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Harappan Town Planning and Trade ICSE 9 History

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History & CivicsICSE Class 9 · The Harappan Civilisation

Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline (ICSE Class 9 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Harappan cities such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had a raised citadel and a lower town, streets in a grid, standard baked bricks and covered drains. Trade linked them to Mesopotamia (Meluhha); craft included seals, beads and bronze work. From about 1900 B.C. the cities declined; historians weigh floods, drying of rivers, climate change and other causes without one agreed answer.

Notice the raised citadel in the west, the lower town's right-angled grid in the east, the covered drain in the street and bricks of one standard shape.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline

1. Town planning. Cities were planned. The settlement was divided into a *citadel* (a raised, fortified western part with public buildings such as the Great Bath and granaries) and a larger *lower town* (the residential area to the east). Streets ran north-south and east-west, crossing at right angles in a *grid*. Baked bricks were of standard proportion (1 : 2 : 4). Every house had a bathroom and drains linked to covered brick drains in the streets, with inspection holes.

2. The Great Bath. At Mohenjo-daro, a tank about 12 m by 7 m and 2.4 m deep with steps, made watertight with bitumen and gypsum; it shows engineering skill and may have been used for ritual bathing (an interpretation).

3. Trade. *Internal*: copper from Rajasthan, shell and carnelian from Gujarat, timber from the hills; standard cubical weights show regulated exchange. *External*: Harappan seals and beads found in Mesopotamia, whose texts mention Meluhha, often identified with the Indus region. Goods were moved by bullock carts and boats; a dockyard is associated with Lothal.

4. Craft and seals. Wheel-made red pottery with black designs, bronze casting (the dancing girl uses lost-wax casting), bead making, terracotta figurines and square steatite seals with animals and a line of undeciphered script, used to stamp goods.

5. Decline. From about 1900 B.C. planning broke down and the use of seals ended. Proposed causes are floods, climate change, shifting or drying of rivers such as the Ghaggar-Hakra and changes in trade. No single cause is accepted.

Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline: key facts

Planning
  • Citadel in west
  • Lower town in east
  • Grid plan
  • Bricks 1:2:4
  • Covered drains
Great Bath
  • Mohenjo-daro
  • About 12 m x 7 m x 2.4 m
  • Bitumen and gypsum
Trade
CopperRajasthan
Shell and carnelianGujarat
MeluhhaMesopotamia
Seals as stamps
Decline
  • From about 1900 B.C.
  • Floods
  • River change
  • Climate change
  • No single cause

Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A modern colony map

Suppose a student studies the plan of a modern housing colony with straight lanes crossing at right angles, covered drains and a raised community hall.

Which Harappan features does it recall?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Straight crossing lanes: grid plan.
  2. Covered drains: Harappan drainage.
  3. Raised hall: citadel.

Answer: Grid plan, covered drains and citadel.

Memory hook: Planned lanes, planned drains.

Tricks to remember Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Citadel west, Lower town east

    West raised, east residential.

    Use it when: Layout.

  • Seals stamp

    Seals marked goods.

    Use it when: Use of seals.

Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Features · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name two features of Harappan town planning. [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Grid plan of streets.
  2. Covered drains.

Answer: Grid plan and covered brick drains.

Example 2: Great Bath · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Describe the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro and state its probable use. [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A large rectangular tank with steps at both ends.
  2. Made watertight with bricks, gypsum and bitumen.
  3. Probably used for ritual bathing.

Answer: A large watertight tank with steps, probably for ritual bathing.

Example 3: Citadel vs lower town · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does the division of a Harappan city into a citadel and a lower town suggest about the society? Give two points of evidence. [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The citadel held public buildings such as the Great Bath and granaries.
  2. The lower town held houses of ordinary people.
  3. This suggests organised planning, perhaps with rulers or priests controlling common buildings.

Answer: It suggests planning and some form of organised authority.

Example 4: Trade evidence · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

How do we know that the Harappans traded with Mesopotamia? Mention two types of evidence and one limitation. [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Harappan seals and beads found in Mesopotamia.
  2. Mesopotamian texts mention Meluhha, often identified with the Indus region.
  3. Carnelian and other goods match Harappan sources.
  4. Limitation: the Harappan script cannot be read, so we lack their own records.

