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Which is the northernmost site of the Harappan civilisation in India?
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Answer: Option B — Manda
Detailed Solution
Manda, in the Akhnoor area of the Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir, is the northernmost Harappan site in India.
About Manda:
It is located on the right bank of the Chenab river, at the foothills of the Pir Panjal range.
It was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1976-77, under J. P. Joshi.
It shows three phases: pre-Harappan, mature Harappan, and a later historical phase.
Finds include Harappan pottery, copper tools, terracotta objects, bone arrowheads, and a fragment of a seal.
Manda probably served as a base for obtaining timber from the Himalayan forests, which could be floated down the Chenab to the Harappan plains.
Extreme sites of the Harappan civilisation:
- Northernmost (overall): Shortughai in Afghanistan.
- Northernmost (in India): Manda (Jammu and Kashmir).
- Southernmost: a site in Maharashtra, on the Pravara river.
- Easternmost: a site in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh.
- Westernmost: Sutkagen Dor, in Balochistan, near the Iran border.
Spread of the civilisation:
- The Harappan civilisation covered a very large area, larger than ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia put together.
- It extended over parts of present-day Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.
About the Chenab river:
- It is formed by the joining of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi in Himachal Pradesh.
- It flows through Jammu and Kashmir into Pakistan.
- In the Rigveda, it is called "Asikni".
- The Chenab railway bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, crosses it in the Reasi district.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Ropar is a Harappan site in Punjab, on the Sutlej.
- ✗Bhagwanpura is a late Harappan site in Haryana.
- ✗Sanghol is a site in Punjab.
Quick tip
Remember: northernmost Harappan site in India = Manda (Jammu, on the Chenab; excavated by J. P. Joshi); overall northernmost = Shortughai; westernmost = Sutkagen Dor.
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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.