Indus Valley Civilisation and the Vedic Age
Indus Valley Civilisation and the Vedic Age
The Harappan (Indus Valley) civilisation was India's first urban culture, and the Vedic age that followed laid down the language, rituals and social order of early India. NTPC asks site-feature matches, the rivers and states of sites, sources of raw materials, and Vedic texts, assemblies and gods.
1. Indus Valley: Key Sites
| Site | Present location (river) | Discovered by (year) | Notable find |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harappa | Punjab, Pakistan (Ravi) | Daya Ram Sahni (1921) | Granaries, workmen's quarters |
| Mohenjo-daro | Sindh, Pakistan (Indus) | R.D. Banerji (1922) | Great Bath, bronze dancing girl, priest-king statue |
| Lothal | Gujarat (Bhogava) | S.R. Rao (1954) | Dockyard, rice husk, bead-making |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan (Ghaggar) | A. Ghosh (1953) | Ploughed field, fire altars |
| Dholavira | Gujarat (Rann of Kutch) | J.P. Joshi (1967-68) | Water reservoirs, signboard; UNESCO World Heritage Site (2021) |
| Rakhigarhi | Haryana (Ghaggar basin) | Largest Harappan site in India | |
| Chanhudaro | Sindh, Pakistan | N.G. Majumdar (1931) | Bead-making, no citadel |
| Banawali | Haryana | R.S. Bisht | Toy plough |
Period: about 2600 to 1900 BCE (mature phase); script not yet deciphered
Copper came mainly from the Khetri region of Rajasthan; lapis lazuli from Badakhshan (Afghanistan)
Features: grid town plan, burnt bricks, covered drains, standard weights, seals with the unicorn motif; iron and the horse were not in regular use
2. Vedic Age
| Item | Facts |
|---|---|
| Four Vedas | Rigveda (hymns, oldest, 10 mandalas, 1028 hymns), Samaveda (melodies), Yajurveda (rituals), Atharvaveda (charms, medicine) |
| Early Vedic (about 1500-1000 BCE) | Rigvedic age; pastoral; tribe (jana) led by raja; assemblies sabha and samiti; women seers Apala, Ghosha, Lopamudra |
| Later Vedic (about 1000-600 BCE) | Agriculture, iron (krishna ayas), larger kingdoms, varna becomes rigid |
| Important gods | Indra (most hymns), Agni, Varuna, Soma |
| Upanishads | Philosophical texts; "Satyameva Jayate" is from the Mundaka Upanishad |
| Gayatri Mantra | Rigveda (dedicated to Savitri) |
✗ The Great Bath was found at Harappa | ✓ It was found at Mohenjo-daro
✗ "Satyameva Jayate" comes from the Rigveda | ✓ It comes from the Mundaka Upanishad
हिंदी नोट: सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता के प्रमुख स्थल: हड़प्पा (रावी, 1921, दयाराम साहनी), मोहनजोदड़ो (सिंधु, 1922, आर.डी. बनर्जी, विशाल स्नानागार), लोथल (गोदीवाड़ा) और धौलावीरा (यूनेस्को धरोहर 2021)। ताँबा मुख्यतः राजस्थान के खेतड़ी से आता था। ऋग्वेद सबसे पुराना वेद है।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: the region supplying copper to the Harappans (March 2026 Graduate CBT-1) and a Rigveda fact about women seers (August 2025 UG CBT-1). Site-discoverer and Vedic-assembly questions are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Sites, rivers and finds
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. At which Harappan site was a dockyard found?
Lothal in Gujarat, on the Bhogava river.
Answer: Lothal
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Match the site with its find: Kalibangan, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira. Which one became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021?
Kalibangan: ploughed field and fire altars. Mohenjo-daro: the Great Bath. Dholavira: water reservoirs and a signboard; it was inscribed in 2021.
Answer: Dholavira
Pattern 2: Raw materials and trade
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-1 17-Mar-2026 Shift-1]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. From which region did the Harappans mainly obtain copper?
The Khetri region of Rajasthan.
Answer: Khetri, Rajasthan
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. From where did the Harappans obtain lapis lazuli, and which Indian site was a major bead-making centre?
Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan. Chanhudaro (and Lothal) were bead-making centres.
Answer: Badakhshan; Chanhudaro
Pattern 3: Vedic texts and their contents
[PYQ: NTPC UG CBT-1 11-Aug-2025 Shift-3]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which Veda is the oldest, and how many mandalas does it have?
The Rigveda, with 10 mandalas (1028 hymns).
Answer: Rigveda; 10
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which Veda mentions women seers such as Apala and Ghosha, and from which text does India's motto "Satyameva Jayate" come?
The Rigveda names these seers. The motto comes from the Mundaka Upanishad.
Answer: Rigveda; Mundaka Upanishad
Pattern 4: Vedic society and polity
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. What were the two popular assemblies of the Rigvedic period?
Sabha and samiti.
Answer: Sabha and samiti
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which god has the most hymns in the Rigveda, and which metal marks the later Vedic period?
Indra has the most hymns. Iron (krishna ayas) came into use in the later Vedic period.
Answer: Indra; iron
60-Second Revision
- Mohenjo-daro: Great Bath; Lothal: dockyard; Kalibangan: ploughed field; Dholavira: UNESCO 2021.
- Copper from Khetri; lapis from Badakhshan.
- Four Vedas; Rigveda oldest, 10 mandalas.
- Sabha and samiti; Indra most hymns; Satyameva Jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad.