THE VEDIC

URPAN PLANNING
 History
The Indus-Saraswati Valley
Civilizations spread over more
than 250,000 square miles, and
included over 1600 sites.
INTRODUCTION
Vedic
The Vedic civilization is named after the Vedas, the
oldest specimen of Indo-European language and the
most important source of information about the
history of the period.
• Vedic civilization flourished along the Saraswati
River in present-day Haryana and
Punjab, India.
• Then they moved to the Indo-Gangetic plains
• By the 6th century BC. They occupied all of northern
India called Aryavarta.
• This period of 1500 BC. It is divided into the early
600 BC Vedic or Rigedic period
(1500 BC-1000 BC and the Late Vedic period (1000 BC
-600 BC).
CLASSIFICATION OF VEDIC PERIOD
1. Early Vedic Period (1500-1000 BC) aka Rig Vedic
The Rig Veda was written during this period.
• Most of the population lived in his Sapta Sindhava (Land of Seven Rivers) region. These seven rivers are:
Sindhu (Indus), Vipash (Beas), Vitastha (Jhelam), Parshni (Ravi), Asikuni (Chenab), Shtudri (Satruji), Saraswati.
• There were several such tribal kingdoms - Bharata, Matsas, Yadus, Purus.
Women had equal opportunities as men for their spiritual & intellectual development They could attend the
popular assemblies, no child marriage & sati practice
There were no temples and no idol worship
Later Vedic Period (1000-600
Existed between 1000 BCE to 600
All the other Vedas were written in this age.
Population shifted from Indus Valley to Ganga plains. Kingdoms like Mahajanapadas
were formed by amalgamating smaller kingdoms.
The Varna system became prevalent -four divisions of society Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. A
Brahmin and Kshatriyas occupied a higher position than others & many sub-castes on the basis of occupation
emerged.
Women were considered inferior and subordinate to men non and also lost their political rights of attending
assemblies. Child marriages became common.
 VEDIC VILLAGE PLANNING
Palisade encircling the village
entrance were of a particular
kind.
• In course of time these
peculiar railing became
emblem of protection, used
not only to enclose the village,
but
Paling around fields
Eventually anything
sacred in nature.
• In another form it still
survives as Gopurams(cow-
gate) and
Buddhist archways like
Toranas.
VEDIC VILLAGE PLANNING

The planning of the village was organic in the way that it was planned according to the a
User groups/varnas function in the Society was divided into the four vamas -
The brahmans who were the center of all knowldege,
the kshatriyas -who were the controllers of political power,
the vaishyas- who were tradesmen and farmers
the shudras -who were the artisans and the craftsmen
 EVOLUTION OF
VEDIC HOUSE
• Circular individual huts
were built in clusters around a
central court.
• These circular huts evolved
into rectangular huts
• These evolved into the later
courtyard houses
•Primary Building Material: Timber,
The surrounding forests provided ample building material in the form of bamboo and mud.
•The Aryan hut inits most basic shape was circular in plan with a thatched roof over a
network of bamboo ribs.
•Cluster of these huts forms a courtyard.
•To protect themselves and their property from the ravage of wild animals, they have
surrounded their collection of huts with a special kind of fence or palisade.
•Huts were arranged in threes and fours around the square courtyard.

Variations of Timber,
Bamboo and Thatch
Huts
DETAILS OF VEDIC HOUSE
 •This "footprint" of a
Vedic home gives only a
general idea of placement
of interior spaces
according to VASTU
VIDYA of Maha Rishi
Sthapatya Veda

VEDIC HOUSE PLAN

Materials such as wood, brick, as well as
natural finishes such as clay, marble, The potters made
ceramic tile, natural fiber for carpets, different kinds of
curtains and furniture, and healthy, vessels for domestic
natural, non-toxic paints and glues are use.
used.
A variety of articles with copper, bronze
and iron were made by workers.

Industrial activity became specialized with

metal work, leather work, carpentry.
Wood working: the Taksan and Tastr were
ordinary carpenters who were involved in
making furniture, and wooden vessels
SANCHI STUPA
Hemispherical dome.
Square railing (Harmika).
Chhatris.
Diameter 120 feet height
54 feet.
Toranas.
Ashokan Lion Capital pillar.
Southern gate.
Pradakshina path.
 Verul Leni'.
ELLORA CAVES 30 km north-northwest of
Aurangabad.
Largest single monolithic excavation.
Epitome of Indian rock-cut
architecture.
34 "caves"
Excavated out of the vertical face of
the Charanandri hills.
Carpenter's cave (Cave 10).
Dashavatara cave (Cave 15).
 UNESCO World Heritage Site.
AJANTA CAVES Paintings and sculptures
Buddhist monks
2,000 years old
Location - aurangabad.
Height -76m
Horseshoe shaped rock surface
Total caves-30,5 caves -chaityagrihas
Others - viharas
THANK YOU
SURAKSHA M VISHALVEL K V
1BQ19AT103 1BQ19AT118