The Harappan Civilisation has its earliest roots in cultures such as that of Mehrgarh, approximately 6000 BC. The two greatest cities, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, emerged circa 2600 BC along the Indus River valley in Punjab and Sindh. As a result the Ganges Valley settlement gained prominence and Ganges cities developed.

Building Materials The main materials used were sun-dried and burnt bricks, which were made in molds of 1:2:4 ratios. Easy availability of wood for burning meant baked bricks were used in abundance in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.

Fire-baked bricks—which were uniform in size and moisture-resistant—were important in building baths and sewage structures and are evidence that Harappans were among the first to develop a system of standardized weights and measures.

Interlocking pattern of laying bricks was used while building walls in Harrapan cities. These bricks were watertight due to the presence of natural tar and coated with plaster for extra strength of the walls.

How was Mohenjo-Daro like cities today? The city had advanced urban planning and civil engineering with multiple areas for homes and public spaces. Few buildings and streets, no city water or public utilities.

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro can be considered as two of the greatest civilizations of the Indus valley between which a key difference can be identified in terms of the geographical positioning. While the site of Mohenjo-daro is located in the Punjab region, Harappa is located in the Sindh province.

The Buddhist stupa as seen from the Great Bath. Mohenjo-daro is an ancient city in Pakistan. Mohenjo-daro means “Mound of the dead” and was built around 2600 BCE. Today this popular archaeological attraction offers a glimpse into the past at what once was the largest civilization in the Indus Valley.

Mohenjo Daro, or “Mound of the Dead” is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and 1900 BCE. The site was discovered in the 1920s and lies in Pakistan’s Sindh province.

Take a bus to Bagodara from Geeta Mandir Bus Station in Ahmedabad, which takes around 1.5 – 2 hours of time. Ask the conductor to drop you at chaukari (chowk/square) where a road sign pointing towards Vataman is located.

Y.D. Sharma

Besides above mentioned sites, Balu and Farmana in Haryana, Baror in Rajasthan, and Bet Dwarka and Bhagatrav in Gujarat can also be visited, as they are also some of the major Indus Valley Civilisation sites in India.

Although a few parks have made around the actual mohenjodaro site but no one’s visiting the place now.

Over 1400 Indus Valley Civilization sites have been discovered, of which 925 sites are in India and 475 sites in Pakistan, while some sites in Afghanistan are believed to be trading colonies.

Kalibanga is at a distance of 661 km from Delhi, the national capital and the nearest railway station is at Bikaner, 205 km away.

There are seven important cities in the Indus valley civilization:

• Mohanjodaro.
• Harappa.
• Kalibangan.
• Lothal.
• Chanhudaru.
• Dholavira.
• Banawali.

Until now, Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan was considered the largest among the 2,000 Harappan sites known to exist in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A recent report by the Archaeological Survey of India claims that Haryana’s Bhirrana is the oldest Harappan site and Rakhigarhi the biggest Harappan site in Asia.

Amarendra Nath of ASI

Banawali

The first man-made port is considered to have been built in Lothal site in Gujarat, India. The main crops of the Harappan culture were wheat and barley. Evidence of rice has been found from sites like Rangpur, Harappa, Lothal.

Rann of Kutchch