List of Indus Valley Civilisation sites


The Indus Valley Civilisation, also known as the Harappan Civilisation, was a major early civilisation, existing from 3300–1300 BCE in the northwest Indian subcontinent, around the Indus River plains. It covered much of modern-day eastern-Pakistan and northwestern India, as well as possessing at least one trading colony in northeast Afghanistan.
Over 1000 Indus Valley Civilisation sites have been discovered. Only 40 sites on the Indus valley were known in the pre-Partition era by archaeologists.
The most widely known Indus Valley sites are Mohenjo-daro and Harappa; Mohenjo-daro is located in modern-day Sindh, while Harappa is in West Punjab. More than 90% of the inscribed objects and seals that were discovered were found at ancient urban centres along the Indus river in Pakistan, mainly in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. More than 50 IVC burial sites have been found, including at Rakhigarhi, Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Farmana, Kalibangan, Lothal, Dholavira, Mehrgarh, Banawali, Alamgirpur and Chanhudaro.

List of Indus Valley sites

YearSiteDistrictProvince/stateCountryImageExcavations/findings
AlamgirpurMeerut DistrictUttar PradeshIndiaImpression of cloth on trough
AllahdinoKarachi districtSindhPakistanFloor tiles of a house have been discovered at this site
Amri, SindhDadu DistrictSindhPakistanRemains of a rhinoceros
Babar KotSaurashtra, RajulaGujaratIndiaA stone fortification wall, plant remains of millets and gram
Balu, HaryanaKaithalHaryanaIndiaEarliest evidence of garlic. Several plant remains were found here include various types of barley, wheat, rice, horse gram, green gram, multiple types of a pea, sesamum, melon, watermelon, grapes, dates, garlic, etc. which is comparable to a nearby IVC site Kunal, Haryana revealed remains of rice
1974BanawaliFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaExcavated in 1973 by RS Bisht.
Located alongside the Saraswati River.
This area contains evidence of both pre-Harappan and Harappan culture as well as high-quality barley. Found terracotta figure of a plough
BargaonSaharanpur DistrictUttar PradeshIndia
BarorSri Ganganagar districtRajasthanIndiaHuman skeleton, ornaments, a five-meter-long and three-meter clay oven, a pitcher filled with 8,000 pearls
Bet DwarkaDevbhoomi Dwarka districtGujaratIndiaLate Harappan seal, inscribed jar, the mould of coppersmith, a copper fishhook
BhagatravBharuch DistrictGujaratIndia
BhirranaFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaGraffiti of a dancing girl on pottery, which resembles a dancing girl statue found at Mohenjo-Daro
1931ChanhudaroNawabshah DistrictSindhPakistanExcavated in 1931 by NG Majumdar.
Located in Sindh, Pakistan, on the banks of the Indus River. Only Indus site without a citadel.
Excavated items include bronze statues of bullock carts and ekkas as well as a small jar that appears to be a kink well.
Bead making factory, use of lipstick,
ChapuwalaCholistanPunjabPakistanUnexcavated 9.6 hectares
DaimabadAhmadnagar DistrictMaharashtraIndiaA sculpture of a bronze chariot, 45 cm long and 16 cm wide, yoked to two oxen, driven by a man 16 cm high standing in it; and three other bronze sculptures. Southernmost IVC site in India, Late Harappan Phase
Desalpur in Nakhtrana Taluka,Kutch DistrictGujaratIndiaMassive stone fortification, Harappan pottery, three script-bearing seals; one of steatite, one of copper and one of terracotta
1985DholaviraKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaExcavated in 1967–1968 by JP Joshi.
Located in the Gujarati district of Kachchh on the banks of the Luni River.
Here are traces of a stadium, a special water management system, and the Harappan inscription.
Figure of chariot tied to a pair of bullocks and driven by a nude human, Water harvesting and number of reservoirs, use of rocks for constructions, wooden "signboard" with Indus characters found in a gatehouse
FarmanaRohtak DistrictHaryanaIndiaLargest burial site of IVC, with 65 burials, found in India
GanweriwalaPunjabPakistanEquidistant from both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, it is near a dry bed of the former Ghaggar River. It is a site of almost the same size as Mahenjo-daro. It may have been the third major centre in the IVC, as it is near the copper-rich mines in Rajasthan
Gola Dhorokutch districtGujaratIndiaProduction of shell bangles, semi-precious beads, etc.
1921HarappaSahiwal DistrictPunjabPakistanExcavated in 1921–1923 by Daya Ram Sahni.
Located in Punjab's Montgomery district on the banks of the Ravi River.
Excavations have been done at Cemetery-37 and Stone Dancing Natraja.
The first town to be thoroughly excavated and examined is a major Indus Valley Civilisation settlement with granaries, coffin burials, and a plethora of artefacts
Hisar mound inside Firoz Shah PalaceHisar DistrictHaryanaIndiaUnexcavated site
HulasSaharanpur DistrictUttar PradeshIndia
Juni KuranKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFortified citadel, lower town, public gathering area
