Question

Which of the following Harappan sites shows all the three phases of the Harappan culture?
A) Dholavira and Rakhigarhi
B) Dholavira and Chanudaro
C) Rojdi and Rangpur
D) Rakhigarhi and Chanudaro

Answer 1

Hint: 1) One of the sites was discovered by J.P. Joshi.
2) The other site is established as the largest Harappan civilization site.

Complete answer:
The Harappan civilization, also referred to as the Indus Valley Civilization, 3300-1300 BCE, extends from the modern day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India.
The Harappan civilization is often differentiated into three phases:

1) The Early Harappan phase (3300 to 2600 BCE)
2) The Mature Harappan phase (2600 to 1900 BCE)
3) The Late Harappan phase (1900 to 1300 BCE)

Dholavira is the largest among the two most remarkable excavations of the Harappan culture, dating back to 4500 years ago. The site was discovered by J.P. Joshi in 1967. It is locally referred to as Kotada, meaning large fort and is located in Kutch, Gujarat. It passes through all the three phases of the Harappan culture from approximately 2900 to 1500 BCE.

The other site to pass through all the three phases of the Harappan culture is Rakhigarhi. It is located in Hisar, Haryana and is established as the biggest Harappan civilization site. The site was excavated by Amarendra Nath of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Before the Harappan cities were excavated, scholars believed that Indian civilization had begun in the Ganges valley as the Aryan immigrants from Persia and Central Asia settled in the region around 1250 BCE.
But the discovery of these ancient Harappan cities unsettled that belief and moved the timeline back another 1500 years.