INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION Introduction Declining around 2000 B.C.

the Indus Valley civilization if India was paralleled by the Egyptian and u!erian Civilizations in the west. It was essentially a rive civilization" and probably an offshoot of the u!erian civilization as could have been necessitated by the e#cavation of the native resources of the later. $he Indus valley Civilization " however" appears to have failed in reaping the alround fruits of the civilized life. In that it continues to be utilitarian u!erian !odes of life" but could not bring to frution its aesthetical sensitivity. $he overall character of its building production was re!ar%able but based on utilitarian outloo% on life. &hatever few proofs of the aesthetical sensitivity of the Indus Valley people as have co!e to light" are alleged to have been i!portations fro! the u!erian civilization' occasional" few and for co!!ercial purposes. Building technology i. ii. iii. iv. v. (ro!inent use of large sized sun burnt bric%s laid to regular courses in !ud !ortar was the chief !aterial of construction. )se of ti!ber" !ainly for structural fra!es and lintels was another chief !aterial of construction. $he !ain !ediu! of construction was ti!ber fra!es erected on rubble plinths and filled in with bric% walls of !ud !ortar. *oofs were generally flat and !ade of beaten earth obviously adopted for cli!atic reasons" the cli!ate being hot and arid type with scanty rainfall. Corbelling was the !ore persistent !ethod of spanning the openings used against any other type of arches.

)rban (lanning i. $he cities were the popular scale of urban settle!ent. ii. $he road patterns were restricted to the grid iron type. iii. $he cities were given a zonal structure based on !a+or activities of collective life. iv. $he water supply and drainage syste!s were brought to a high level of sophistication which provided for easy !aintenance periodically. v. $he roads and buildings were cli!atically aligned in a profitable way., $he East'&est align!ent of !a+or roadsvi. .ost of the cities co!prehensively provided the essential public a!enities necessary for urban level of life which included such features as public baths and specific building types li%e ad!inistrative lodges and granaries. Building Types /. 0ranary , .ohen+odaro- 1 2griculture being !ain occupation" the need of the granary !ight have been felt for the storage of I3DI23 2*C4I$EC$)*E 35$E 2006'07 V2I 428I 82$92*

surplus grain. :re;uent floods !ight have co!pelled placing of such structures at the higher level. $hus the granary is located on the platfor! raised 70 feet above the higher level. It is located on steep verge of the citadel. It had a loading and unloading platfor! fro! where the sheaves of grains were hoisted up to a ti!bershed. $his shed is built over 2< separate !assive bloc%s of !asonry. $his arrange!ent provided crisscross ventilating ducts at the base over which ti!ber plan%s were laid and storage done. 2. =. 0reat Bath 1, .ohen+o'daro0reat baths along with granary were located in the citadel. 2 tan% of size 2=#=>#? ,<!# /2./!# 2.6!- surrounded by series of cells for!ed the great bath. $he tan% was waterproofed with asphalt. It had ade;uate syste! for filling and draining of water. Cells around the tan% !ight have been the changing roo!s for the priests. $his bath can be ter!ed as the origin of the individualistic bathing tan%s of the later hindu te!ples of !edieval ti!es.

I3DI23 2*C4I$EC$)*E 35$E 2006'07 V2I 428I 82$92*