Question

Write a short note on the reasons for the decline of Harappan civilization.

Hint:

Consider climate, river-course change, and breakdown of trade — not a single invasion.

Answer 1

Step 1: Environmental/climatic causes: Many scholars point to climate change — a weakening of the monsoon and gradual desiccation of the region — which reduced agricultural surplus over time.

Step 2: Hydrological causes: Tectonic shifts may have altered the course of rivers (e.g. the drying up of the Ghaggar-Hakra, identified by some with the Saraswati), removing the water supply that sustained cities like Kalibangan.

Step 3: Economic and social causes: The breakdown of long-distance trade networks with Mesopotamia, decline of centralized administrative control, and possible overuse of resources (deforestation, soil salinity from irrigation) weakened urban economies.

Step 4: Composite decline, not a single event: No single invasion or catastrophe explains it uniformly across all sites — instead, cities were abandoned at different times, and the population shifted to smaller rural/village settlements, marking a gradual de-urbanization rather than a sudden collapse.

Final Answer: The decline resulted from a combination of climatic change, river-course shifts, disrupted trade, and gradual de-urbanization rather than one single cause.