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Home / IAS Preparation / Town Planning Of Harappan Civilization

Harappan Civilization Town Planning - Buildings, Roads and More.

Last Updated on May 13, 2025
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Town Planning of Harappan Civilization is an important aspect of its civilization and it includes a variety of buildings, roadways, streets, drainage systems, the great bath, and other structures and features. All these features have paved a great prominence in information about town planning of the Harappan civilization. Harappan Civilisation is also known as the Indus Valley Civilization.

Town Planning of the Harappan Civilization is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Art & Culture subject in the General Studies Paper-1 syllabus and UPSC Prelims Syllabus General Studies Paper-1.

In this article, we shall study different features of urban Town Planning of Harappan Civilization UPSC.

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Harappan Civilization: An Overview

Town planning of harappan civilization was a cultural, social, and political entity that thrived in the northern Indian subcontinent between approximately 7000 and 600 BCE. In addition to the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization and the Harappan Civilization, its contemporary name is derived from its location in the Indus River Valley. These last names are derived from the nearby Indus River-flowing Sarasvati River referenced in Vedic literature and the area’s ancient city of Harappa, the first to be discovered in modern times.

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Features of Town Planning of Harappan Civilization

The features of Harappan civilization are listed below.

  • Underground Drainage System links every residence to street drains protected by stone or bricks.
  • The Great Bath: The largest and most important public area at Mohenjodaro is the Great Bath, which measures 39 feet long, 23 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. Charred bricks made up the floor of the Bath.
  • Grid-Based Town Planning System: Grid pattern of harappan civilization used by the Harappan civilization was notable for the practically right-angle intersections of its streets and lanes, which divided the city into numerous rectangular blocks.
  • Each of the cities of Harappa, Mohenjodaro, and Kalibangan had a fortress built on a tall mud-brick pedestal.
  • Utilization of Burnt Bricks: The absence of stone constructions and the extensive use of burned bricks in almost every building style are two characteristics that set the Harappan civilization apart.
  • Separate Dressing Rooms: A set of stairs goes to the surface at each end. There are various changing areas.
  • Harappan Granary: A 150-foot long by 50-foot broad granary is the largest building of Mohenjodario. However, the castle of Harappa has up to six granaries.
  • High Mud-Brick System: Each of the cities of Harappa, Mohenjodaro, and Kalibangan had a castle built on a tall mud-brick pedestal.
  • Construction of Brick Buildings: Underneath the castle in each city is a lower town of brick structures inhabited by common citizens.

Study in detail about Major Sites Of the Indus Valley Civilization with this link!

Harappan Civilization Town Planning: Streets and Roads

  • The Indus Valley’s streets and roadways were all straight and angled toward one another.
  • All the roadways were constructed using burnt bricks, each with dimensions of four times its length and two times its height in breadth.
  • Archaeologists uncovered the lamp posts at regular intervals. This suggests that there is lighting on the streets.
  • Trash containers were also present on the streets. These show that there is effective municipal management in place.
  • The roads and streets of the Indus Valley were all straight and met at perfect angles.
  • They were fully lined and ranged in width from 13 to 34 feet.
  • The streets and roads divided the city into rectangular units.
  • To split the villages into square or rectangular blocks, the main streets were best laid out going north-south and east-west, cutting at right angles. Streets have rounded corners, demonstrating the fundamental rule of traffic.
  • The city is divided into various residential blocks by it. The streets form a crisscross pattern with right angles between them. Narrow lanes join the main street. Instead of the major streets, the doors of the houses opened in these lanes.
  • There was no evidence of vehicular traffic. The only exception was the outer street close to the northernmost point of the citadel wall.
    • Numerous pairs of rut marks were discovered here, deeply carved into the pavement. This demonstrates that certain designated roadways were the only ones where carts could move.

Study in detail about 16 Mahajanapadas with the linked article!

Buildings of the Harappan Civilization

  • During the town planning of the Harappan civilization, settlements were divided into a citadel and a lower town.
  • People from the Indus constructed roadways, homes, structures, and buildings.
  • The buildings were constructed with bricks in the ratio 1:2:4 whether they were in Rajasthan, Punjab, or Sindh. The size of the city wall was 10*20*40 cm, while the home bricks were 7*14*28 cm.
  • They used burned bricks to construct terraced homes. Every home had two rooms or more. Additionally, there were homes with more than one story.
  • The homes included pillared halls, bathrooms, paved floors, kitchens, wells, etc., built around an inner courtyard. In addition to residential areas, complex constructions have also been discovered.
  • The largest hall in one of these structures is 80 feet long and 80 feet broad. It could have been a palace, temple, or gathering place.
  • Cooking and knitting were probably done in the courtyard throughout the summer.
  • The main door was typically placed so that it would not give a clear view of the inside to promote privacy. In addition, none of the houses’ ground-level walls had windows.
  • In the town planning of the Harappan civilization, there were also living quarters for the workers. The water supply system was first-rate.
  • Along the sides of the streets, there were public wells. Every large house had a well of its own.
  • Some of the buildings of the Harappa civilization include the ‘Granary’ in Punjab – located near the Ravi river, the priest’s College, and Assembly Hall in Mohenjo-Daro. Both were located adjacent to the Great Bath.
  • At Lothal in Gujarat, they also constructed a dockyard. In the Lower Town, most homes had a central courtyard surrounded by rooms.
    • Lothal was the port town of Harappans which included inlets and spring channels for water regulation.
  • Kalibangan in Rajasthan was located on the Ghaggar river. This site includes high and lower citadel formations mounted on the west and east.
  • Banawali in Haryana was located on the Rangoi river. The citadel and lower town were located in the same complex on this site.
  • Dholavira in Gujarat was located on the Rann of Kutch island. It is a unique Harappan settlement because buildings are made of sandstone instead of bricks.

