Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6, The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation, explores the Harappan (Indus / Indus-Sarasvati) Civilisation (2600–1900 BCE)—India’s First Urbanisation—covering its grid-planned cities, brick drains, Mohenjo-daro’s Great Bath, Dholavira’s giant reservoirs, Lothal’s dockyard, agriculture, seals and peaceful civic life.
What Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6 Covers
What Is a Civilisation & Town-Planning defines the seven hallmarks of civilisation (administration, urbanism, crafts, trade, writing, culture, productive agriculture) and maps Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Banawali and Lothal across the Indus and Sarasvati (Ghaggar-Hakra) basins, highlighting upper citadels, lower towns, uniform baked bricks and Mohenjo-daro’s waterproofing Great Bath.
Water Management, Diet, Trade, Daily Life & Decline examines Dholavira’s rock-cut reservoirs and underground drains, Harappan crops (barley, wheat, millets, rice, and the world’s first domesticated cotton plus turmeric/ginger), Lothal’s 214 m × 36 m dockyard and carnelian bead/steatite seal trade with Mesopotamia, iconic artefacts (Dancing Girl, Priest King, Pashupati seal, terracotta games/whistles, sindoor), and climatic aridification plus the drying of the Sarasvati around 1900 BCE.
Exercises in Chapter 6
- Before we move on … chapter summary points and Questions, activities and projects.
- LET’S EXPLORE and THINK ABOUT IT classroom inquiry tasks.
Read Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat
- Next: Chapter 7: India’s Cultural Roots
- Hindi medium: Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6 PDF in Hindi (Samaj ka Adhyayan)
- All Social Science chapters and the other Class 6 books: Class 6 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
Why is the Harappan Civilisation also called the Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation?
Because a vast number of Harappan cities and settlements (such as Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan and Banawali) flourished not only along the Indus and its tributaries, but also along the ancient Sarasvati (modern Ghaggar-Hakra) river basin.
What were the main reasons for the decline of the Harappan cities around 1900 BCE?
Archaeological and climatic evidence points to two main causes—a prolonged global drier phase with reduced monsoon rainfall and the drying up of the Sarasvati River in its central basin—rather than any warfare or invasion.