UPSC Indian History Preparation: Ancient History of India – Indus Valley Civilisation

Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) forms a vital portion of Ancient Indian History and questions from the same topic could be expected for both Prelims and Mains Examination of UPSC. The Indus Valley Civilisation was the advanced civilisation in South Asia and it was found near the river Indus. The Indus Valley Civilisation was a sophisticated civilisation which evolved 4000 – 5000 years ago and was only discovered in the 1920s. The original inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilisation were Dravidians who were pushed to the south owing to Aryan Invasion around 2000 BC (There are many other theories which strongly oppose Aryan invasion as a reason of decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation as there is no strong evidence which confirms the same). 

The Harappan Civilisation was urban in nature as evidences collected by researchers portray that extensive town planning and a system of centralised state was followed by the Harappan  inhabitants. The most important cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation were Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Dholavira. Another important feature of the IVC was the Saraswati-Ghaggar-Hakra River which has been mentioned in the Rig Veda. A part of the extinct Saraswati River has been speculated to be discovered by a group of geologists and scientists five kilometres away from Adi Badri in the state of Haryana in April 2015. Efforts are in progress to promote the site of the Saraswati River from the perspective of religious tourism by the Haryana Government. 

The decorative and utilitarian objects of the Indus Valley Civilisation were constituted implementing metallurgy, ceramics and stone working which were special techniques. Researchers have not discovered any documentation which points out to a specific religion followed by the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation, though women and animal figurines of clay have been found to play a significant role in distinctive rituals. The people of Indus Valley Civilisation were excellent traders owing to their networks with rural agrarian communities, mining areas and places which were rich in resources. External trade relations existed between Indus Valley Civilisation, Arabian Gulf Region and Mesopotamian cities (Susa, Ur etc.). Do watch the video below for further exhaustive information on the Indus Valley Civilisation.

In the video titled “Ancient History: 2.1 Indus Valley Civilization - Prepare for UPSC IAS” presented by Dr. Roman Saini, various themes of significance such as Pre History, Harappan Civilisation, Characteristics of Indus Valley Civilisation etc.have been dealt with in detail. 

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