General planning of the cities of Indus Valley Civilization.
General planning of the cities of Indus Valley Civilization.
Urban Planning of Harappan Civilization :-
Due to the paucity of sufficient evidence, lack of proper decipherment of the inscriptions found in the Indus Valley and Harappa, the urban life of Harappan can be discussed only on the basis of archaeological material. However, in this context, it can be said that without deciphering the Indus inscription, detailed information about the Indus Civilization will not be available.
‘’It is impossible at the present state of our knowledge to come to any definite conclusion .’’
( The Vedic Age )
However, on the basis of the overall evidence, it can be said that there is evidence that advanced urban life developed in most of the important centres of the Harappan Civilization. Some of the cities of that civilization were - Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Kalibangan, Chanhudaro, Kotdiji, Alamgirpur, Rangpur, Banwali, Lothal, Surkotra, Rojdi - etc. In this civilization, which developed about five thousand years ago, the construction of advanced roads, houses, sewers, baths, granaries, etc. and advanced construction techniques bear the identity of an advanced urban civilization.
Historian Mortimer Wheeler believes that during the construction of the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, the organizers acquired considerable expertise in urban planning. The main aspects of urban planning were -
Similarity of life in each city:-
The society and culture were roughly similar in the different cities of Harappa. Despite the considerable distance between the different cities, there is considerable similarity in the planning, construction style, lifestyle, etc. of the cities. The design of the streets of the cities, houses and buildings, attention to cleanliness, weight and measurement system - all were almost the same in each city.
Respect for the traditions of the previous city in general urban planning:-
In Mohenjo Daro, traces of houses have been found in nine levels. When the buildings were destroyed due to floods or any other reason, it was customary to build similar buildings in their place. For thousands of years, the plan for the highways of the two cities was the same. It is undeniable that despite having contact with Mesopotamia, the Indus people were not enthusiastic about adopting the advanced cultural techniques of Mesopotamia. This is where the conservatism and respect for tradition of the Indus people can be seen.
Sewerage and Roads:-
There was a good arrangement to drain water from inside the house through the sewerage and throw it into the large sewer of the main road. There were large garbage tanks for throwing garbage from the house. A burnt earthen pipe was used to drain water in each bathroom. There is clear evidence of how conscious the Indus citizens were thousands of years ago to keep the cities clean.
The main roads of the Harappan civilization extended from one end of the city to the other. The roads were wide, straight and clean. The roads were 9 to 34 feet wide. Several narrow lanes came out from the main road. The roads divided the entire city into different square or rectangular areas. Lime, mortar, stone, etc. were used in the construction of roads. There were paved sidewalks, dustbins and lighting systems on both sides of the road.
Buildings and other houses:-
Most of the buildings were built of burnt bricks. The walls of the single-storey and multi-storey houses were smooth. Each residential house had an open courtyard, well, bathrooms, windows and the houses were surrounded by walls. The bricks used in the construction of houses were generally of two types - sun-dried bricks and burnt bricks. The bricks were thin and small in size. Each house had an alley for entering. The houses did not have any doors or windows facing the street. There were numerous two-storey houses in the city. It is believed that the rectangular houses on the upper region were inhabited by influential wealthy people and the houses on the lower region by common people. Historian Gordon Childe believes that the rulers of the Harappan cities probably followed the laws and regulations regarding house construction.
Bathhouse:-
The remains of a large brick bathhouse measuring 180 long and 108 feet wide have been discovered in the fort area of Mohenjodaro. Its water tank is 39 feet long, 23 feet wide and 8 feet deep. There were stairs on both sides for ascending and descending in the bathhouse. Cold and hot water was provided here as per the requirement in summer and winter. There were a few small rooms on one side of the water tank. Dr. Ramsharan Sharma has opined that these rooms were probably used for changing clothes after bathing.
The bathhouse is located in the middle of a spacious courtyard. There was a high platform for the bathers. It is assumed that the bathhouse was for some religious purpose and its small rooms were the residence of the chief priest.
Granary and its traces:-
Traces of Granary have been found in several cities including Harappa. The granary of Harappa was established on a foundation of 200/150 square feet. There were slum-like houses for the workers next to the granary. The granary indicates the state ownership of wealth in the Harappa civilization. Historian A. L. Bassam has compared this granary to the present-day state bank. Food grains were stored here for emergencies. Sir Mortimer Wheeler believes that no such large granary has been found anywhere else in the world before the fifth century.
Citadel :-
The ruins of a fort on a mound 40 feet high have been discovered in Mohenjo Daro. The fort, surrounded by a high wall, is believed to have been built for the security of the city. Historians believe that the ruling class lived in the houses in the fort area. Some believe that this citadel was actually the palace of the priestly ruler of this civilization.
Municipal system: -
The drainage system, garbage disposal, etc. of the Indus Valley Civilizations suggest that the two cities had a well-organized municipal system and its examples were also incredible. No ancient civilization before the Romans had evidence of an organization as advanced as the municipal organization of the Indus Valley Civilizations.
Historians believe that a well-planned centralized municipal system probably existed in the Harappan civilization. Various scholars have speculated that a well-planned centralized municipal system existed in the same civilization, noting the similarities in various aspects of roads, houses, weights and measures, etc. in different cities of the Harappan civilization. This municipal system introduced similar types of municipal systems in different cities.
Historian S. K. Saraswati says that this similarity suggests that there was a strong and centralized authority that controlled the lives and politics of the people of this vast region.
Historians believe that there must have been a strong municipal system to carry out tasks such as building houses and roads according to specific plans, maintaining underground sewers along the roads, and regularly cleaning dustbins.
Historian Stuart Pigott believes that a civilization as vast as the Indus Valley Civilization may have had two capitals or administrative centers at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, but only one ruler.
Also, many manholes were connected to the sewers in various cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. These were covered with covers and were regularly cleaned by opening the covers. According to historian Dr. R. S. Sharma, no other ancient civilization in the world placed as much importance on health and cleanliness as Harappa.
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