UPSC Prelims 2021 Q32: Harappan Water Harvesting Sites — Explained
Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?
- Dholavira
- Kalibangan
- Rakhigarhi
- Ropar
Answer: (a) Dholavira
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — Dholavira is on Khadir Bet island in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, which is a very dry area. Its builders dammed two seasonal streams, the Mansar to the north and the Manhar to the south, and sent the water into a series of large reservoirs, mostly of stone, around the walled city. This water system is the main reason the site became famous. UNESCO inscribed it in July 2021 as 'Dholavira: a Harappan City'.
- b: incorrect — Kalibangan is a Harappan site on the left bank of the Ghaggar in Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan. It is known for an Early Harappan ploughed field with criss-cross furrows and for rows of fire altars. No system of dams and connected reservoirs has been found there.
- c: incorrect — Rakhigarhi is in Hisar district, Haryana, in the Ghaggar basin. It is often called the largest Harappan site in India. It is in the news for its burials and the ancient-DNA study of a skeleton found there. It has no known series of dams and reservoirs.
- d: incorrect — Ropar (Rupnagar) is on the Sutlej in Punjab. It was one of the first Harappan sites excavated after Independence, in the 1950s. It is known for a burial in which a dog was placed with a human. A perennial river ran beside it, and it has no known reservoir system.
How to eliminate
Option logic does not help much here. You have to know the fact: Dholavira = dams on seasonal streams + chain of stone reservoirs. Geography can still narrow the choice. Ropar sits on the Sutlej, a perennial river. Kalibangan and Rakhigarhi are in the Ghaggar basin. Towns with a river beside them had less need to build dams and store water. A town on an island in the dry Rann of Kutch did. A question that stresses 'water harvesting' points to the driest setting, which is Dholavira. The phrase 'well-known' also helps. Each of these sites is famous for one thing: Kalibangan for its ploughed field and fire altars, Rakhigarhi for being the largest site and its ancient DNA, Ropar for the dog burial. Learn each site's signature feature.
Know more
Dholavira: a Harappan city in a desert
Dholavira was not built on a big river. It received little rain and stood between two seasonal streams, the Mansar (north) and the Manhar (south). The water engineering worked in three steps:
- Dams were built across the streams to hold back water in the short rainy season.
- Channels carried that water to reservoirs inside and around the fortified city.
- The reservoirs were cut into rock or lined with stone, so water could be stored through the dry months.
Other features often asked about:
- Three-part town plan: citadel, middle town and lower town. Most Harappan cities had only two parts.
- A large signboard of ten Indus signs found near the north gate.
- Seven cultural phases, dated by the ASI to about 3000–1500 BCE.
- Excavated by the ASI under R.S. Bisht from 1990.
- Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 27 July 2021, the first Harappan site in India on the list.
Harappan sites and what each is known for
| Site | State | River/setting | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dholavira | Gujarat (Kutch) | Seasonal Mansar and Manhar streams | Dams, reservoirs, three-part plan, signboard |
| Lothal | Gujarat | Near the Gulf of Khambhat | Dockyard, bead-making |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan | Ghaggar | Ploughed field, fire altars |
| Rakhigarhi | Haryana | Ghaggar basin | Largest Indian site, ancient-DNA study |
| Ropar | Punjab | Sutlej | Early post-Independence dig, dog burial |
| Banawali | Haryana | Ghaggar basin | Clay model of a plough |
Rule of thumb: Harappan sites in the Ghaggar basin are linked to farming and ritual. Gujarat sites are linked to trade by sea and to managing scarce water.
In the news
UNESCO inscribed Dholavira as 'Dholavira: a Harappan City' on 27 July 2021, at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee. It became India's 40th World Heritage Site. This was about ten weeks before the Prelims of 10 October 2021, and the question tests the feature the listing highlighted: the water system.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Dholavira: Where Dholavira is (Khadir Bet, Rann of Kutch) explains why its people needed to store water.
- Dholavira reservoirs: The question describes a chain of reservoirs. This entry explains which Harappan site had them.
- Kalibangan: Kalibangan is one of the options. Knowing what it is actually known for helps you judge it.
- Ploughed field at Kalibangan: The ploughed field is Kalibangan's best-known find. It helps you tell Kalibangan apart from a site known for water works.
- Harappan civilisation: All four options are Harappan towns. This gives the shared background of time period and region.