🏙️ Harappan Town Planning — A Marvel of the Ancient World

The Harappan Civilisation had the most sophisticated urban planning of the ancient world. Their cities were planned with a grid pattern, excellent drainage, and clear zoning — features that modern cities still aspire to.

📐 Grid Pattern Town Planning

• Cities were laid out in a grid pattern — streets running north-south and east-west at right angles
• Main streets were wide (9–10 metres); side lanes were narrower
• Streets were well-lit — evidence of street lamps (lamp posts found)
• Cities were divided into two parts: Citadel (upper town) and Lower Town

🏛️ Citadel vs Lower Town

🛁 The Great Bath — Mohenjo-daro

• Located in the citadel of Mohenjo-daro
• Dimensions: 12m × 7m × 2.4m deep
• Made of burnt bricks with bitumen waterproofing
• Steps on both ends; changing rooms on sides
• Surrounded by a corridor and rooms
• Purpose: Ritual bathing — religious/ceremonial significance
• Described by archaeologist John Marshall as “the earliest public water tank in the ancient world”

🌾 Granaries

• Large granaries found at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro — evidence of centralised food storage
• Harappa granary: Located near the river for easy loading/unloading
• Evidence of state control over food distribution
• Air ducts in granary floors — to prevent grain from rotting

🚿 Drainage System — World’s First

• Every house had a bathroom and toilet connected to drains
• House drains connected to covered street drains
• Street drains had manholes for cleaning
• Drains made of burnt bricks — durable and hygienic
• Wastewater flowed to soakage pits outside the city
• This drainage system was far superior to contemporary civilisations in Egypt and Mesopotamia

🏠 Houses & Architecture

• Houses made of standardised burnt bricks (ratio 1:2:4 — width:height:length)
• Most houses were two-storey with flat roofs
• Houses had courtyards in the centre
• Doors and windows opened onto side lanes, not main streets (for privacy)
• Evidence of wells in houses — private water supply
• No temples found — suggests religion was practised at home