Indus Valley Civillisation

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde

Pravara Rural College of Architecture
Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Introduction The earliest civilization of South Asia is known as Indus Valley civilization
because a large number of sites were discovered in the Indus Valley.
Some archaeologists have called it the Harappan civilization named
after Harappa, the first discovered site.
Harappan
Civilization
flourished during the
third

second
millennium BCE.
It ranks amongst the
four
widely known
civilizations
of
the
world and covers an
appreciably larger area
than the early dynastic
Egypt or Sumer.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Introduction Excavation in the 1920s had revealed
ancient
cities which have the vast
proportions, with unique artifacts and a
level of architectural planning that was
unparalleled in the ancient world.
The Harappan sites provided evidence of a
systematic town planning, fortifications,
elaborate drainage system, granaries, etc.
which throw light on the surplus economy,
standardization of brick size, weight and
measures, geometric instruments, linear
scales and plumb- bobs.
Major cities 1.Harappa
2. Mohenjo Daro
3. Lothal
4. Dholavira
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Harappa

Visualization of ancient Harappa as it may have appeared in late Period 3B/early Period
3C, drawn by J. Mark Kenoyer. The granary and working platforms of Mound F are in the
northwestern corner of the city (upper left).
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Harappa
Harappa is one of the main metropolitan
cities of The Harappan civilization.
The citadel - where the governmental
authority lived, at Harappa was fortified
with 14m thick mud-brick peripheral wall .
In the western arm of fortification wall
baked bricks were used as a further
precaution against flood.
The work mens quarters - are to the north
of citadel along the both sides of east-west
lane.
Each unit was separated from the other by
a narrow gap and each unit consisted of
two parts, a courtyard in the front and a
room at the back.

Harappa: Citadel and fortification wall

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Harappa
The entrance of the unit was not straight but oblique so as to ensure
privacy.
These quarters were enclosed by a compound wall for safety and to
provide a separate entity to the complex.
The Lower Town - is situated to the south east of the citadel.
The Lower Town probably had its own walls and separate gates that
faced on the exterior with baked bricks; it was gently tapering to the top.
The houses were constructed on
the raised platforms.
The Harappan set
up their
settlements in different periods.
There was uniformity in the
construction of house, bricks,
Building remnants on Mound AB, Harappa in
pottery, etc.
the morning.

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro is also known as city of the dead
It is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built
around 2600 BCE,
Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout based on a street grid of
rectilinear buildings.
Main Streets running North-South direction

The city is divided into two parts, the Citadel and the Lower City.
Most of the houses or group
houses had at least 1 private
well and along the streets
there were public wells for
travelers and general public.

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Mohenjo-Daro Town Planning

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

College

Mohenjo-Daro Town Planning

Great Bath
Stupa(from later age)

Granary

Assembly Hall
Fortification

Site Plan Of Citadel & Lower town

Site Plan Of Citadel / Upper Town

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Mohenjo-daro Town Planning
The city had a central marketplace, with a
large central well.
Individual households or groups of
households obtained their water from smaller
wells.
Waste water was channeled to covered drains
that lined the major streets.
Some houses, presumably those of wealthier
inhabitants, include rooms that appear to
have been set aside for bathing,
Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors
that opened onto side- lanes.
Some buildings had two stories.

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Architectural Style
Private House
Housing Complex
Public Buildings

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Private House
Rooms are arranged around
Central Courtyard which
offers privacy from public
outside
Many houses are at least 2
storey high
Walls 70cm thick, Ceiling
over 3m High
Doorways & Windows opened into
Side lanes
View of house blocked by walls to
maintain privacy of inhabitants
Door with Wooden frames and Brick
Socket set in threshold served as door
pivot.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Private House
Some Door Frames Carved & Painted
with ornamentation
Hole at base of Wooden frame for
Locking
Windows on both First & Second Floor
had Shutters with Lattice Work, Grills
above & below Shutters for
penetration
of
Light
without
sacrificing Privacy

