Important Harappan Sites
While the Harappan civilisation displayed cultural unity, its urban centres reveal localised features shaped by geography, resources, and function. Below is a structured account of the most significant sites:
🏛️ Dholavira – The City of Water Wisdom
📍 Gujarat (Kutch district), Rann of Kachchh
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Size | One of the five largest Harappan cities |
| All Phases | Early, Mature, and Late Harappan phases represented |
| Urban Division | Uniquely divided into three parts – Citadel, Middle Town, Lower Town |
| Open Space & Stadium | Central open field with stepped grandstands → Possibly the world’s earliest stadium (R.S. Bisht) |
| Water Management | Advanced system: 16 reservoirs, use of Manhar & Mansar rivulets for storage |
| Large Inscription | 10 massive signs → Possibly signboard-like, largest Harappan script letters |
| Gameboard | Chess-like board recovered — early evidence of indoor recreation |
| UNESCO WHS | First IVC site in India to be declared a World Heritage Site (2021) |
📝 Dholavira showcases civil engineering, water conservation, and planning sophistication unlike any other site.
By Lalit Gajjer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
⚓ Lothal – The Port City of the Harappans
📍 Gujarat (Bhal region), near Bhogava river (tributary of Sabarmati)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Meaning | “Mound of the dead” (Gujarati) — same as “Mohenjodaro” (Sindhi) |
| Port Town | Functioned as a trading port with a dockyard (rare feature) |
| Dockyard | Large, rectangular basin — possibly for boats/ships, though debated |
| Trade Hub | Seals, sealings found in storehouse → evidence of trade transactions |
| Craft Centre | Known for production of shell, bead, metal, stone objects |
| Fire Altar | Indicates ritual practices; unique among Harappan sites |
| Agricultural Significance | Rice husk found → earliest evidence of rice cultivation in IVC |
📝 Lothal bridges maritime trade and inland craft production — a key node in Harappan economy.
🪔 Kalibangan – The Land of Bangles and Rituals
📍 Rajasthan, along the ancient Sarasvati river (now Ghaggar)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Craft Specialisation | Known for terracotta bangles — “Kalibangan” means “black bangles” |
| Fire Altars | Suggest ritualistic or religious practices |
| Granary | Indicates surplus food storage and redistribution system |
| Ploughed Field | World’s earliest known ploughed agricultural field (orthogonal furrows) |
| Wells in Houses | High water self-sufficiency — wells even in individual homes |
📝 Kalibangan provides the earliest agrarian and ritual evidence — bridging rural and urban Harappan life.
🔷 Shortughai – The Frontier Trade Outpost
📍 Northern Afghanistan
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Lapis Lazuli Source | Established near lapis lazuli mines — highly valued blue semi-precious stone |
| Canal Traces | Evidence of canal irrigation — rare in Harappan archaeology |
| Outpost | Indicates how far the Harappan trade network extended |
📝 Shortughai shows the Harappans as strategic traders — expanding networks into Central Asia.
🚢 Other Important Port Towns of IVC
| Site | Location | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Khirasa | Gujarat (India) | Port site |
| Kuntasi | Gujarat (India) | Industrial and trade site |
| Sutkagendor | Baluchistan (Pakistan) | Port near Makran coast |
| Balakot | Pakistan | Craft production & shell cutting |
📝 These coastal towns reflect the maritime ambition of the Indus economy — connecting inland cities with oceanic trade.
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