Indus Valley — Set 4

Correct Answer: B. Bronze

• **Dancing Girl** = made of **bronze**; found at Mohenjo-Daro; created using **lost-wax (cire perdue)** casting. • About **10.5 cm tall**; girl stands in **tribhanga pose** (3-bend), right hand on hip, wearing bangles on left arm. • Now kept at **National Museum, New Delhi**; considered one of the finest examples of IVC metallurgy. • 💡 Stone = Bearded Priest/King; Wood = decayed, not preserved; Terracotta = female figurines/toys — Dancing Girl is bronze.

Correct Answer: B. Ropar

• **Ropar (Rupnagar)** = Punjab, on **Sutlej River**; first Harappan site excavated in **independent India** (1953). • Famous for **dog buried with human** — suggests loyalty/companionship in afterlife beliefs. • Ropar shows IVC occupation continuing into historical periods (Painted Grey Ware also found). • 💡 Harappa = main site (Pakistan); Kalibangan = Rajasthan/Ghaggar; Lothal = Gujarat/dockyard — dog burial is uniquely Ropar.

Correct Answer: A. Khetri Mines (Rajasthan)

• **Khetri Mines, Rajasthan** = primary copper source for IVC; one of India's oldest and richest copper mines. • IVC also imported copper from **Oman (Magan)** via sea trade — shows long-distance resource procurement. • Copper was used for **tools, weapons, fishhooks, mirrors, the Dancing Girl statue**, and jewelry. • 💡 Kashmir = no major copper mine; Bihar = iron/coal region; Kolar (Karnataka) = gold mines (not copper) — Khetri = correct.

Correct Answer: D. Ritual bathing

• **Great Bath** = found at Mohenjo-Daro citadel; **12m × 7m × 2.4m deep**; waterproofed with **bitumen (tar)**. • Had steps on north + south ends, **surrounding rooms** (changing/attendant rooms), and a corbelled drain. • Likely used for **ritual/sacred bathing** — presages later Hindu tradition of ritual purity (like temple tanks). • 💡 Irrigation = fields, not urban tank; Swimming for fun = no evidence; Drinking water = wells used for that — Great Bath = ritual.

Correct Answer: C. Kalibangan and Lothal

• **Fire Altars** found at **Kalibangan** (7 on citadel) and **Lothal** — suggest ritual fire worship, possibly proto-Vedic yajnas. • Kalibangan fire altars had **ash, animal bones, and terracotta cakes** — signs of sacrificial rituals. • This evidence links IVC religion to later **Vedic fire rituals (yagna)** practiced in Hinduism. • 💡 Ropar = dog burial; Harappa = granary/cemetery; Mohenjo-Daro = Great Bath/Dancing Girl — fire altars = Kalibangan + Lothal only.

Correct Answer: A. Proto-Shiva (Pashupati)

• **Proto-Shiva / Pashupati** = main male deity on IVC Pashupati seal; three-faced, sitting in yoga posture with horns. • Surrounded by Elephant, Tiger, Rhino, Buffalo — 'Lord of Animals' concept survives in later **Shiva-Pashupati** tradition. • Female deity = **Mother Goddess** (terracotta figurines in huge numbers) — worship of fertility goddess was dominant. • 💡 Vishnu = no IVC evidence; Indra = Vedic era god; Brahma = later Puranic — only proto-Shiva/Pashupati is IVC-identified.

Correct Answer: A. Square/Rectangular

• **Square/Rectangular** = most common shape of IVC seals; typically **2.5 × 2.5 cm** steatite squares. • Each seal has: **animal carving on top + Indus script below** — unicorn is the most depicted animal. • Rare **cylindrical seals** found at Lothal — these are of **Mesopotamian style**, showing trade influence. • 💡 Circular = not standard; Cylindrical = Mesopotamian, not typical IVC; Triangular = not found — Square is the IVC norm.

Correct Answer: A. It was covered and underground

• **Covered, underground drains** = IVC's defining sanitation feature; brick-lined with **inspection manholes** at intervals. • Every house connected to the main drain via **soak pits** — sewage flowed to city's edge or absorption pits. • No other contemporary civilization — not Egypt, not Mesopotamia — had such a city-wide underground sewage system. • 💡 Draining to fields = unhygienic, not IVC; Open drains = opposite of IVC system; Bamboo pipes = not used — covered brick drains = correct.

Correct Answer: B. Rakhigarhi

• **Rakhigarhi** = Hisar district, Haryana; **largest Harappan site in India** by area (~350 hectares). • Excavated by **Amarendra Nath** (ASI); recent DNA study (2019) showed IVC people had indigenous South Asian ancestry. • May be even larger than **Mohenjo-Daro** (250 hectares) — making it potentially the largest IVC city overall. • 💡 Kalibangan = small site (Rajasthan); Dholavira = second largest in India; Lothal = port city — Rakhigarhi is India's biggest.

Correct Answer: D. Red pottery with black designs

• **Red pottery with black designs** = IVC's signature pottery style; wheel-made, painted red, decorated with black motifs. • Designs include **geometric patterns, fish scales, peacocks, plant motifs, and animals** in black on red background. • Called **'Black on Red' ware** — distinct from later Grey Ware (Vedic period) and NBP ware (Mauryan period). • 💡 NBP = Northern Black Polished Ware = Mauryan era; Grey Ware = Vedic/PGW; Blue Pottery = Jaipur medieval — Red+Black = IVC.