Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?They possessed gr

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Question

Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?They possessed great palaces and temples.They worshipped both male and female deities.They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: B — 2 onlyStep-by-step Solution:Statement 1 — Indus people possessed great palaces and temples: This is incorrect. This is one of the most distinctive (and surprising) characteristics of the Indus/Harappan Civilisation — despite being a highly sophisticated urban culture, archaeologists have found NO evidence of grand temples or palaces. At Mohenjo-daro, the 'Great Bath' has been interpreted as a ritual bathing area, but there is no clear evidence of temples as found in Mesopotamia or Egypt. The most imposing structure is the 'Great Granary' (storage structure) at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. The absence of conspicuous palaces and temples suggests a society that may have been more egalitarian or with a different kind of political authority than river valley civilisations elsewhere. ✗Statement 2 — They worshipped both male and female deities: This is correct. Archaeological evidence supports the worship of both genders of deities: numerous terracotta female figurines found across Indus sites — widely interpreted as a mother goddess/fertility goddess representing female divinity; a famous seal from Mohenjo-daro depicts a male deity seated in a yoga-like posture surrounded by animals — interpreted as a proto-Shiva (Pashupati — Lord of Animals); phallic symbols (interpreted as lingas) have also been found; thus evidence of both male and female religious imagery exists. ✓Statement 3 — They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare: This is incorrect. The horse was not definitively part of the Indus Civilisation. Horse bones are conspicuously absent from Harappan archaeological layers (though horse evidence appears in the very late/terminal Harappan period at a few sites — this is debated). Horse-drawn chariots are typically associated with the Indo-Aryan culture that appeared later (after ~1500 BCE). The Indus people used bullock carts (as evidenced by terracotta cart models), but not horse-drawn war chariots. The absence of horses and war-related artefacts is consistent with the apparently peaceful, trading character of Harappan society. ✗Key Concept: Indus/Harappan Civilisation characteristics: Urban planning (grid pattern streets, drainage system — more sophisticated than contemporary civilisations); Great Bath (Mohenjo-daro — ritual bathing); standardised weights and measures; script (Indus script — ~400 signs, still undeciphered); seals (soapstone/steatite); trade with Mesopotamia (Dilmun trade route); no temples or palaces (flat religious-political hierarchy); female figurines + Pashupati seal — evidence of religious beliefs; NO horse-drawn chariots; NO iron; decline ~1900-1700 BCE (causes debated: climate change, Ghaggar-Hakra river drying, tectonic activity, Aryan invasion — last now discredited). Famous sites: Mohenjo-daro (Sindh, Pakistan — 'Mound of the Dead'), Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan), Dholavira (Gujarat — India's largest site), Rakhigarhi (Haryana — recently excavated, may be largest site), Lothal (Gujarat — dockyard), Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Banawali (Haryana).

Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?They possessed great palaces and temples.They worshipped both male and female deities.They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below:

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Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?They possessed great palaces and temples.They worshipped both male and female deities.They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below:

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