In the Harappan Civilization, traces of canals have been found at
- (a)Banawali
- (b)Lothal
- (c)Shortughai
- (d)Dholavira
Correct — C, Shortughai. Shortughai (Shortugai), on the Oxus or Amu Darya in north-eastern Afghanistan, is the northernmost Harappan settlement and a trading outpost for lapis lazuli. It is here that traces of irrigation canals — which brought water from the Kokcha river to the fields — and a ploughed field have been found, marking it out for canal remains among Harappan sites.
- (a)Banawali — Banawali, in Haryana, is remembered for its fire altars, good-quality barley and a departure from the standard grid plan — not for canals.
- (b)Lothal — Lothal, in Gujarat, is famous for its brick-lined tidal dockyard, a feature of maritime trade rather than field irrigation canals.
- (d)Dholavira — Dholavira, in Kutch, is known for its elaborate water reservoirs and rainwater-harvesting system (and the 'signboard' inscription) — storage tanks and dams, not irrigation canals.
The Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization reached well beyond the Indus basin. Shortughai in Afghanistan marks its far north-western trade frontier. Individual Harappan sites are remembered for distinctive features — Lothal for its dockyard, Dholavira for water reservoirs, Kalibangan for a ploughed field, and Shortughai for irrigation canals and lapis-lazuli trade.
Several Harappan sites show advanced water engineering, which makes the options tempting. The specific feature of surviving canal traces belongs to Shortughai, whose fields were watered by a channel drawn from the Kokcha river — distinct from Dholavira's storage reservoirs.
- Shortughai is the northernmost Harappan site, in north-eastern Afghanistan on the Amu Darya (Oxus).
- Traces of irrigation canals (water brought roughly 25 km from the Kokcha river) and a ploughed field have been found there.
- Shortughai was a trading colony for lapis lazuli, mined in the surrounding region, around 2000 BCE.
- By contrast, Lothal is noted for its dockyard, Dholavira for reservoirs, and Banawali for fire altars and barley.
Canal traces set Shortughai apart; the others are famed for a dockyard, reservoirs and fire altars.
- Choosing Lothal or Dholavira because they are famous for water works of a different kind.
- Confusing irrigation canals (Shortughai) with rainwater-storage reservoirs (Dholavira).
Asked as a site-to-feature match or a direct 'canal traces found at' question on Harappan archaeology.
Which of the following pairs are correctly matched? I. Lothal: Ancient dockyard II. Sarnath: First Sermon of Buddha III. Rajgir: Lion capital of Asoka IV. Nalanda: Great seat of Buddhist learning. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
- (a) I, II, III and IV
- (b) III and IV
- (c) I, II and IV
- (d) I and II
Answer(c) I, II and IV
Same site-to-feature reasoning. There Lothal is correctly paired with its dockyard (and the lion capital wrongly with Rajgir); here you match another Harappan feature — canal traces — to the correct site, Shortughai.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which Harappan site, located in Afghanistan, served as a trading outpost for lapis lazuli?
- (a)Lothal
- (b)Shortughai
- (c)Kalibangan
- (d)Ropar
Answer(b) Shortughai — the northernmost Harappan site, on the Amu Darya, trading in lapis lazuli.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Harappan tidal dockyard is associated with which site?
- (a)Dholavira
- (b)Lothal
- (c)Banawali
- (d)Shortughai
Answer(b) Lothal — its brick-lined dockyard points to maritime trade.