RAS question
Which Indus Valley site is famous for having the world's earliest known tidal dockyard?
Correct answer: (A) Lothal.
Lothal in Gujarat is the Indus Valley site famous for the world's earliest known tidal dockyard.
Explanation
Lothal is the answer because it is the site with the oldest known dock. The dockyard's scale is approximately 218 m x 37 m, and it is described as the oldest known tidal dock. News9live Knowledge News, citing the Archaeological Survey of India, states that Lothal had the world's oldest known artificial dock and describes it as a thriving trading port. Lothal also had canals, dockyards, warehouses and trade relations with Mesopotamia. Taken together, these points make Lothal distinct from other Indus Valley sites: the dockyard is not a side detail, but the feature that links the site to maritime trade.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Dholavira is wrong because the dockyard evidence is located at Lothal, not Dholavira.
- (C) Harappa is wrong because the question is asking for the site famous for the earliest known tidal dockyard, and the world's oldest known dock is assigned to Lothal.
- (D) Kalibangan is wrong because it is not connected with the tidal dockyard; that feature is identified with Lothal.
Concept
This tests the Ancient History skill of matching an Indus Valley site with its diagnostic archaeological feature. It recurs in RAS-style MCQs because one specific feature, such as Lothal's dockyard, separates otherwise familiar Harappan site names.