Previous Year Questions- Indus Valley Civilization - UPSC PDF Download

Kot Diji (now in Pakistan) was an early Harappan site. Chanhudaro (Pakistan) and Desalpur (Gujarat) are mature Harappan sites. So the correct answer is Sohgaura.

Sohgaura
The Sohgaura copper plate inscription is an Indian copper plate inscription written in Prakrit in the Brahmi script. It was discovered in Soghaura, a village on the banks of the Rapti River, about 20km south-east of Gorakhpur, in the Gorakhpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India. This plate is generally considered to be from the Maurya period.

• Rig Vedic:
  • Rig Vedic Aryans used the cost of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
  • There is also evidence of swords, arrows, bows used during Rig Vedic Aryans. Hence the statement 1 is correct.
  • Rig Vedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal. Hence the statement 3 is correct.
  • Rig Vedic Aryans know gold, silver, copper, iron whereas Indus valley people knew gold, copper, bronze but they did not know iron. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Indus valley people did not possess great palaces and temples rather the civilization was noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage system and multistoried houses.

Statement 2 is correct: In view of large number of figurines found in Indus valley, some scholars believe they worshipped mother goddess symbolizing fertility. They worshipped a father God who might be a progenitor of the race and was a probably a prototype of Siva as the Lord of the Animals.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Indus valley people were peace loving. They were never engaged in any war. However speculations have been rife that some tectonic forces destroyed the civilization. Some historians are of the view that invasion of Aryans, sea level changes, earthquakes might have brought the civilization to its end therefore people employing horse drawn chariots in warfare is not true. Moreover, Indus valley seals show swastika, animals which is suggestive of their religious beliefs. In view of large number of figurines found in Indus valley, some scholars believe they worshipped mother goddess symbolizing fertility. They worshipped a father God who might be a progenitor of the race and was a probably a prototype of Siva as the Lord of the Animals.

Statement 1 is correct: The Indus Valley civilization indicates a predominantly secular civilization and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the socio-economic conditions prevalent then.

Statement 2 is correct: We have read about the Mehrgarh cotton which is the earliest example of Cotton cultivation in the old world, older than the Peruvians. The cloth was made, and even dyed.