 

Drainage System of Harappan Civilization

  • The drainage system in town planning of Indus valley civilization is mainly notable for the efficient closed drainage system installed in the city.
  • Some of the distinctive elements of the complex drainage system include in-house wastewater management, intramural drains, vertical drain pipes in the walls, chutes through walls to the streets, and drains from bathing floors into street drains.
  • Every home had its own soak pit and drainage system that was connected to the general drainage system.
  • Every street had channels that were laid out with a brick. To clean and clear them, they were covered and had maintenance holes at regular intervals.
  • Substantial brick culverts with corbelled ceilings on the city's fringes were built to transport extra water.
  • Canals with brick pavers bordered every road. For cleaning and clearing, they were covered and had manholes at regular intervals.
  • On the city's fringes, massive brick culverts with corbelled ceilings were constructed to transport additional water.
  • The Indus people, as a result, created a perfect subsurface drainage system. No other contemporary society gave cleanliness such careful consideration.
  • The main means of garbage and rainwater collection were corbelled drains, which may also have been used to drain large pools for ceremonial washing.
  • The majority of the drains had stone or brick coverings. Small settling pools and traps were incorporated into the drainage system to catch coarse silt. Baths were generally built into the homes.
  • As a result, the Indus civilization developed a superior underground drainage system. No other modern culture places such a high value on hygiene.

Check out the article on Seals of Harappan Civilization with this link!

Great Bath of Harappan Civilization

  • The Great Bath is prominent part of indus valley civilization architecture. It is made up of a sizable quadrangle.
  • A massive swimming pool (about 39 feet long, 23 feet wide, and 8 feet deep) sits in the middle of the structure, surrounded by the ruins of galleries and rooms.
  •  It is fed by a well that is located in one of the adjacent rooms and has a flight of stairs at either end.
  • The water was removed by a sizable drain with a corbelled ceiling that extended more than 6 feet deep.
  • The Great Bath’s exterior walls were 8 feet thick. For 5000 years, this sturdy edifice has successfully weathered the effects of nature.
  • Some of the rooms had provisions for a hot water bath. The tank was sealed with gypsum to prevent water from leaking.

Granaries of Harappan Civilization

  • The granary at Mohenjo Daro, which is 45.71 meters long and 15.23 meters wide, is the largest structure there.
  • Several brick platforms in Harappa served as the foundation for two rows of six granaries each. Also discovered in Kalibangan’s southern region are brick platforms.
    • These granaries, which were probably built as revenue-generating structures or as emergency storage facilities, kept the grains in good condition.
    • Most basic goods, including rice, wheat, and barley, were stored at these warehouses for emergency distribution.
  • The cervical granaries were enormous structures. According to archaeological data, the stockroom’s lower half may have been constructed of blocks, while its upper portion was probably made of wood.

Check out the article on Vedic Age for UPSC preparation!

Conclusion of Town Planning of Harappan Civilization

The town planning system of Harappan Civilization is regarded as one of the three greatest civilizations of antiquity, and further excavations will almost certainly raise its stature even further. The town planning of the Harappan Civilization tells about the urban settlements and construction of Harappan sites. It also explains the cultural history and development of ancient civilizations.

UPSC Previous Year Question on Town Planning of Harappan Civilization
  1. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to present day urbanization? Discuss. (UPSC 2014)

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Town Planning of Harappan Civilization FAQs

The Harappan civilization was situated in the Indus River valley. There are two major Harappan cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and they are situated in the Punjab and Sindh areas of modern-day Pakistan, respectively.

Mohenjo-Daro is the best-planned town of Harappan culture. It means 'Mound of the dead. The town is well-planned and organized. There are two highly significant structures there: the Great Bath and the Great Granary. The great bath is used for ritualistic purposes and granaries are the largest structures for different purposes.

The difference between a Harappan and a Mesopotamian civilization is that the former was governed by traders and the latter by a monarch. The Indian subcontinent's first "urban culture" was developed by the Harappan civilization.

Some of the major features of town planning of Harappan civilization are the great bath, granaries, buildings, roadways, streets, and lanes.

The Harappan civilization was the earliest urban known settlement and the other four principal settlements known today are Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, in Pakistan, and Lothal and Kalibangan in western India.

The town planning system of the Indus Valley Civilization featured grid layouts, drainage systems, and zoning for residential, commercial, and public use.

Harappan city layouts had covered drains, public baths, and waste disposal systems that promoted cleanliness and ensured public health effectively.

The town planning of Indus Civilization included straight streets, organized housing blocks, water wells, and effective drainage, reflecting advanced urban design.

The materials used in the Harappan civilization were mud bricks for the construction of towns and cities in the initial period and Baked bricks were mostly utilized for walls and flooring that were exposed to water in the Mature period.
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