India's First Cities
Harappan cities and their water
Describe how a Harappan city was laid out, tell the upper town from the lower, and follow the wells, drains and reservoirs that made such cities possible.
The larger Harappan cities were built according to precise plans. They had wide streets, often oriented to the cardinal directions, and most of them seem to have been surrounded by fortifications — a fortification being a massive wall around a settlement, generally built to protect it. Individual houses of various sizes lined the streets and the smaller lanes, and the buildings were generally made of bricks.
Two towns in one city
Most of these cities had two distinct parts. The upper town is where the local elite probably lived — elite meaning here the higher layers of society: rulers, officials, administrators and often priests. The lower town is where common people lived. Dholavira is the exception the chapter points out: it had three distinct zones rather than two. But one thing did not divide along that line — the quality of construction was the same for small houses and big ones.
Have a play
A Harappan city from above.
Tap any part of the picture.
Water, in and out
The Harappans gave much importance to water management and cleanliness. Homes often had separate areas for bathing, connected to a larger network of drains that generally ran below the streets and carried the waste water away. In Mohenjo-daro people drew water from hundreds of wells made of bricks; elsewhere it may have come from ponds, nearby streams, or human-made reservoirs — a reservoir being a large natural or artificial place where water is stored.
Worked example
The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro is the most argued-over structure of the civilisation. What is actually known about it?
It is a small but elaborate tank, measuring about 12 by 7 metres, surrounded by small rooms — one of which contained a well.
These are the measurable facts: a dig gives you dimensions and layout whether or not it gives you a purpose.
Try it together
Now work out the size of that tank.
The Great Bath measured about 12 metres by 7 metres — small, the chapter says, but elaborate.
1.What is the area of the Great Bath, in square metres? Answer with a number.
Have a go
Your turn: in Mohenjo-daro, people drew water from hundreds of what, made of bricks?
Hint: Not the tank, and not the drains — the thing you lower a bucket into.
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.