Distinctive features of Indus Valley Civilisation
The Indus Valley Civilisation is an urban civilisation characterised by the presence of towns and cities such as Rakhigarhi (the largest town), Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, etc.
Town planning was the distinct feature of the Indus Valley Civilisation, based upon the grid pattern. Harappan towns were divided into a number of rectangular plots. The entire city complex was divided into two distinctive parts, that is, the Citadel and the lower town.
The Indus Valley Civilisation was characterised by large-scale use of standardised burnt bricks, which were used in almost all kinds of construction. Another remarkable feature was the underground drainage system, which was indicative of proper civic sense about cleanliness and hygiene.
The discovery of script from different Harappan sites suggests the prevalence of a literate tradition. The script of the Harappans is pictographic and was generally written from right to left, but there are some exceptions where the script is boustrophedon, that is, bidirectional.
The Harappans had also developed an efficient water management system. In Dholavira, the archaeologist found evidence of water harvesting by using dams, wells, canals, and reservoirs.
Another important characteristic of the Harappan civilisation is that the civilisation was based upon peaceful evolution and existence. The Harappan civilisation does not provide any evidence of large-scale wars and battles.
The Harappa civilisation was a multi-ethnic civilisation. The people of Harappa belonged to groups like Mediterranean, Proto-Austroloids, Mongolians, and Alpine.
