Indus Valley Civilization Important Questions and Answers for SSC, UPSC – Harappan Civilization GK 2026

Indus Valley Civilization🏺 – 50 Important Q&A (Exam-Oriented)

Indus Valley Civilization Illustration with Harappan Culture, Great Bath and Trade System

🔹 Discovery & Chronology (VERY IMPORTANT)

1. Who discovered Harappa?

👉 Daya Ram Sahni (1921)

2. Who discovered Mohenjo-daro?

👉 R. D. Banerjee (1922)

3. Who gave the name Indus Valley Civilization?

👉 Sir John Marshall

4. What is the time period of the Mature Harappan phase?

👉 2600 BCE – 1900 BCE

5. The Indus Valley Civilization belongs to which age?

👉 Bronze Age

🔹 Important Sites & Features (MOST ASKED)

6. The Great Bath is located at which site?

👉 Mohenjo-daro

7. The Great Granary is found at which site?

👉 Harappa

8. The dockyard of the Indus Valley Civilization is located at which site?

👉 Lothal

9. Fire altars were found at which site?

👉 Kalibangan

10. Which site is famous for water conservation system?

👉 Dholavira

11. Which site is known for bead-making industry?

👉 Chanhudaro

12. Which is the largest Harappan site in India?

👉 Rakhigarhi

🔹 Town Planning (VERY HIGH WEIGHTAGE)

13. What type of city planning was followed?

👉 Grid pattern

14. What was the drainage system like?

👉 Well-planned and covered

15. Houses were made of which material?

👉 Baked bricks

16. Streets were laid out in which pattern?

👉 Straight lines intersecting at right angles

🔹 Economy & Trade

17. What was the main occupation of the people?

👉 Agriculture

18. Which crops were mainly grown?

👉 Wheat and barley

19. Which civilization traded with the Indus Valley?

👉 Mesopotamia

20. Which was the first civilization to grow cotton?

👉 Indus Valley Civilization

21. Did they use standardized weights and measures?

👉 Yes

🔹 Art & Culture

22. The Dancing Girl statue was found at which site?

👉 Mohenjo-daro

23. The Priest-King statue was found at which site?

👉 Mohenjo-daro

24. Seals were mainly made of which material?

👉 Steatite

🔹 Religion (IMPORTANT)

25. Which deity is associated with the Pashupati seal?

👉 Proto-Shiva

26. Which goddess was widely worshipped?

👉 Mother Goddess

27. Which tree was considered sacred?

👉 Peepal tree

🔹 Script (FREQUENTLY ASKED)

28. Has the Indus script been deciphered?

👉 No

29. What type of script was used?

👉 Pictographic script

🔹 Technology & Tools

30. Which metal was widely used?

👉 Bronze

31. Was iron known to the Harappans?

👉 No

🔹 Society & Administration

32. What type of society existed in the Indus Valley?

👉 Urban society

33. Is there evidence of kingship?

👉 No clear evidence

🔹 Decline (VERY IMPORTANT)

34. When did the Indus Valley Civilization decline?

👉 Around 1900 BCE

35. What is a major theory for its decline?

👉 Climate change

36. Which river’s drying is linked to its decline?

👉 Ghaggar-Hakra River

37. Is Aryan invasion theory fully accepted?

👉 No

🔹 Miscellaneous (PYQ Pattern)

38. Lothal is located in which state?

👉 Gujarat

39. Kalibangan is located in which state?

👉 Rajasthan

40. Harappa is located in which country?

👉 Pakistan

41. What does Mohenjo-daro mean?

👉 Mound of the Dead

42. What type of transport was used?

👉 Bullock carts

43. What type of pottery was common?

👉 Red pottery with black designs

44. Which animals were domesticated?

👉 Cow, sheep, dog

45. What was a key feature of Harappan cities?

👉 Advanced sanitation system

46. What type of economy did they have?

👉 Urban and trade-based economy

47. What kind of tools were used?

👉 Bronze tools

48. What type of ornaments were used?

👉 Gold, silver, semi-precious stones

49. Were large temples found?

👉 No

50. What is the greatest achievement of the Indus Valley Civilization?

👉 Urban planning and drainage system