Main characteristics of the urban planning of the Harappan civilisation

Characteristics of the urban planning of the Harappan civilisation

The Indus Valley Civilization was flourished in the valley of Indus River. But it was not limited to the Indus Valley region only. Further excavations show about 1.6 million sq. km. as the circumferential extension of the civilization.

Extent of Harappan Culture

Special and important relics similar to those found at the Indus Valley have been discovered at almost thousand sites far away from the river area. The sites are Balakot 45 miles north-west of Karachi, Amri in Sind, Sutkanjo-Daro in Baluchistan, Kot-Diji and Kalibangan at the left bank of the River Ghagar in Rajasthan. At Rupar in north-eastern Punjab, relics similar to those of Mohanjodaro and Harappa have been found. A fortification at Surkatoda, about 270 km. north-west of Ahmedabad has been discovered. At Lothal and Rangpur near Gulf of Combay, houses, streets, public-bath, sewer system, harbour etc. have been unearthed. The remains of discovery made at Alamghirpur in U.P. can be compared with those of Harappa.

Thus the excavations at different parts of India and Pakistan have proved that the civilization was really embraced Baluchistan, Sind and Punjab, a bulk of Kathiwar, valley of Narmada and a part of Gangetic Basin. The civilization extended from Sutkagendor in west, on the Makran coast at the border of Pakistan and Iran, to Alamghirpur in east, on the Hindon in U.P. covering an area of 1600 km. From north to south covering an area of 1100 km. it extended from Shortaghai in Afghanistan to Daimabad in Maharashtra. This is an area much greater than that occupied jointly by the contemporary civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. So the civilization is rather called the Harappan Culture.

Features of Urban Layout in Harappan cities

 The archaeological evidences have proved that the Harappan Culture was flourished as early as third millennium B.C. It was an Urban-Chalcolithic civilization. One of the significant features of urban layout was the regular planning and strict uniformity throughout the culture. The Harappans executed their town planning with geometrical instruments like the compass, the plumb bob, and the right angle measuring instruments etc. which they developed. These instruments gave them accuracy in town planning and building streets. They were found at Lothal, Dholavira, Mohanjodaro, Kalibangan, and Allahdino.

Town Planning of Harappan cities

There is clear evidence of centralized planning at all major excavated sites. The towns were divided into the citadel and the lower town. The citadel was an oblong artificial platform some 30-50 feet high and about 400×200 yards in area. It was enclosed by a thick crenelated mud-brick wall. Although no separate fortified mound has been found at Lothal, the conception of an acropolis seems to have existed. On the citadel public buildings were erected, while the lower town was the town proper; in any case at least a square mile in area.

 

A.Keswani observing 45 Harappan towns concluded that they were of tow kinds. Some had simple entrance, while others had guard rooms. But the guard rooms were invariably very small to accommodate only one person.

Streets and lanes of the cities

.In the town the main streets were quite strait and divided the city into square and rectangular blocks within which were narrow upland lanes. From 9 to 30 feet in wide the streets aligned from east to west and from north to south, intersecting each other at right angle. However Dilip Kr. Chakarbarty argues that the streets did not always align strait and neither looked like ‘chess-board’.  Traces of lamp posts at interval evidence the existence of street-light.

Drainage System of Harappan cities

The most impressive feature of the Harappan town planning was sewerage system. No other civilization untill that of the Romans had so efficient a system of drains. Every street and even small lanes had their own drainage channels constructed with ordinary bricks and cemented with mud-motor and gypsum. These channels were different in size as required by quantum of dirty water flowed their in. They were covered throughout their length with brick slabs which could be easily removed for the purpose of cleaning.

Hoese Planning of Harappan cities

Usual building materials of dwelling houses and public buildings alike were burnt bricks, mud-bricks, chiseled stones as well as wood for the doors. The ratio of the brick size was 1:2:4. Some rich houses had seven feet thick wall and stair ways that suggest that the houses rose to several stories. The entrance of the houses was normally through a side lane. There was window fencing for proper ventilation. The rooms were arranged round on an open courtyard which was a special feature of house planning. What, however, the most remarkable is that each house had a well and many bathrooms.

Great Bath and Great Granary

The most significant structure in public building was the Great Bath at Mohanjodaro, measuring 12×7×2.4 meters. Other significant structures were the Great Granary at Harappa, measuring 169×35 feet, and a dockyard at Lothal, measuring 223×35×8 meters.

Different size of Harappan towns  

Another feature which should be emphasized in the context of urban planning is that there was no direct co-relation between different settlements in accordance with their size. For instance, Mohanjodaro (200 hectares) was thrice in size of Dholavira (60 hectares). Harappa covered 150 hectares while Kalibangan covered 100 hectares. Lakhmirwala was perhaps the biggest settlement with 225 hectares area. Thus in that remote past the Harappans laid out their settlements according to scientific planning and with a sense of civic discipline.