Indus Valley Civilization: UPSC Mind Map

Key Concepts in this Mind Map

• Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) or Harappan Civilization
• - Timeline: c. 2500 – 1750 BCE (Mature Harappan Phase)
• - Discovery
• - 1921: Dayaram Sahni (Harappa)
• - 1922: R.D. Banerji (Mohenjo-Daro)
• - John Marshall: Coined 'Indus Valley Civilization'
• - Key Features
• - Town Planning
• - Grid system
• - Citadel (western, smaller, higher) & Lower Town (eastern, larger, lower)
• - Elaborate drainage system
• - Standardized brick size (4:2:1 ratio)
• - Great Bath (Mohenjo-Daro) - ritual bathing
• - Granaries (Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro)
• - Economy
• - Agriculture: Wheat, barley, pulses, sesame, mustard, cotton (first in world)
• - Animal Husbandry: Cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, fowl
• - Trade: Extensive internal & external (Mesopotamia, Oman, Afghanistan)
• - Society
• - Possibly stratified: Rulers/priests, merchants, artisans, laborers
• - No evidence of an army
• - Religion
• - Mother Goddess cult
• - Pashupati Mahadeva seal (proto-Shiva)