The essentials
Farming in the subcontinent began in the Neolithic period. The best-known early site is Mehrgarh in the Kachhi plain of Balochistan (Pakistan), where settled village life with cultivated barley and wheat and domesticated cattle, sheep and goats appears from around the 7th millennium BCE. In the Ganga valley, sites such as Lahuradewa in Uttar Pradesh have yielded early evidence of rice. Over time, farming spread across many regions, each with crops suited to local soil and rainfall.
During the Harappan (Indus) civilisation, agriculture produced the surplus that supported cities. Archaeologists have found remains of wheat, barley, peas, lentils, sesame, mustard and cotton. At Kalibangan (Rajasthan), a ploughed field from the early Harappan phase shows furrows in two directions crossing each other, suggesting two crops were grown together. Terracotta models of a plough have been found at Banawali (Haryana) and in Cholistan.
Key points
- Prehistory: periods without written records; protohistory: cultures with writing that we cannot yet read, such as the Harappan.
- Mehrgarh: among the earliest farming villages in South Asia; mud-brick houses and storage structures.
- Kalibangan: criss-cross furrowed field — evidence of mixed cropping.
- Harappan granary-like structures and storage jars suggest grain was stored on a large scale.
- Cotton was cultivated very early in the region; Greek writers later described it as wool growing on trees.
- Irrigation in Harappan times probably relied on rivers, wells and small canals; Dholavira had large water reservoirs.
Exam tips
- Link each site to its key evidence: Mehrgarh – earliest farming; Kalibangan – ploughed field; Banawali – terracotta plough; Lahuradewa – early rice.
- Note that dates for prehistory are approximate; questions usually ask for relative order, not exact years.
Common mistakes
- Placing Mehrgarh in India — it lies in present-day Pakistan.
- Thinking Harappans used only wheat; they grew a wide range of crops including cotton.