RAS question
The Harappan-era terracotta toy carts found at Kalibangan suggest knowledge of:
Correct answer: (C) Wheel technology.
The Harappan-era terracotta toy carts found at Kalibangan show that its people knew wheel technology and used wheeled carts for transport.
Explanation
Kalibangan's terracotta toy carts point directly to knowledge of the wheel: they are models of wheeled carts rather than evidence of a general craft or a weapon. They show that Harappan people understood the wheel and used wheeled carts for transport, probably drawn by oxen. The Archaeological Survey of India excavation report records a reconstructed Harappan terracotta toy cart and terracotta cart frames in KLB-2 deposits. It also describes streets wide enough for bullock carts, large house entrances through which carts could be brought inside, and house corners protected from vehicular traffic. The toy model and settlement layout therefore support wheeled transport, not shipbuilding, metalworking, or horse riding.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Shipbuilding is not supported by these finds. The object is a wheeled terracotta cart for movement on land, not a boat or another maritime object.
- (B) Metalworking is a different craft. A terracotta cart with wheels demonstrates the concept of wheeled movement rather than work in metal.
- (D) These finds concern carts, probably drawn by oxen; they neither depict horse riding nor provide clear evidence of horses.
Concept
This question concerns the material culture of the Indus Valley civilisation, using archaeological evidence from Kalibangan in Rajasthan. Small artefacts such as toy carts can reveal transport technology and connect local archaeology with wider Harappan urban life. RAS often asks such questions because interpreting material evidence to understand life, transport, and technology is a core skill in Rajasthan history.