EFFORTS BY:

1. PRIYA SINGHAL
2. KAVYA VERMA
3. M.ANUSHREE NAIR
4. BIPASHA MANDAL
5. PRAGYA SALHAN
6. MANJUSHA BHARTI
ORIGIN TOWN PLANNING
● The site of the ancient
city contains the ruins of
a Bronze Age fortified
city, which was part of
the Indus Valley
Civilization .

● The city is believed to

have had as many as
23,500 residents and
occupied about 150
hectares with clay brick
houses at its greatest
extent during the
Mature Harappan phase
(2600 BC – 1900 BC).

● The old path of the Ravi

River runs to the north
PLAN OF HARAPPA PLAN OF THE CITADEL of the site, which has
since shifted six miles
further north.
 SETTLEMENT PATTERN TOWN PLANNING

• The settlement was divided

into two parts: The ‘Citadel’
mound built on the high
podium of mud-brick to the
west which housed the ruling
class and the priestly class.
• The town to the east was the
main hub of the residential
area, which was also
surrounded by a massive brick
wall.
• The town was encircled by a
high wall made of burnt bricks.
The intention was probably to
ward off invaders.
TYPES OF BUILDINGS TOWN PLANNING

• People built houses and other

buildings by the side of roads.
• Every house had two or more
rooms. There were also more than
one storied houses.
• The houses were designed around
an inner courtyard and contained
pillared halls, bath rooms, paved
floors, kitchen, well etc.
• Average thickness of walls was 70cm
and average ceiling height about 3
meters
• The architecture may be grouped
into three categories with some
variations as −
a) Private houses,
b) Large houses surrounded by
smaller units, and
c) Large public structures.
TYPES OF BUILDINGS TOWN PLANNING
• Larger houses had smaller dwellings connected to them
and evidence of repeated rebuilding in the interior shows
that the internal spaces were constantly reorganized.

• Large public buildings include both public spaces such as

markets, squares and courtyards and administrative
buildings including granaries.

INTERIORS

• Doorways and windows rarely opened out into the main

street, but faced side lanes.

• The view into the house was blocked by a wall or a

room around the front door. This was done to protect
the activities in the central courtyard from the view of
passers-by.

• Some of the doors seem to have been painted and

possibly carved with simple ornamentation

• The windows were small at first and second stories. The

adjacent houses were separated by a narrow space.
STREETS TOWN PLANNING

1. The streets were straight and cut each other at right

angles. They were 13 to 34 feet wide and were well lined.

2. The streets were arranged such that the prevailing

winds could work as a sort of suction pump and
thereby clean the atmosphere automatically.

3. The streets and roads divided the city into rectangular

blocks. Archaeologists have discovered the lamp posts
at intervals. This suggests the existence of street lights.

4. Dustbins were also provided on the streets. These prove

the presence of good municipal administration.

5. The main streets some as wide as 30 to 34 feet were

laid out with great skill dividing the cities into blocks
within which were networks of narrow lanes.

6. The owners of the pottery kilns were not allowed to build

the furnaces within the town obviously to save the town
from air pollution.
DRAINAGE SYSTEM TOWN PLANNING

1. Each house had horizontal and vertical drains

and the house drains were connected with road
drains.
2. There were underground drains for the streets
and there drains were shielded by stone slabs.
3. Each house had its own drainage and soak pit
which was connected to the public drainage.
4. Brick laid channels flowed through every street.
They were covered and had manholes at
intervals for cleaning and clearing purposes.
5. Large brick culverts with corbelled roofs were
constructed on the outskirts of the city to carry
excess water.
WELL AND SANITATION TOWN PLANNING

• Central depression were found that would have

been a public pool for drinking and washing
which allowed wider access to the resource.
• There are more private than public wells,
which points to the fact that the public wells
probably got polluted or run out due to heavy
use and affluent citizens then dug their own.
• Bathing rooms in these houses were situated
next to the well which itself was raised above
ground level.
• Bathing rooms had tightly fitted brick floors
which made them more or less waterproof.
MATERIALS USED IN BUILDINGS TOWN PLANNING

• No stone built house and the staircases of big

buildings were solid; the roofs were flat and
were made of wood.
• Doors and windows were made up of wood and
mats.
• Floors of houses were generally hard-packed
earth that was often plastered.
• Drains and bathing areas were made with
baked bricks or stone.
• Roofs were probably made of wooden beams
covered with reeds and packed clay
• The main materials used were sun-dried and
burnt bricks, which were made in moulds of
1:2:4 ratios.
REASONS OF DECLINE OF HARAPPA TOWN PLANNING

The Harappan civilization was spread over a large area. There may be many causes of its decline as −

● In the River Saraswati region, most likely, it declined mainly due to shifting of river channels.
● Along the River Indus, most likely, it declined largely due to recurring floods.
● Rainfall declined in general, which affected the agriculture, the main economic resource.
● With the decline in economic conditions all other institutions like trade and commerce, administrative and
political structures, Civic amenities, etc. also declined over a period of time.