Hinglish

From Village to City

Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 6: The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 6.2

Learn

In the north-west of the subcontinent, farming villages slowly grew into towns, and towns into cities. This happened along the Sindhu (Indus) and its tributaries, and along a river that the Rigveda calls the Sarasvati.

This civilisation is known as the Harappan, Indus or Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation. It is named after Harappa, the first of its cities to be found, about a hundred years ago. Its cities were at their height from about 2600 to 1900 BCE.

Important cities include Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (in today's Pakistan) and Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan and Rakhigarhi (in India). Hundreds of smaller towns and villages were spread over a huge area, larger than any other civilisation of its time.

The Sarasvati River: many scholars identify the Sarasvati of the Rigveda with today's seasonal Ghaggar-Hakra river, which flows (mostly in the rainy season) through Haryana, Rajasthan and into Pakistan. Many Harappan sites lie along its now-dry bed.

Explore: place the events.

  1. Villages grew into towns around 3000 BCE. Put the marker there.
  2. The big cities flourished around 2500 BCE.
  3. The cities slowly declined after about 2000 BCE.

Remember

  • The Harappan (Indus-Sarasvati) Civilisation flourished about 2600–1900 BCE.
  • Its cities include Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan and Rakhigarhi.

Quick check

Why is it called the Harappan Civilisation?

  1. Harappa was the first of its cities to be found
  2. A king called Harappa ruled it
  3. It was the newest city
  4. It is in Kerala
Answer

Harappa was the first of its cities to be found. Civilisations are often named after the first site discovered.

Think about it

Harappa was found only about a hundred years ago, though it is 4,500 years old. Why might ancient cities stay hidden so long?

One answer

Over centuries, buildings fall down and get buried under soil, sand and river mud. Only careful digging by archaeologists brings them to light.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.