निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा प्राचीन नगर अपने उन्नत जल संचयन और प्रबंधन प्रणाली के लिए सुप्रसिद्ध है, जहाँ बाँधों की शृंखला का निर्माण किया गया था और संबद्ध जलाशयों में नहर के माध्यम से जल को प्रवाहित किया जाता था?
Read this question in English
Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?
(a) Dholavira · (b) Kalibangan · (c) Rakhigarhi · (d) Ropar
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (a) धौलावीरा
Dholavira, a Harappan city on Khadir island in the Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, lived in a dry region fed only by two seasonal streams. Its people dammed these streams and led the water through channels into a chain of interconnected stone and rock-cut reservoirs, the most elaborate water-harvesting system known from the Harappan world.
- ✓ (a) Water from two nearby streams was diverted by dams and canals into a series of deep, interconnected tanks within the city; UNESCO, which inscribed Dholavira as a World Heritage Site in 2021, highlights this water management system.
- ✗ (b) Kalibangan in Rajasthan is famous for an Early Harappan ploughed field with furrows at right angles, suggesting two crops grown together.
- ✗ (c) Rakhigarhi in Haryana is known as one of the largest Harappan settlements, not for a reservoir system.
Remember · Dholavira (Kachchh, Gujarat): dams, channels and interconnected reservoirs, stone architecture, signboard inscription; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 4 “Here, water from the two nearby streams was diverted by building dams and canals into a series of deep tanks to conserve it within the site boundary.”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Dholavira: a Harappan City ↗ “A sophisticated water management system demonstrates the ingenuity of the Dholavira people in their struggle to survive and thrive in a harsh environment.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 1 “Archaeologists have also found evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan), associated with Early Harappan levels”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·