With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
- 1.Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
- 2.Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
- 3.Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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Answer: C. Statement 1 is correct: the Rigveda mentions armour (varman) and helmets, while Harappan sites have given no clear evidence of body armour or helmets. Statement 2 is wrong: Harappans used gold, silver, copper and bronze, but not iron. Statement 3 is accepted as correct: the horse is central to Rigvedic life, while the Harappan record has no clear evidence of it. So 1 and 3 only.
Watch for: Watch for 'copper and iron' in statement 2; iron arrives in India much later than the Harappans.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because statement 3 is also accepted as correct.
- B. Wrong because Harappans did not know iron, so statement 2 is false.
- D. Wrong because statement 2 is false.
Source to check: NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part I, Chapter 1 'Bricks, Beads and Bones'; NCERT Class 11 Ancient India (R.S. Sharma), chapters on Harappan culture and the Rigvedic age
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.