Question 40 of 63 · Indus Valley Civilisation
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Evidence of a ploughed field, with furrow marks, has been found at which Harappan site?

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Answer: Option C — Kalibangan

Detailed Solution

A ploughed field with furrow marks, belonging to the early (pre-Harappan) phase, has been found at Kalibangan, in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan.

About the ploughed field:

  • The field shows two sets of furrows at right angles to each other, forming a grid pattern.
  • This suggests that two different crops were grown together in the same field ("mixed cropping"), a practice still followed in the region; for example, mustard and gram.
  • It is one of the earliest ploughed fields found anywhere in the world.

About Kalibangan:

  • "Kalibangan" means "black bangles", because of the many broken pieces of black bangles found on the surface.
  • It is located on the left bank of the Ghaggar river (ancient Saraswati), in northern Rajasthan.
  • It was first identified by the Italian scholar Luigi Pio Tessitori in the early 20th century.

It was excavated by B. B. Lal and B. K. Thapar of the ASI in the 1960s.

It shows both early Harappan and mature Harappan phases.

Its main features:

  • A citadel and a lower town, both fortified.
  • Houses built of mud bricks, unlike the burnt bricks of the larger cities.
  • Evidence of an earthquake, one of the earliest recorded in archaeology.
  • Burials of different types, including circular pits and rectangular graves.
  • Other finds include seals, a cylindrical seal, terracotta objects, and a tiled floor with decorated tiles.

Harappan agriculture:

  • The Harappans used ploughs, probably drawn by oxen.
  • Crops included wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, mustard and sesame.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Mohenjo-daro, Chanhudaro and Amri are in Sindh; none has the ploughed field.

Quick tip

Remember: ploughed field with criss-cross furrows = Kalibangan (Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan; on the Ghaggar; "black bangles"; earthquake evidence; excavated by B. B. Lal and B. K. Thapar).

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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.