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During the Harappan period, shells for craft production were obtained from which coastal settlement in Gujarat?
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Answer: Option A — Nageshwar
Detailed Solution
According to NCERT, the Harappans obtained shells for making bangles and other objects from coastal settlements such as Nageshwar in Gujarat, and Balakot in Pakistan.
About Nageshwar:
- It is a Harappan site near Dwarka, in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat, on the coast of the Gulf of Kachchh.
- It was a specialised centre for making objects of shell.
- Large quantities of shell waste, unfinished bangles, ladles and inlay pieces have been found there.
- The shell used was mainly that of the conch (Turbinella pyrum), which is found in the sea near the coast of Gujarat.
Shell objects made by the Harappans:
- Bangles.
- Ladles.
- Inlay pieces, used to decorate furniture or other objects.
- Beads.
- Shell objects were sent from coastal sites like Nageshwar and Balakot to large cities, such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.
Craft specialisation:
- NCERT explains that some Harappan settlements specialised in particular crafts, such as shell-working, bead-making, metal-working and seal-making.
- The presence of raw materials, tools, unfinished objects and waste helps archaeologists identify craft centres.
Other sources of raw materials:
- Lapis lazuli: Afghanistan.
- Copper: Rajasthan and Oman.
About shell bangles today:
Conch-shell bangles ("shankha") are still worn by married women in Bengal, which shows a long tradition of shell craft in India.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mandvi, Porbandar and Veraval are coastal towns of Gujarat, but the Harappan shell-working centre mentioned by NCERT is Nageshwar.
Quick tip
Remember: Harappan shell-working centres = Nageshwar (near Dwarka, Gujarat) and Balakot (Pakistan); shell bangles, ladles and inlays.
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Indus Valley Civilisation — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indus Valley Civilisation, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation was one of the world's earliest urban civilisations, flourishing around 2500-1900 BCE. This topic covers its major sites, town planning, drainage, seals, script, trade, crafts, religious beliefs and the theories about its decline. Questions mostly link a site to its feature or its present-day location: the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, the dockyard at Lothal (Gujarat), the ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan) and the water reservoirs at Dholavira. Remember that Harappa was the first site excavated, by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921, and that the Harappan script has still not been deciphered. Practise the Indus Valley Civilisation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.