Architecture of India

Indus Valley Civilization

 Roots of Indus Valley Civilization
• Earliest civilizations in
Indus Valley was
discovered in 1856 by a
railroad crew.
– Harappa
– Mohenjo-Daro or “Hill of the
Dead”
– Both cities shared urban
design and architectural
features.
– 3 miles in circumference with
populations of 40,000
 Indus Valley Civilization
(3300 BC-1300BC)
• The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization.
• Located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent,
consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest
India.
• Flourishing around the Indus River basin, the civilization primarily
centered along the Indus and the Punjab region, extending into the
Ghaggar-Hakra River valley and the Ganges-Yamuna Doab.
• Geographically, the civilization was spread over an area of some
1,260,000 km², making it the largest ancient civilization in the world
contemporary to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.
• The civilization is noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage
system, and multistoried houses. The baths and toilets system the
cities had is acknowledged as one of the most advanced in the
ancient world.
 Key Features
• A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture is
evident in the Indus Valley Civilization making them the first
urban centres in the region. The quality of municipal town
planning suggests the knowledge of urban planning and
efficient municipal governments which placed a high priority
on hygiene.
• Within the city, individual homes or groups of homes obtained
water from wells. From a room that appears to have been set
aside for bathing, waste water was directed to covered drains,
which lined the major streets
• The advanced architecture of the Harappans is shown by their
impressive dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick
platforms, and protective walls.
 Carefully Planned Cities
The grid layout planning of
the cities with roads at
exact right angles is a
modern system that was
implemented in the cities
of this particular
civilization.
 Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
To the north is a citadel or
raised area.
In Mohenjo-Daro, the citadel is
built on an architectural
platform about 45 feet
above the plain.
On the summit was a huge
communal bath.
Next to the large bath was a
huge open space—a
granary where food was
stored from possible floods.
Fortified walls mark the
southeast corner.
 Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
•The lower city was laid out in a
gridiron with the main streets about
45 feet wide.
•Private houses, almost every one
with its own well, bathing space,
and toilet consisting of a brick seat
over a drainage area.
•Brick-lined drains flushed by water
carried liquid and solid waste to
sumps, where it was carted away,
probably to fertilize nearby fields.
 Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
•The town plan was regular.
•Even fire-baked bricks were uniform in
size and shape.
•The regularity of plan and construction
suggests a government with
organization and bureaucratic capacity.
•No monumental architecture clearly
marks the presence of a palace or
temple.
•There is little sign of social stratification
in the plan or buildings.