Maarg Manthan · Topic 3.6

Social Organisation and Polity of the Harappan Civilisation

Ancient History › Indus Valley Civilisation · Topic 3.6

Harappan society was hierarchical: a citadel for rulers, a middle town for officials and merchants and a lower town for common people, with houses of one to twelve rooms and two-roomed barracks for labourers. The uniform bricks, seals, weights and town plans suggest a strong central authority or city-state polity, with taxes collected in grain, but there were no temples and few weapons, so rule by priests or warriors is unlikely.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Indus Valley Civilisation

At a Glance

Settlement Citadel, middle town, lower town
House sizes One to twelve rooms
Tax Probably in grain
Religious buildings No temples found
Rulers Possibly merchants or a civic authority
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Indus Valley Civilisation

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the category on the Indus Valley Civilisation. The previous topic described trade, and this one covers society and rule. The next topic covers religious practices. Previous topic: Trade and Commerce of the Harappan Civilisation.

How Was Harappan Society Arranged?

In short: the layout of the cities shows distinct classes, from rulers on the citadel to labourers in small barracks.

Excavations indicate a hierarchy in urban habitation. Harappa has two localities attributed to it, but its structure shows three, and so do Kalibangan and Dholavira. The citadel was where the ruling class lived, the lowest part was where common people dwelt, and the middle settlement may have been for bureaucrats and middle-class merchants. Whether this hierarchy corresponded to occupational divisions or social and economic differences is not clear. The same city had housing groups of different sizes, with the number of rooms varying from one to twelve, which indicates social differentiation. Harappa had two-roomed houses, probably for artisans and labourers, and two-roomed barracks near the granaries. Seals, jewellery and fine images were likely used by the upper classes, while the common people used simple terracotta figures, a contrast noted in Harappan Pottery, Images, Terracotta Figurines and Stone Work.

Group	Likely place
Rulers and elite	Citadel
Bureaucrats and merchants	Middle town
Common people	Lower town
Artisans and labourers	Two-roomed houses and barracks

What Do We Know About the Polity?

Because the Harappan culture is more or less uniform over a large area, a central authority may have contributed to this. Another account notes that uniformity in pottery, seals, weights and bricks reveals a polity, that mobilising labour suggests a political system, and that Harappa and Mohenjo-daro might have had a city-state like polity. Using the elements of the state described in Kautilya’s Arthashastra, one can find them in the Indus Valley: the citadel as the seat of sovereign power, the middle town as the seat of government, the great granary at Mohenjo-daro as the treasury, taxes collected in grain, a well-populated territory, and fortifications, as at Dholavira with forts within forts. There is no clear idea of an organised force or standing army, though a heap of sling stones and a soldier shown on a potsherd at Surkotada may suggest one. In any case, the state was well established in the mature phase.

What Other Evidence Reflects Society?

Evidence	Inference
Seals and jewellery	Used mainly by the upper classes; seals served as marks of authority and ownership
Terracotta toys and figures	Common people’s objects, less sophisticated
Burials	Pottery, ornaments, jewellery, copper mirrors and beads placed in graves suggest belief in an afterlife; differences in goods point to differences in wealth
Fortification	Forts at several cities suggest organised defence and control of movement
Uniform weights	Regulation by an authority, possibly merchant guilds or the state

Taken together, these clues indicate a society with clear classes, specialised crafts and administrators, but they do not tell us whether status was fixed by birth.

Who Ruled?

In sharp contrast to Egypt and Mesopotamia, no temples have been found at any Harappan site, and no religious structure except the Great Bath, which may have served ablution. It would therefore be wrong to think that priests ruled at Harappa as in the cities of lower Mesopotamia. The Harappan rulers were more concerned with commerce than with conquest, and Harappa was possibly ruled by a class of merchants. The Harappans had few weapons, which may mean the lack of an effective warrior class. A figure in steatite found at Mohenjo-daro is traditionally called a priest-king, but this is an interpretation. The regional picture is also important: several groups including pastoral people, farmers and hunter-gatherers lived in the Indus region and in contemporary cultures elsewhere in India.

View	Support
Central authority	Uniform bricks, weights, seals and town plans over a wide area
Merchant rule	Emphasis on commerce, no temples, few weapons
City-state polity	Separate cities with similar institutions, labour mobilisation

As an analytical point, the evidence supports a strong organising authority but does not show its form, because the script is undeciphered. The economic basis is in Trade and Commerce of the Harappan Civilisation, and the beliefs of the people in Religious Practices of the Harappan Civilisation.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Inference skills How archaeologists infer society and state
Contrast With Egypt and Mesopotamia
Debate Merchants versus priests versus city-states

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the religious practices of the Harappan civilisation. Next topic: Religious Practices of the Harappan Civilisation.

Key People and Terms

Citadel Raised seat of rulers
Hierarchy Ranked levels of society
City-state Independent city with its territory
Granary Grain store and perhaps treasury
Standing army Permanent armed force
Priest-king Traditional name for a Mohenjo-daro figure

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

House sizes: one to twelve rooms.
No temples found.
Taxes probably in grain.
Possible merchant rule.
Dholavira: forts within forts.

Do Not Confuse With

Harappa and Mesopotamia No temples and no priest rule versus temple-centred cities
Citadel and middle town Rulers versus officials and merchants
Central authority and city-state One uniform state versus linked cities

Memory Hook

Citadel, middle, lower; houses from one room to twelve; no temple, few weapons, trade first.

Mains Angle

Questions on Harappan society and rule ask for evidence and interpretation. These points add depth.

Society Hierarchy shown by settlement
State Uniformity implies authority
Rulers Merchants versus priests

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“What does archaeology tell us about the social organisation and polity of the Harappan civilisation?”

How to Answer

Layout Three localities.
Differences Houses of different sizes.
State Granary, tax, forts.
Rulers No temples; merchants?

GS Relevance

Prelims: Harappan polity and society. GS Paper 1: social stratification and state in the Indus cities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How was Harappan society organised?

Harappan cities show a hierarchy: a citadel where the ruling class lived, a middle settlement possibly for bureaucrats and merchants, and a lower town for common people, with houses ranging from one to twelve rooms and two-roomed barracks for labourers.

Was there a central authority in the Harappan civilisation?

Probably yes. The uniformity of bricks, pottery, seals, weights and town plans over a vast area and the mobilisation of labour for large structures suggest a central authority or a city-state like polity, though its exact form is unknown.

Why do historians think priests did not rule Harappa?

No temples or other religious structures, apart from the Great Bath, have been found at Harappan sites, unlike in Egypt and Mesopotamia. So it would be wrong to think priests ruled as they did in the cities of lower Mesopotamia.

Did the Harappans have an army?

There is no clear evidence of an organised force or standing army. A heap of sling stones and the depiction of a soldier on a potsherd at Surkotada may suggest one, but the Harappans had few weapons, which may mean they lacked an effective warrior class.

How were taxes collected in the Harappan civilisation?

Taxes seem to have been collected in grain, which was stored in large granaries at Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and possibly Kalibangan. The great granary at Mohenjo-daro may have served as the treasury of the state, and grain may have paid wages.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Temples have been found at every major Harappan site.

False

No temples have been found.

2 Harappan house sizes varied from one to twelve rooms.

True

This points to social differentiation.

3 Harappan taxes were probably collected in grain.