{"id":104262,"date":"2024-04-25T13:18:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T07:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=udaan&#038;p=104262"},"modified":"2024-09-20T14:19:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T08:49:17","slug":"town-planning-harappan-civilization","status":"publish","type":"udaan","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/town-planning-harappan-civilization","title":{"rendered":"Town Planning and Structures of Harappan civilization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The town planning and structures of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/indus-valley-civilization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Harappan civilization<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reveal a remarkable level of urban sophistication. With meticulously planned cities, advanced drainage systems, and <\/span><b>sturdy brick structures, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harappan towns <\/span><b>exemplify early urban planning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and engineering prowess.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Characteristics of Harappan civilization<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harappan civilization was distinguished by its system of <\/span><b>civic <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">planning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Dholavira, Lothal, Surkotada, Kalibangan, Banawali, and Rakhigarhi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were the <\/span><b>major cities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Harappan period.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In most cases, the cities were divided into two parts:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Lower Part<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The common citizenry lived and carried on their professional lives in this part of the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Citadel or Acropolis\/Raised Part<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This part occupied a smaller area and was frequently situated west of the city. It contained public buildings, granaries, and essential workshops.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Lower Towns: Grid Streets and Standardized Brick Construction<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">City planning followed a <\/span><b>grid pattern,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with streets cutting at <\/span><b>right angles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planning also involved <\/span><b>laying streets first<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then building houses along them.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The streets were broad, dividing the town into rectangular and square blocks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For construction, they used <\/span><b>burnt bricks and<\/b> <b>stones.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The houses were built of mud bricks and drainages of burnt bricks.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> bricks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were of identical <\/span><b>1: 2: 4 ratio<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in terms of thickness, width, and length across all Harappan structures.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.402%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; width: 100%;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The contemporary buildings in <\/span><b>Egypt <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mainly used <\/span><b>dried bricks <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0for construction.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We find the use of <\/span><b>baked bricks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in contemporary <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/mesopotamian-civilization-urbanism-economic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Mesopotamia<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but they were used to a much larger extent in the Harappan cities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The houses had <\/span><b>bathrooms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> paved with <\/span><b>burnt bricks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and proper <\/span><b>drains<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Houses <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">varied in size, with<\/span><b> two or more stories <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>multiple rooms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but were quite <\/span><b>monotonous<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many of the houses had a <\/span><b>central courtyard<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with rooms all around.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>courtyard<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was the center of the <\/span><b>residential building<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with rooms on all sides. It was the centre of activities such as cooking and weaving.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>Kalibangan <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many houses had <\/span><b>wells,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> often in a room that could be reached from the outside and perhaps used by passers-by.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.099%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; width: 100%;\"><b>Drainage System<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every house was c<\/span><b>onnected to the street drains.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main channels were made of bricks set in mortar and were covered with <\/span><b>loose bricks<\/b> <b>or limestone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that could be removed for cleaning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while wastewater flowed out into the street drains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for cleaning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Citadel of Harappan Civilization<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was constructed on a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/important-sites-and-features-of-ivc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>mud-brick platform<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and was <\/span><b>physically separated<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><b>Lower Town<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through a wall.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had important <\/span><b>residential structures,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> possibly occupied by members of the ruling class.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It contained structures that were used for particular public purposes. These include the <\/span><b>Great Bath <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><b>Warehouse (Granary).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.163%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; width: 100%;\"><b>The Great Bath <\/b><b>(<\/b><b>Mohenjo-daro)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was meant for some kind of special<\/span><b> ritual bath<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor on all four sides.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The floor of the bath was made of burnt bricks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were side rooms for changing clothes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bricks were laid watertight with gypsum mortar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Granaries: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They constituted an important part of the Harappan sites<\/span><b>.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Great Granary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was the <\/span><b>largest <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">building in <\/span><b>Mohenjo-daro.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were <\/span><b>six granaries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the citadel of <\/span><b>Harappa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Circular brick platforms were evidently meant for threshing grains because wheat and barley have been found in the crevices of the floors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <\/span><b>Kalibangan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the southern part of the brick platform may have been used for granaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.232%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 1074.33%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\" colspan=\"2\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Must Read<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 36.715%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 1037.61%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editorial Analysis<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 36.715%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upsc Notes\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 1037.61%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/blogs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upsc Blogs\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 36.715%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NCERT Notes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 1037.61%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The town planning and structures of the <\/span><b>Harappan civilization<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> represent a pinnacle of ancient urban development.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through their orderly layouts, <\/span><b>elaborate infrastructure, and robust <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/architecture-of-indus-valley-civilisation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>architecture<\/b><\/a><b>, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harappan cities provide valuable insights into early human settlement patterns and <\/span><b>technological achievements<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leaving a lasting legacy in the annals of history.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.175%; height: 222px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 74px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 120.378%; height: 74px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Related Articles\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 74px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 55.1391%; text-align: center; height: 74px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/indus-valley-civilization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Division of Harappan Culture<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 65.2389%; text-align: center; height: 74px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/architecture-of-indus-valley-civilisation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Architecture Of Indus Valley Civilisation<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 74px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 55.1391%; text-align: center; height: 74px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/important-sites-and-features-of-ivc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All About The Important Sites and Features of IVC<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 65.2389%; text-align: center; height: 74px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/mesopotamian-civilization-urbanism-economic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mesopotamian Civilization<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","udaan-chapter":[5410],"udaan-subject":[5401],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan\/104262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/udaan"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"udaan-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan-chapter?post=104262"},{"taxonomy":"udaan-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan-subject?post=104262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}