Indus valley civilization

INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
Town planning principles, House construction, Drainage systems
Submitted by-
AATIKA SANOBER-319106101001
A.NAGA VARDINI-319106101002

HISTORICAL CONDITION
Nearly 5000 years ago, a group of people, mostly of Sumerian origin landed into
N.W. of India through Khyberpass and settled in the breathtaking green valley of
Indus.This marks the beginning of the Indus Valley Civilisation or Harappan
Civilizations in India and is a contemporary of ancient Mesopotamia. Excavations
carried out at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa (now in Pakistan), Kalibangan in
Rajasthan, Lothal, Sukortada and Dholavira in Gujarat, Rakhigarhi in Haryana show
that Indus Valley civilisation had spread to a great extent.
LIVING STANDARD
• Ornaments made out of gold and ivory
• Hygiene and cleanliness were among the high priorities of society
• Evidence of quality municipal planning and efficient municipal government
• Low wealth concentration through clear social levelling
• Access to water and supples and drainage facilities
• Granaries

THE LIVES OF PEOPLE OF MOHENJO-DARO AND HARAPPA
• AGRICULTURE was their main economic activity.
• They had irrigation systems.
• They had pottery and jewellery making.
• Houses were made of clay bricks.
• Their leaders were priest-kings.
• Their religion was animism and polytheism. They worshipped many gods some of
which were animals like the very revered BULL.

Architecture in Indus Valley Civilization
Major cities of Indus Valley Civilization
• Mohenjo-Daro
• Harappa
• The cities are well known for their impressive, organized and regular layout.
• They had well-laid plumbing and drainage systems, including indoor toilets.
• Over one thousand other towns and villages also existed in this region
A unique feature of the Indus Valley Civilization:
• The structure of the houses has one or more toilets or toilet connected to a
centralized system.
• Underground sewer pipes are said to be planned and organized by a centralized
government.
TOWN PLANING PRINCIPLES-

There was a sophisticated concept of town planning in the Indus Valley Civilization.
From the excavated remains, it is clear that it possessed a flourishing urban
architecture. There were well-planned grids with broad main roads and smaller
lanes intersecting at right angles. There were large networks of hundreds of wells,
which supplied water to the residents. A sophisticated drainage system was in
existence and even the smallest houses were connected to it. Houses were made of
bricks. The standardised dimensions of these bricks, found in the many cities across
this civilization, are remarkable. The houses had several storeys.
Grid Pattern
Harappa and Mohen-Jo Dero were laid out on a grid pattern and had provisions for
an advanced drainage system. Streets were oriented east to west. Each street was
having a well organized drainage system.
City Walls
Each city in the Indus Valley was surrounded by massive walls and gateways. The
walls were built to control trade and also to stop the city from being flooded.
Each part of the city was made up of walled sections. Each section included different
buildings such as: Public buildings, houses, markets, craft workshops, etc.
The acropolis and the lower cities
A typical city would be divided into two sections, each fortified separately.
• One section was located on an artificially raised mound (sometimes called
acropolis) while the other level was on level ground.
• The acropoliscontained the important buildings of the city, like the assembly halls,
religious structures, granaries and in the great bath in case of Mohenjo-Daro.
• The lower section of the city was where the housing for the inhabitants was
located. It was here where some truly amazing features have been discovered.

The city was well connected with broad roads about 30 meters long which met at
right angles. The houses were located in the rectangular squares thus formed.
HOUSE CONSTRUCTION-
Residential Buildings
• Mainly made up of bricks
• Open terrace flanked by rooms
• The ratio of length to width to thickness at 4:2:1
• Houses have multiple stories
• No windows
• Own private wells
• Own private bathrooms
• Clay pipes led from the bathrooms to sewers located under the streets
The Assembly Hall
• Covers an area of 750 square meters
• Four rows of fine brick piers and pillars at the corners
• Archaeological Survey of India
DRAINAGE SYSTEMS-

The Indus civilization had an elaborate sanitary and drainage system, the hallmark of
ancient Indus cities., The Authorities maintained a highly efficient drainage system.
❖ Each house had horizontal and vertical drains.
❖ There were underground drains for the streets.
❖ These drains were covered by stone slabs.
❖ The soak pits were made of bricks.
❖ The house drains were connected with road drains.
The Great Bath
• 179 feet long and 107 feet wide

• Complex has a large quadrangle in the centre with galleries and rooms on all sides.
In the centre of this quadrangle, there is a large swimming enclosure that is 39 feet
long, 23 feet wide and 8 feet deep
• Used for religious or ritualistic purposes
• Connected to an elaborate water supply and sewer system.
Granaries
• The largest building found at Mohenjo Daro
- Running 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 15 feet high
- Divided into 27 compartments into 3 rows
- Well ventilated and it was possible to fill grain in from outside
• Made of burnt brick
• Air-ducts are provided under the wooden floor
• The row of triangular openings may have been for ventilation
Urban Sanitation System
• The people had water borne toilets in each house.
• Houses were linked with drains covered with burnt clay bricks (burning makes clay
harder, denser)

• Had manhole covers, chambers, etc., to facilitate maintenance
• Waste water was directed to covered drains, which lined the major streets.
• First form of sanitary engineering
-1st known toilets and running water in residential buildings in the world.
-By 2500 BC, highly developed drainage system where wastewater from each house
flowed into the main drain.
-The ancient Indus systems of sewage and drainage that were developed and used
in cities throughout the Indus Empire were far more advanced than any found in
contemporary urban sites in the Middle East and even more efficient than those in
some areas of modern Pakistan and India today

Indus valley civilization

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Indus valley civilization