GS Paper I — Q1
Discuss the salient features of the Harappan architecture. (Answer in 150 words)
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
हड़प्पा कालीन वास्तुकला के विशेष पहलुओं की चर्चा कीजिए । (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Harappan architecture represents the pinnacle of Bronze Age urbanism, characterized by utilitarian design and unprecedented municipal engineering.
Town Planning and Materials: Settlements followed a strict gridiron layout, systematically divided into an elevated Citadel for administrative use and a Lower Town for habitation, as seen at Mohenjodaro and Harappa. Construction relied extensively on durable kiln-burnt bricks manufactured in a standardized 4:2:1 dimensional ratio.
Public Engineering: Urban centers featured specialized public works, including the Great Bath and assembly hall at Mohenjodaro, granaries at Harappa and Lothal, and the tidal dockyard at Lothal. These were integrated with an advanced drainage system of covered street drains, inspection manholes, and soak pits.
Domestic Architecture and Civic Focus: Residential units were designed as courtyard houses with private wells, bathrooms, and upper storeys. Crucially, the absence of grandiose temples or royal palaces highlights an architectural ethos oriented towards public health, sanitation, and civic utility rather than theocratic or monarchical ostentation.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS1 History: Salient features of Harappan architecture
What earns full marks: Identifies 4+ features with specific examples (e.g., Great Bath, standardized bricks) and explains their significance.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Analytical overview of key architectural features of the Harappan civilization. 10 marks · 150 words
discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Mention the Great Bath and its drainage system
- Describe the standardized brick sizes (4:2:1 ratio) and burnt-brick construction
- Note the presence of granaries and public buildings
- Highlight the advanced urban planning: grid layout, citadel and lower town
Loses marks
- Narrating chronology of the civilization
- Emotive words on the 'lost' civilization
- Listing features without their purpose (e.g., 'they had baths' without 'for hygiene/ritual')
Earns more
- Reference to the Lothal dockyard
- Mention of stone masonry and water reservoirs at Dholavira
- Courtyard houses with private wells and bathrooms
- Absence of monumental temples or palaces and what it suggests
Extra mark
- Quick sketch of the Mohenjo-daro layout (citadel and lower town)
- One precise figure, e.g. brick ratio 4:2:1 or Great Bath dimensions (about 12 m × 7 m)
What "Discuss" is asking you to do
Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.
Structure that answers it
Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies
Where marks are lost
Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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