RAS question
Which IVC site has the distinction of having three divisions - citadel, middle town and lower town?
Correct answer: (D) Dholavira.
Dholavira is the Indus Valley Civilisation site distinguished by a three-part urban division of citadel, middle town and lower town.
Explanation
Dholavira is the answer because its plan goes beyond the usual citadel-and-lower-town pattern associated with several Harappan sites. Its three clear divisions are the citadel, also called the acropolis, the middle town and the lower town. UNESCO's World Heritage material on Dholavira describes the walled city as including a fortified Castle with an attached fortified Bailey and Ceremonial Ground, a fortified Middle Town and a Lower Town, with reservoirs placed to the east and south of the Citadel. This is the three-tier layout asked in the question. The site is also linked with a large Indus-script signboard at the northern gate.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lothal is wrong because it had a different layout, not the citadel-middle town-lower town division asked here.
- (B) Harappa is wrong because it is described here as having a citadel and lower town, without the separate middle town that makes Dholavira distinctive.
- (C) Mohenjo-daro is wrong because it is limited to two divisions, while the question asks for the IVC site with three divisions.
Concept
This tests Harappan urban planning, especially the site-specific layout features of major IVC settlements. It recurs in RAS because ancient-history questions often turn on matching an archaeological site with its distinctive structural feature.