Which Harappan sites include structures such as the ‘Great Bath’ and ‘Fire-altars’?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Kalibangan and Lothal
Note 1: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there seems to be a mistake in the question, as explained below.
Early archaeologists gave ritual significance to some Harappan structures. Two of these are the fire altars and the Great Bath, but they were not found at the same sites.
Fire altars were found at Kalibangan and Lothal.
The Great Bath is at Mohenjodaro. It stands on the Citadel of that city: a large rectangular tank in a courtyard, surrounded by a corridor on all four sides, with steps on the north and the south leading into it.
So the question puts both structures at the same two sites, which is not correct. Option (1) Kalibangan and Lothal is the answer given by NTA, and it is right only for the fire altars; no option names the sites of both structures correctly.
Tip: When one line of a chapter does not agree with what the same chapter says elsewhere, trust the detailed description and read the odd line with care.
Note 2: The question is built on one line of NCERT, ‘These include the Great Bath and fire altars found at Kalibangan and Lothal.’ Read on its own, the line seems to place the Great Bath at Kalibangan and Lothal too, but the book’s own description of the Great Bath puts it on the Citadel of Mohenjodaro. The line is a slip in NCERT, which NTA copied into the question.
NCERT (2025-26): “11.2 Problems of interpretation … Early archaeologists thought that certain objects which seemed unusual or unfamiliar may have had a religious significance. These included terracotta figurines of women, heavily jewelled, some with elaborate head-dresses. These were regarded as mother goddesses. Rare stone statuary of men in an almost standardised posture, seated with one hand on the knee – such as the ‘priest-king’ – was also similarly classified. In other instances, structures have been assigned ritual significance. These include the Great Bath and fire altars found at Kalibangan and Lothal. Attempts have also been made to reconstruct religious beliefs and practices by examining seals, some of which seem to depict ritual scenes.… 3. Mohanjodaro A Planned Urban Centre … Perhaps the most unique feature of the Harappan civilisation was the development of urban centres. Let us look at one such centre, Mohenjodaro, more closely. Although Mohenjodaro is the most well-known site, the first site to be discovered was Harappa.… 3.3 The Citadel … It is on the Citadel that we find evidence of structures that were probably used for special public purposes. These include the warehouse – a massive structure of which the lower brick portions remain, while the upper portions, probably of wood, decayed long ago – and the Great Bath. The Great Bath was a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor on all four sides. There were two flights of steps on the north and south leading into the tank, which was made watertight by setting bricks on edge and using a mortar of gypsum. There were rooms on three sides, in one of which was a large well. Water from the tank flowed into a huge drain.…” |