Answer: Seals and beads found abroad and Mesopotamian texts; the Harappan script is undeciphered.

Example 5: Source: seal · 6 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

Source. A square steatite seal shows a humped bull with a line of script above it. (i) Name the material. [1] (ii) Give one use of such seals. [1] (iii) Why can we not read the writing? [2] (iv) What may the animal show about their life? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Steatite.
  2. (ii) To stamp goods or packages for ownership.
  3. (iii) The script is undeciphered.
  4. (iv) Importance of cattle or religious significance, which remains an interpretation.

Answer: (i) Steatite (ii) To mark goods (iii) Undeciphered script (iv) Cattle may have been important.

Where students lose marks in Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Listing features without explanation

    Only names.

    Do this: Add one line of explanation to each feature.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Stating decline due to Aryan invasion

    Unsupported claim.

    Do this: Present only evidence-based theories.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Confusing citadel with lower town

    Position error.

    Do this: Citadel west; lower town east.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Use features with evidence: seals, Great Bath, drains.
  • Write approximate dates correctly with B.C.
  • Present theories of decline neutrally.
  • Mention Mohenjo-daro and Harappa by name.

Practice questions on Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Harappan bricks had thickness : width : length in the ratio:
    (a) 1:1:2
    (b) 1:2:4
    (c) 2:3:4
    (d) 1:3:6

    Hint

    Standard.

    Answer

    (b) 1:2:4.

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Name two raw materials the Harappans obtained from outside the Indus region. [2]

    Hint

    Copper.

    Answer

    Copper (Rajasthan) and carnelian or shell (Gujarat).

  3. Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    What is meant by Meluhha? [2]

    Hint

    Mesopotamian texts.

    Answer

    The name in Mesopotamian texts for a distant land, often identified with the Harappan region.

  4. Q4 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): Harappan cities had a good drainage system.
    Reason (R): Every house had drains joined to covered street drains.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    Houses.

    Answer

    (a).

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain two craft activities of the Harappans and the materials used. [3]

    Hint

    Beads, bronze.

    Answer

    Bead making of carnelian and steatite; bronze casting of figures by the lost-wax method.

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Why do historians say that no single cause explains the decline? Mention three theories. [4]

    Hint

    Weighing.

    Answer

    Evidence is partial; theories include floods, drying of rivers like the Ghaggar-Hakra and climate change, each supported at some sites only.

  7. Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

    Why were standard weights important for trade? [2]

    Hint

    Fairness.

    Answer

    They ensured fair exchange and suggest regulated trade.

  8. Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Compare the citadel and lower town with respect to location, buildings and people. [3]

    Hint

    Table.

    Answer

    Citadel: west, raised and fortified, public buildings; lower town: east, houses of ordinary people and workshops.

  9. Q9 · 3 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

    Source. A trader writes: "My seal marks the bales I send down the river." (i) Which Harappan object is described? [1] (ii) Where were such goods stored? [1] (iii) Name a Harappan port-related site. [1]

    Hint

    Granary/Lothal.

    Answer

    (i) A seal. (ii) In granaries or warehouses. (iii) Lothal with its dockyard.

  10. Q10 · 4 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

    Source. Excavators find a layer of silt at Mohenjo-daro. (i) What does it suggest? [1] (ii) Give one other theory of decline. [1] (iii) Why is the theory not fully accepted? [2]

    Hint

    Flood.

    Answer

    (i) Repeated flooding. (ii) Drying up of the Ghaggar-Hakra river. (iii) Silt is found at some sites only and other sites show no flooding.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Raised part of a Harappan city?Show answer

    Citadel.

  2. 2.Material of seals?Show answer

    Steatite.

  3. 3.Mesopotamian name for Harappan land?Show answer

    Meluhha.

  4. 4.Port-associated site?Show answer

    Lothal.

  5. 5.Date of decline?Show answer

    About 1900 B.C.

Harappan Town Planning, Trade, Craft and Decline: frequently asked questions

Can we read the Harappan script?

No.

What is a grid plan?

Streets crossing at right angles.

Were the Harappans urban?

Yes, they built planned cities.