TOWN PLANNING AND
URBAN FORM OF
INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION
ANCIENT INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION CITIES AND GRID PLANS
By 2600 BC, Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley (present-day
Pakistan) was built with blocks divided by a grid of straight streets,
laid out in perfect right angles, running north-south and east-
west. Each block was subdivided by small lanes. Mohenjo-Daro
was the largest of many grid-plan towns and villages that existed
in the region from 2600-1900 BC.
Obeserving the urban planning of the Indus Valley
civilization,archeologist B. B. Lal wrote, “Well-regulated streets
[were] oriented almost invariably along with the cardinal
directions, thus forming a grid-iron pattern. [At Kalibangan] even
the widths of these streets were in a set ratio, i.e. if the narrowest
lane was one unit in width, the other streets were twice, thrice
and so on.”
The planning, building and civic administration of their principal
cities constitutes the greatest achievements of the people of the
Indus Valley.
Unlike other ancient cities, the towns of Harappa and Mohenjo-
Daro were not the result of haphazard expansion of unplanned
settlements.
Rather, these were built as carefully planned integral units.
Large cities divided into two parts, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
The city was divided into two main parts. The higher and upper portion of the city was protected by a
construction which looks like a fort. The ruling class of the towns perhaps lived in the protected area.
The other part of the towns was lower in height than the former and common men lived in this area. The
lower area of the towns generally spread over one square mile.
Planned Cities of Indus Valley Civilization
The cities of Indus valley appear to have been laid out in accordance with some planning.
In Mohenjo-Daro the streets run in straight lines and are crossed by others at right angles.
This shows planning and existence of some authority to control the development of the city existed.
Town-planning was also accompanied with strict enforcement of building regulations as greatest care was
taken to prevent any structure from encroaching upon the streets.
The people seem to have been extremely wealthy judging from the excellent masonry and carefully built
houses.
In Indus Valley Architecture, throughout the area, civic planning was based on a rectangular grid
orientated to the cardinal points and standardized brick was the main building material.
A high proportion of the population lived in substantial, well-drained courtyard houses.
Wide streets and thoroughfares were common.
The buildings were made of burnt bricks which were devoid of decoration.
There were no windows and the entrances were placed in narrow by-ways.
There was a police system as the cities with the area were divided into wards for protection.
There were two or more storeys in the buildings.
The pottery jars were used as cupboards and probably there were wooden shelves also.
Beds, stools and boxes were used. Most of the cooking was done in the courtyards though there were small
kitchens.
Buildings in many street corners suggest hotels or eating houses where merchants and others would have
met to arrange business deals and to combine gossip with eating and drinking.
The streets were all aligned from east to west or from north to south as a north or south wind sweeps down a
broad thoroughfare.
This would suck the stagnant air out of the smaller streets and lanes running at right angles thereby amply
ventilating them.
Sanitation and cleanliness as bath rooms were used and proper drainage system was found in all buildings.
The spill-way of many of the channels used for drainage was stepped at varying angles so that the water
pouring down should not splash the passer-by in the street.
Each and every street had its brick lined drainage channel and small lanes.
Through these ran smaller tributary drains from the houses on either side. The waste water and sewage from
the various houses first passed into a sump or cess-pit in which the solid matter was deposited.
When the sump was three quarters full, the water flowed into the larger drains, and by this method
overflowing was prevented.
Large brick culverts were constructed on the outskirts of the city to carry away storm water.
Excellent sanitary engineering was followed at that time.
Excellent water-supply was maintained as wells were used
The houses can be divided into three main groups.
Dwelling houses,
Larger buildings,
Public baths.
Smaller houses had two rooms, while larger houses had many rooms. There were courtyards attached to big
buildings. There was little artistic touch in the architectural design of the buildings belonging either to the rich
or the poor. They were plain, utilitarian and comfortable to live. Some of the buildings were probably multi-
storied.
Most of the houses had baths, wells and covered drains connected with street drains. Ordinary buildings had
little ventilation arrangements, as doors and windows were rarely fixed in the outer walls. Doors of entrance
were fixed not on the front wall but on the side walls. One could enter a house by the door facing the side
lanes of the house. The doors were made of wood. Large buildings had spacious doors.
Building Materials
There was no stone built on the house in the Indus cities. Most of the houses were built of burnt bricks. But
unburnt sun-dried bricks were also used. That portion of the buildings where contamination with water was
possible, burnt bricks were used. For other parts sun-dried bricks were used. Most of the bricks were of equal
size. The staircases of big buildings were solid, the roofs were flat and were made from wood.
