Housing and Town Planning in Harappan Civilization

Architecture in the Harappan civilization (3300 BCE-1500 BCE) was unique when contrasted with other contemporary developments. It shows the early components of Indian architecture.

Building Materials

‌There was no stone-assembled house in the Indus urban areas. ‌A large portion of the houses were made of burnt bricks. However, unburnt sun-dried bricks were additionally utilized. In the part of the buildings where defilement with water was conceivable, burnt bricks were utilized. For different parts, sun-dried bricks were utilized. A large portion of the bricks were of equivalent size.  They were laid in an “interlocking pattern”, converging at right angles, which made the walls solid.

Harappan bricks were in the extent of 1:2:4 regarding thickness, width, and length. The Harappan largely utilized clay or mud mortar to assemble their burnt brick and furthermore their mud-brick buildings. They didn’t utilize lime mortar.‌ The flights of stairs of huge buildings were strong; the rooftops were level and made of wood.

Efficiently Constructed Buildings and Houses

‌The idea of the buildings at Harappa shows that the town occupants were separated into different social classes. The rich and the ruling class resided in the multi-stayed roomy houses and the poorer section resided in little apartments. The public building and large houses were arranged in the town. The modest houses were arranged on the paths. ‌Infringement on open streets or paths by building houses was not allowed. ‌The houses can be separated into three primary gathering 

• Abiding houses
• Bigger buildings
• Public showers.

More modest houses had two rooms, while bigger houses had many rooms. There were courtyards appended to enormous buildings. There was minimal creative touch in the architectural plan of the buildings having a place either with the rich or poor people. They were plain, utilitarian, and agreeable to live. The vast majority of the houses had showers, wells, and covered drains associated with road drains. Each house had dustbins so no trash was littered. Normal buildings had little ventilation arrangements, as entryways and windows were seldom fixed in the external walls. Entryways of entry were fixed not on the front wall but rather as side walls. One could go into a house by the entryway confronting the side paths of the house.  The entryways were made of wood. Enormous buildings had roomy entryways.

Related Links

1. Harappan Civilization
2. Architecture in Harappan Civilization
3. Harappan Sites in India
4. A brief Description of Harappan Sites
5. Harappan Civilization Important Sites with Important Facts
6. Town Planning and Drainage System of Harappan Civilization

‌The history of India starts with the introduction of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), also called the Harappan Civilization. It prospered around 2,500 BC, in the western part of South Asia, in contemporary Pakistan and Western India. In the 1920s, the Archeological Department of India completed excavations in the Indus Valley wherein the remains of the two old urban areas, viz. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were uncovered.‌ In 1924, John Marshall, Director-General of the ASI, reported the discovery of a new civilization in the Indus Valley to the world.