JognakheraKurukshetraHaryanaIndiaCopper smelting furnaces with copper slag and pot shards
KajGir Somnath DistrictGujaratIndiaCeramic artefacts, including bowls. Ancient port.
KanjetarGir Somnath DistrictGujaratIndiaSingle phase Harapppan site
1953KalibanganHanumangarh DistrictRajasthanIndiaExcavated in 1961 by BB Lal.
Located alongside the Ghaggar River. There has been evidence of a ploughed field, a wooden furrow, seven fire altars, camel bones, and two different kinds of burials.
Baked/burnt bangles, fire altars, small circular pits containing large urns and accompanied by pottery, bones of camel
Karanpura near Bhadra cityHanumangarh districtRajasthanIndiaSkeleton of child, terracotta like pottery, bangles, seals similar to other Harappan sites
KhirasaraKutch districtGujaratIndiaWarehouse, industrial area, gold, copper, semi-precious stone, shell objects, and weight hoards
Kerala-no-dhoro or PadriSaurashtraGujaratIndiaSalt production centre, by evaporating sea water
Kot Bala Lasbela DistrictBalochistanPakistanEarliest evidence of furnace, seaport
Kot DijiKhairpur DistrictSindhPakistan
Kotada BhadliKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFortification bastion few houses foundations
Kunal, HaryanaFatehabad DistrictHaryanaIndiaEarliest pre-Harappan site, Copper smelting.
KuntasiRajkot DistrictGujaratIndiaSmall port
Lakhan-jo-daroSukkur DistrictSindhPakistanMajor unexcavated site
1922LarkanaLarkana DistrictSindhPakistan
LoteshwarPatan DistrictGujaratIndiaAncient archaeological site
1953LothalAhmedabad DistrictGujaratIndia1931; excavated by NG Majumdar. Excavated in 1931 by NG Majumdar.
Located in Sindh, Pakistan, on the banks of the Indus River.
Bead making factory, dockyard, button seal, fire altars, painted jar, earliest cultivation of rice
Manda, JammuJammu DistrictJammu & KashmirIndiaNorthernmost Harappan site in Himalayan foothills
MalwanSurat DistrictGujaratIndiaSouthernmost Harappan site in India
Mandi, [Uttar Pradesh, India|Mandi]Muzaffarnagar districtUttar PradeshIndia
MehrgarhKachi DistrictBalochistanPakistanEarliest agricultural community
MitathalBhiwani DistrictHaryanaIndia
1922Mohenjo-DaroLarkana DistrictSindhPakistanExcavated in 1922 by RD Bannerji.
Located in Sindh's Larkana district on the banks of the Indus River.
The site's unique features are the Assembly Hall, Collegiate Building, and Great Bath.
An excavated artefact includes a piece of woven cotton and the seal of Pashupati Mahadeva, or proto-Shiva.
Great Bath, Great granary, Bronze dancing girl, Bearded man, terracotta toys, Bull seal, Pashupati seal, three cylindrical seals of the Mesopotamian type, a piece of woven cloth
MorodharoKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFortified settlement. Mature and late Harappan phases of civilisation found. Harappan jar shards, burial cairns, boundary stones to mark graves found. Closely resembles Dholavira and has evidence of being an ancient seaport.
NageshwarKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaShell working site
NavinalKutch districtGujaratIndia
Nausharo near DadharKachi DistrictBalochistanPakistan
OngarHyderabadSindhPakistan
PabumathKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaA large building complex, unicorn seal, shell bangles, beads, copper bangles, needles, antimony rods, steatite micro beads; pottery include large and medium size jars, beaker, dishes, dish-on-stand, perforated jars etc.; fine red pottery with black painted designs etc.
Pathani DambMakranBalochistanPakistanAt 100 hectares, this has the potential to be another city
Pir Shah JurioKarachiSindhPakistan
PirakSibiBalochistanPakistan
RakhigarhiHisar DistrictHaryanaIndiaTerracotta wheels, toys, figurines, pottery. Large site, partially excavated
RangpurAhmedabad DistrictGujaratIndiaSeaport
Rehman DheriDera Ismail KhanKhyber PakhtunkhwaPakistan
RojdiRajkot DistrictGujaratIndia
RuparRupnagar DistrictPunjabIndia
SanauliBaghpat DistrictUttar PradeshIndiaBurial site with 125 burials found, copper antenna sword with a hilt and first time chariots were discovered
Sheri Khan TarakaiBannu DistrictKhyber-PakhtunkhwaPakistanPottery, lithic artefact
Shikarpur, GujaratKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaFood habit details of Harappans
ShortugaiDarqad DistrictTakhar ProvinceAfghanistan
SiswalHisar (district)HaryanaIndia
Sokhta KohMakranBalochistanPakistanPottery
Sothi near BarautBagpat districtUttar PradeshIndia
1964SurkotadaKutch DistrictGujaratIndiaExcavated in 1972 by JP Joshi.
Located between the Sabarmati and Bhogavo rivers.
Here, there is proof of a horse burial, an oval grave, and a pit burial.
Bones of a horse
Sutkagan DorMakranBalochistanPakistanBangles of clay, westernmost-known site of IVC
TigranaBhiwani districtHaryanaIndiaHouses, pottery, terracotta, seals with script, semi-precious stones, evidence of crop cultivation and anima; domestication.
VejalkaBotad districtGujaratIndiaPottery

Context of IVC sites and cultures

Wider context of the IVC includes the following: