Harappan Civilisation: Urban Order and Decline

The Harappan world developed out of earlier village cultures but reached a distinctive urban scale. Its cities show planned streets, drainage, baked bricks, craft zones and standardized weights. This pattern suggests disciplined urban management, even if the exact political structure remains debated. Unlike Egypt or Mesopotamia, clear signs of monumental kingship are limited, which keeps the question of authority open. The civilisation rested on agricultural support, craft specialization and inter-regional exchange. Sites such as Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Kalibangan and Lothal reveal regional variation within an integrated cultural system. Seals, bead-making, metallurgy and maritime links show that Harappan society was not isolated. Its decline is better seen as a long process than a single collapse. Ecological stress, river shifts, weakening trade links and gradual de-urbanisation likely combined to disperse population and shrink urban centres. For UPSC, the key is to move beyond invasion-only explanations and present a multi-causal account.