👉 Lothal with other civilizations
🔸 Religion & Society
-
Q: Indus script is?
👉 Pictographic (undeciphered) -
Q: Indus people worshipped?
👉 Mother Goddess, Proto-Shiva (Pashupati) -
Q: Sacred animal?
👉 Bull & Unicorn -
Q: Horse known?
👉 Not clearly, only in Surkotada -
Q: Burial practices?
👉 Both cremation & burial -
Q: Evidence of worship of nature?
👉 Yes, animals, trees, rivers -
Q: Did they build temples?
👉 No temples found -
Q: Did they worship fire?
👉 Yes, fire altars at Kalibangan & Lothal -
Q: Pashupati seal shows?
👉 Seated deity with animals (proto-Shiva) -
Q: Was cow sacred?
👉 No evidence of cow worship
🔸 Arts & Culture
-
Q: Dancing Girl statue made of?
👉 Bronze (lost-wax method) -
Q: Bearded Priest statue made of?
👉 Steatite -
Q: Terracotta figurines mainly?
👉 Toys & animals -
Q: Pottery was?
👉 Red ware, black designs -
Q: Seals made of?
👉 Steatite -
Q: Common seal figure?
👉 Unicorn -
Q: Script was written on?
👉 Seals & pottery -
Q: Number of Indus symbols identified?
👉 Around 400 -
Q: Ornaments were made of?
👉 Gold, silver, beads -
Q: Popular ornaments for women?
👉 Necklaces, bangles, anklets
🔸 Decline
-
Q: Approximate end of IVC?
👉 Around 1750 BCE -
Q: Who suggested Aryan invasion as cause?
👉 Mortimer Wheeler -
Q: Latest research suggests decline due to?
👉 Climate change, floods, drying rivers -
Q: River associated with decline?
👉 Saraswati (Ghaggar-Hakra) -
Q: Did cities continue after decline?
👉 Yes, but at smaller scale
🔸 Quick Facts
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Q: Lothal is called?
👉 Manchester of Indus Valley (bead & cotton industry) -
Q: Mohenjo-daro means?
👉 Mound of the Dead -
Q: Harappa means?
👉 Buried City -
Q: Dholavira is in which state?
👉 Gujarat -
Q: Which site shows evidence of signboards?
👉 Dholavira -
Q: Which site has largest inscription?
👉 Dholavira -
Q: Indus Valley people knew about which game?
👉 Dice & chess-like games -
Q: What animals were domesticated?
👉 Buffalo, sheep, goat, humped bull -
Q: Which foreign animals were known?
👉 Camel, elephant -
Q: Did they eat beef?
👉 Yes, evidence of cattle slaughter found
🔸 More Questions (76–100)
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Q: Which building is the earliest public water tank?
👉 Great Bath (Mohenjo-daro) -
Q: Evidence of dentistry found at?
👉 Mehrgarh (pre-Harappan) -
Q: Which IVC site is in Haryana?
👉 Rakhigarhi -
Q: Which site is largest in India?
👉 Rakhigarhi -
Q: Dockyard evidence proves?
👉 Maritime trade -
Q: First city with water harvesting system?
👉 Dholavira -
Q: Which site is in Rajasthan?
👉 Kalibangan -
Q: Did Harappans know horse-drawn chariots?
👉 No clear evidence -
Q: Indus seals were used for?
👉 Trade, ownership marks -
Q: Was Indus economy rural or urban?
👉 Urban-based agriculture & trade -
Q: Indus people wore clothes made of?
👉 Cotton & wool -
Q: Head-dress of Priest-King is decorated with?
👉 Fillet and trefoil design -
Q: Indus Valley Civilization belongs to which age?
👉 Bronze Age -
Q: Who called IVC ‘Chalcolithic culture’?
👉 Archaeologists (due to copper use) -
Q: Which site had a stadium?
👉 Dholavira -
Q: First Indus Valley site discovered in India after partition?
👉 Ropar (Punjab) -
Q: Was there a king in IVC?
👉 No evidence of monarchy -
Q: Political system of IVC?
👉 Probably governed by merchants/priests -
Q: Did they know writing?
👉 Yes, but undeciphered script -
Q: Did they use wheels?
👉 Yes, for carts & toys -
Q: Which crops were not known?
👉 Rice (limited), Iron tools -
Q: Which animals not known?
👉 Horse (uncertain), Lion -
Q: Social structure was?
👉 Class-based but not rigid caste -
Q: Main building material?
👉 Baked brick -
Q: Importance of IVC in world history?
👉 It was one of the three earliest urban civilizations (with Mesopotamia & Egypt).
📑 Conclusion
The Indus Valley Civilization was a highly advanced urban culture with well-planned cities, drainage, trade, and arts. These 100 GK Questions with answers and explanations are crucial for exams like UPSC, SSC, Railway, Banking, NDA, CDS, and State PSCs.