At which among the following Harappan sites are fire altars found?
- A.Kalibangan
- B.Harappa
- C.Mohenjo-daro
- D.Rakhi Garhi
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Kalibangan. Excavations at Kalibangan in Rajasthan found a row of fire altars, the clearest evidence of a fire ritual in the Harappan civilisation.
Kalibangan lies on the dry bed of the Ghaggar river in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. It was identified by Luigi Pio Tessitori and excavated in the 1960s by B. B. Lal and B. K. Thapar. Besides the fire altars, the site gave the earliest known ploughed field, with furrows in a criss-cross pattern, from its pre-Harappan level. The name means 'black bangles', after the broken bangles found on the mound. Fire altars were also found at Lothal and Banawali, but Kalibangan is the site examiners link with them.
B is wrong because Harappa is known for its granaries and working floors, not fire altars. C is wrong because Mohenjo-daro is famous for the Great Bath and the Great Granary. D is wrong because Rakhigarhi in Haryana is noted as the largest Harappan site in India, not for fire altars.
Exam tip: fire altars and ploughed field, Kalibangan; dockyard, Lothal; Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro.
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