perforated lattices were

known and employed in the
Indus
valley
in
the
prehistoric period
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Private House - Bath
This bathing platform is located next to the street, and is made with
bricks laid flat.
A small drain running along one side of the bathing floor channels dirty
water out to the street.
A brick on edge with a
notch was placed
across the drain hole
to keep objects from
flowing out with the
bath water.
It is possible that such
bathing floors were
also used to wash
clothes that may have
washed out with the
rinse water.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Housing Complex
Large Houses Surrounded by Smaller units
Complex Passage ways gave access to Interior Rooms
Numerous rebuilding phases indicates repeated reorganization of spaces
Outer Units may be of Relatives or Service Groups
attached to Parent house
Generally Entrances form to premises from
Lanes only
Windows at Considerable height from Road or
Floor, Sometimes with jali protection
Wooden Stair
Most Houses with Courtyards but very few
with Wells
Drinking Water came from nearby River
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Housing Complex
In one of the House on its ground
floor are four fair-sized courts, ten
smaller rooms, three staircases, a
porter's lodge, and a well-chamber.
The front is towards First Street, and
here there are three entrances side
by side, the principal one of which is
plainly the middle,
since this is the only one provided
with a porter's lodge entering the
house by the main door one finds
oneself in a small vestibule (Room
68), with a porter's lodge to the
right and a second doorway directly
opposite leading to the open Court
67.
(Marshall, Mohenjo-daro Vol. I, pp. 20, 219)

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Public Buildings
Large Public structures with many access routes or connection from
one area to another
Markets or Public Meeting held in Large Open Courtyards
Other Buildings may have specific administrative or Religious Function
Group of Houses or Public Buildings closed together with shared walls
which formed larger blocks bordered by wide streets
Upper Stories constructed in Light Materials like Timber, Compacted
earth on flat planks resting on Timber beams
Openings Spanned by
wooden lintels
Few
Examples
of
Corbelling
Well Integrated system
of Water supply and
Sanitation
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Public Buildings

A large open space or courtyard (10 meters square) is surrounded by

a wall that had 13 openings, possibly for windows. This unique
structure is situated in the northern part of an extremely large
building complex containing around 78 rooms and passageways, but
no well. The building lies to the east of the Great Bathand was
thought to be a "college" or residence of priests.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Great Bath

The "great bath" is without doubt the earliest public water tank in the ancient world.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Great Bath
12m Long, 7m wide, 2.4m deep
Floor of bath is made in burnt
bricks.
Well in a room near great bath
probably source of water to fill
Drain outlet
bath
Rainwater also may have been
collected for this purposes, but
no inlet drains have been found.
this tank would have been used
for special religious functions
Small rooms with verandah
supposed be the changing rooms
& bathrooms

Rooms

Well

Pool

Entrance

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Great Bath
Stairs provided at both ends up to
the bottom of bath
At the foot of the stairs is a small
ledge with a brick edging that
extends the entire width of the pool.
People coming down the stairs could
move along this ledge without
actually stepping into the pool itself.
Small sockets at the edges of the
stairs could have held wooden
planks or treads.

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Granary
Located at western edge of mound & south west corner of Great
bath
Appears to be constructed before great bath
Drain of great bath cut across north east corner of foundation of
granary
Built on top of tapered brick platform

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Granary
Foundation extended 49m in east west direction & 27m in north south
direction
Foundation was divided into 27 square and rectangular block by narrow
passageways 2 running E-W and 8 along N-S
Some of the blocks
had square Sockets for
holding
wooden
beams
or
pillars
indicating that total
superstructure was in
timber
6 food stores of size
15.2 X 6.10 each found
at hadappa
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Building Material
Uniformity in selection of material &
Construction Technique
Mud Bricks, Burnt Bricks, wood, reeds
Mud Bricks
(1:2:4) 7X14X28 cm for House
10X20X40 cm for City Walls
Foundation Wall Mud Brick, Baked
Brick, Stone
Door Windows Wood
Flooring Rammed Earth, sometimes
Terracotta Cake
Bathing area and drain Baked Bricks
Roof Wooden Beams covered with
reed and compacted clay
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Water Supply & Sanitaion
Well Integrated system of Water supply and
Sanitation ; Public baths & Latrines ; Streets
& Drainage system
Private Bathrooms provided in individual
Houses
Most Efficient drainage system of the time
Drains provided at both sides of streets
All drains of various lanes & streets
connected to main drains
Lime Gypsum mortar to bind baked bricks
for drain
Drains covered with bricks
Intersected at Properly designed junction
with deeper pit for Periodic Removal of
deposited solid waste
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal It is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley
civilization, located in the Bhl region of the modern state of Gujart
and dating from 3700 BCE
Lothal's dock is the world's earliest known dock
It connected the city to
an ancient course of the
Sabarmati river on the
trade route between
Harappan cities in Sindh
and the peninsula of
Saurashtra when the
surrounding
Kutch
desert of today was a
part of the Arabian Sea.

The ancient Indus port of Lothal as envisaged by the

Archaeological Survey of India.

