The Indus Valley Civilisation represents one of the most ancient and sophisticated urban cultures in human history, laying the foundational roots of Indian heritage. For TNPSC aspirants, mastering this topic is absolutely critical as it forms the bedrock of the History and Culture of India syllabus. This lesson from the 11th standard Ethics curriculum dives deep into the town planning, economy, religious practices, and the profound Dravidian connections of the Harappan people. You can attend the quiz above. For more detailed insights on the topic, refer to the study notes below, and be sure to check the 'How to Attend This Online Practice Test' section for navigation guidance.
Syllabus Alignment: Unit III: History, Culture of India, and Indian National Movement — Indus Valley Civilization.
TNPSC Exam Weightage & Strategy
Questions from the Indus Valley Civilisation are a staple in TNPSC Group 1, 2, 2A, and 4 examinations. When studying this topic, candidates must prioritize factual data regarding archaeological excavations, dimensions of significant structures like the Great Granary, and the linguistic and cultural parallels drawn between the Harappans and ancient Tamils. Pay close attention to the specific metals known and unknown to them, their burial methods, and the scholars who linked the Harappan script to Dravidian languages, as these are highly recurring themes in previous year question papers.
Study Notes for This Lesson
Discovery and Key Excavations
- The Indus Valley Civilisation, primarily an urban civilization, was first discovered in the year 1921.
- Harappa: Excavated in 1920 between the Ravi and Sutlej rivers in the Montgomery district of undivided Punjab (now in Pakistan).
- Mohenjo-Daro: Discovered in 1922 in the Larkana district of the Sind province (Pakistan). It was identified by excavating a 70-foot-high mud mound.
- Sir John Marshall, the archaeologist who conducted extensive excavations, dated the civilization between 3250 BCE and 2750 BCE and compared it to the ancient Dravidian civilization.
- Sir Mortimer Wheeler later confirmed that it was a highly developed urban civilization that reached its peak before the arrival of the Aryans.
Dravidian and Tamil Cultural Parallels
- Many place names in Tamil Nadu (like Korkai, Thondi, Arani, Manur, Nagal) are still found in modern-day Pakistan.
- Similarly, Tamil place names like Alur, Asur, Padur, and Injur are currently located in Afghanistan.
- Brahui, a Dravidian language, is still spoken in the Baluchistan region today.
- Scholars like Father Heras, Iravatham Mahadevan, and R. Balakrishnan have established a close relationship between the Indus Valley script and Dravidian languages.
- The Harappan script was written from right to left on the first line, and left to right on the second line—a pictographic style seen as a precursor to early Brahmi scripts found in Tamil Nadu.
Town Planning and Architecture
- The cities featured a grid system with straight streets running East-West and North-South. Main streets were up to 33 feet wide, accommodating three carts at once, while smaller streets were 9 to 12 feet wide.
- Houses were built with sturdy, baked bricks. Wedge-shaped bricks were specifically used for constructing circular wells and drainage walls.
- The Great Bath (Mohenjo-Daro): A prominent public structure equipped with separate entry points, changing rooms, and drainage systems. Its floor was waterproofed using a natural tar called 'Bitumen'.
- The Great Granary (Harappa): Measured 168 feet in length and 135 feet in width, with walls 52 feet high and 9 feet thick, built primarily to store surplus food grains.
Economy, Trade, and Agriculture
- Agriculture was the primary occupation. They cultivated wheat, barley, paddy, sesame, and various vegetables.
- Evidence of ploughed agricultural lands has been discovered at Kalibangan. Zebu cattle (bulls with humps) were primarily used for farming.
- They maintained extensive land and sea trade with regions like Sumeria, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria. Lothal (Gujarat) was an important artificial dockyard that facilitated international maritime trade.
- Metals: The people heavily utilized copper, bronze, gold, and silver. However, they were completely unaware of Iron.
- Animals: They domesticated cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes, dogs, pigs, and camels, but the use of the horse remains unconfirmed.
Religion and Burial Practices
- Mother Goddess Worship: Recognizing women as the symbol of creation, female deities were highly revered, paralleling the later Shakti worship in Tamil Nadu.
- Pashupati Worship: A seal found at Harappa depicts a three-faced deity (Mahayogi) seated in a yogic posture, surrounded by an elephant and tiger on the right, and a rhinoceros and buffalo on the left.
- They also actively practiced animism and nature worship, treating water, fire, the sun, and trees (specifically the Peepal tree) as sacred deities.
- Burials: Dead bodies were mostly buried in a North-South orientation. The use of globular urns (Ema Thazhi) to bury skeletal remains along with personal items is a practice identical to the ancient Tamil burials found at Adichanallur and Arikamedu.
How to Attend This Online Practice Test
Our platform is completely seamless and designed to mirror the actual TNPSC exam interface. The test below is fully active and ready for you to begin attempting the questions right away. Use the following features to enhance your practice session:
- Question Navigator: Look for the grid panel on your screen. This allows you to instantly jump to any specific question, keep track of which items you have answered, and easily spot skipped questions.
- Bilingual Toggle: Switch languages effortlessly! Use the toggle switch to flip the test content between English and Tamil whenever you need better clarity on a specific question.
- Instant Summary: Once you complete the paper, submit your answers to instantly generate your performance report. You will receive immediate results detailing your correct and incorrect answers, along with comprehensive explanations.