Previous Year Question

Sohgaura is not a Harappan site. It is situated in the Gorakhpur region of present-day Uttar Pradesh and is famous for the Sohgaura inscription/metal plaque, which contains an administrative record connected with storehouses or granaries. The inscription is written in early Brahmi. Its precise date has been debated: older scholarship placed it in or even before the Mauryan period, whereas some later scholarship favours a post-Mauryan date. Therefore, describing it simply as a “Mauryan copper plate” is not entirely undisputed; its non-Harappan character, however, is clear.

Chanhudaro, in Sindh, was an important Harappan settlement. Excavations led by Ernest J. H. Mackay in 1935–36 revealed Harappan houses, seals, bronze objects and extensive evidence of craft production. It is particularly noted as a manufacturing centre for beads, seals, weights and other objects.

Kot Diji, in present-day Sindh, is extremely important for understanding the development of the Indus Civilization. Excavations revealed a distinct Pre-Harappan or Kot Diji phase beneath later Harappan levels.

Desalpur (Gunthli) in Kachchh, Gujarat, is a fortified Harappan site. Archaeological investigations have yielded Harappan pottery, stone and mud-brick structures and script-bearing seals, with both Urban Harappan and Post-Urban Harappan phases represented.