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal It was a vital
and
thriving
trade center in
ancient times,
with its trade
The warehouse of Lothal
of beads, gems
and valuable ornaments reaching the far corners of West Asia and
Africa
The techniques and tools they pioneered for bead-making and in
metallurgy have stood the test of time for over 4000 years
A flood destroyed village foundations and settlements (c. 2350 BCE)
Lothal planners engaged themselves to protect the area from
consistent floods.
The town was divided into blocks of 12-metre-high (36 ft) platforms
of sun-dried bricks, each serving 2030 houses of thick mud and brick
walls.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal - Town Planning
The city was divided into a
citadel, or acropolis and a
lower town.
The rulers of the town lived in
the acropolis, which featured
paved baths, underground
and surface drains (built of
kiln-fired bricks) and a potable
water well.
The
lower
town
was
subdivided into two sectors.
A north-south arterial street was the main commercial area.
It was flanked by shops of rich and ordinary merchants and
craftsmen.
The residential area was located to either side of the marketplace.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal - Acropolis & Lower Town
Lothal's acropolis was the town
center,
its
political
and
commercial heart, measuring
127.4m (418ft) east to -west
by 60.9m (200ft) north-to-south.
The baths were primarily located
in the acropolis mostly tworoomed houses with open
courtyards.

The bathroom-toilet structure of houses in Lothal

The bricks used for paving baths were polished to prevent seepage.
The remains of rulers house give evidence to a sophisticated
drainage system.
The Lower town marketplace was on the main north-south street
68 metres (2026 ft) wide. Built in straight rows on either side of
the street are residences and workshops
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal - Acropolis & Lower Town
The street maintained a uniform width and did not undergo
encroachment during the reconstructive periods after deluges.
There are multiple two-roomed shops and workplaces of
coppersmiths and blacksmiths
The pavements were limeplastered and edges were
wainscoted

Lothal B Block Citadel Area

(Curtsey: Archeology Survey of India)
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal - Sanitation
Lothal's sophisticated sanitary and drainage system was a hallmark of
ancient Indus cities.
All of Lothal's drainage channels met at right angles, engineered with
several steps to separate solid and liquid wastes, which the river
Sabarmati carried into the sea.

Photos by Raveesh Vyas

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Lothal - Dockyard & Warehouse
Lothal engineers accorded
high priority to the creation of
a dockyard and a warehouse
to serve the purposes of naval
trade.
this basin may have been an
irrigation tank and canal
The dock was built on the The dock, with a canal opening to allow water to flow into
the river, thereby maintaining a stable water level.
eastern flank of the town
It was located away from the main current of the river to avoid
silting, but provided access to ships in high tide as well.
The warehouse was built close to the acropolis on a 3.5-metre-high
(10.5 ft) podium of mud bricks.
The rulers could thus supervise the activity on the dock and
warehouse simultaneously.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Dholavira It is 1 of the five largest Harappa sites and most prominent
archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley
Civilization
It is also considered as grandest of cities of its time
The site was occupied from 2650 BCE, declining slowly after
about 2100 BCE. It was briefly abandoned and reoccupied until
1450 BCE
discovered in 1967- 8 by J. P. Joshi and is the fifth largest of
eight major Harappan sites
the city of Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization,
and is spread over 22 ha (54 acres)
The area measures 771.1 m (2,530 ft) in length, and 616.85 m
2,023.8 ft) in width.
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Dholavira -

Dholavira: A artist's reconstruction

(courtesy: Archaeological Survey of India)
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Dholavira -

Dholavira: Layout of the settlement

(courtesy: Archaeological Survey of India)
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

D
E
G

A
F

F
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

Castle
Balley
Middle Town
Lower Town
Ceremonial Ground
Reservoir
North Gate

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Dholavira Town Planning
Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city is composed to a preexisting geometrical plan
Of three division The citadel, Middle town and Lower town
The citadel and Middle town has its own defense system, gateways,
street system, wells and large open spaces
The towering "castle" stands in fair insulation and defended by
double ramparts
Next to this stands a place called Bailey Where important officials
lived
The Lower Town did not have it s own fortification wall ,but it lies
within the common fortification wall of the city.
The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least
in their present state of preservation, are built out of stone, whereas
most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjodaro, are almost exclusively built out of brick
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

Dholavira - Reservoirs
One of the Unique feature of
Dholavira is the Sophisticated
water conservation system of
channels and reservoirs earliest
found anywhere in the world
Completely built of stone of
which 3 are exposed
Dholavira
had
massive
reservoirs
They were used for storing
fresh water brought by rains
A seasonal stream which runs
in north- south direction of the
site was dammed at several
points to collect water.

some of the water reservoirs, with

steps, at Dholavira

Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni

Indus Valley Civilization

References :

www.harappa.com
www.wikipedia.com
Archeological Survey of India
Harappan Architecture: A Study Thesis by Dharmbir Singh, Kurukshetra
University

Thanks!
Prof. Abhijeet B. Shinde, Pravara Rural College of Architecture, Loni