ANCIENT TOWN CLASSIFICATION:

ACCORDING TO SHAPE AND PURPOSE

 According to Shape and Purpose Ancient towns are divided into eight types.

 Dandaka
 Nandyavarta
 Sarvatobhadra
 Swastika
 Prastara
 Padmaka
 Karmukha
 Chaturmukha
TOWN PLANNING ASPECTS
 The science of building was quite advanced
during the Vedic period.
 The Vedic civilization leaving its primitive stage
far behind had registered remarkable progress in
the field of building edifices and planning villages
and towns.
 The symbolism which abound the architecture
and town planning of vedic town was the outcome
of this quest of gyan
 The scope of Ancient Indian town planning
included all relevant requirement of a healthy
civic life. This science includes descriptions of
temples, moats, city, forts etc.
 1. DANDAKA- Literally means a phalanx or
a staff.
• It is usually a rectangular or square.

3
• Its streets are straight and cross each other
1 at right angles.
3
• No. of streets vary from one to five running
parallel to each other.
2
• Streets at extremes have single row of
houses and streets at center are lined with

4
double row of houses.
• Town offices and panchyats are located in
the eastern portion of the town.
1. Vishnu temple
2. Shiva temple • This type of town is considered auspicious
3. Monasteries and gardens for Brahmins. It may contain
4. Town offices
12,24,50,108,or 300 Brahmin families.
 DANDAKA
 Streets are straight and intersect each
other at right angles.
 Village has four gates at four sides.
 Village is rectangular/square.
 Width of street varies from 1-5 danda.
 2 tranverse streets at the extremities have
single row of houses.
 The village offices located in the east.
 The female deity located outside the
village and the male deities in the
northern part.
 NANDYAVARTA
• It may be square or Oblong.
• It is divided in 4 main vitthis.
• The town has four large streets along the
sides. This type of layout is like a mystic figure
Nandyavarta.
• There can be three. Five or seven sets of such
1. Temple streets, with a row of houses on each side.
2. Tank
3. Palace • The lanes which are traverse between the
4. Court
5. Brahmins Quarters main roads should have no houses.
6. School
7. Monastery • Vithis is a streets which is lined with houses.
8. Hospital
9. Theater • Marga is a streets which is devoid of any
10. Residence for Artisans
11. Quarters for other castes houses.
12. Quarters for fisherman's
• Small roads are at interval of six or seven
rajjus ( 1 Rajju = 10 dandas = 60 feet).
• Usually streets are 3,4 or 5 dandas wide.
3. SARVATOBHADRA- Literally means bliss full for all.
• It is oblong or square and divided into interlineal chambers.
• In center temple dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is
located.
• No. of car streets varies form one to five with a boulevard going
around the village.
• Pavillions, Rest houses, colleges halls at several
corners.
• Town is secured by a wall and a ditch with four large
gates on the sides and many gates at corners.
• Hamlets for vaisyas and shudras should be allotted
towards the south.
• Drapers and weavers have their quarters in between
west and the south west.
• Blacksmits are to be quartered between varuna and
vayu and further opposite to them are fishermen and
the butchers.
• Physicians are to assigned between Vayu and Soma.
• By the side of eastern wall temple of chamunda is
erected.
• Huts of chandalas and outcastes in the further outer
proximity.
• Tanks and reservoirs should be constructed either in
south or in the intermediate quaters.
 4. SWASTIKA – Based on mystic figure
swastika.
• There are two streets passing through
center.
• Traversing streets are planted in clock
wise direction.
1
• Ramparts defend the village and a ditch
is to enclose these rampart.
• There are eight gates .
• Kings palace should be erected in the
four cardinal direction.
• Temple at the center.
• The outer most road is lined with single
row of houses while other streets have
double row of houses.
 SWASTIKA
 Swastika type of plan contemplates some
diagonal streets dividing the site into certain
rectangular plots.
 The site need not be marked out into a square or
rectangle and it may be of any shape.
 A rampart wall surrounds the town, with a moat
at its foot filled with water.
 Two main streets cross each other at the center,
running south to north and west to east.
5. PRASTARA – Literally it means a
village resembling a couch
• This town is either square or oblong.
• Space is divided into 4, 9, or 16 wards by
a network of streets.
• These streets vary from 6,7, 8, 9, or 11
dandas.
• In wards roads are planted in chess board
system. But they are not divide in equal
no of plots.
• division was according to degree of
rank or wealth of the person.
• The village is enclosed walls and ditches
with four principal gates on south and
subsidiary ones in the corners.
 PRASTARA
 The characteristic feature of this plan is that the
site may be either square or rectangular but not
triangular or circular.
 The sites are set apart for the poor, the middle
class, the rich and the very rich, the site of the
sites increasing according to the capacity of each
to purchase or build upon.
 The main roads are much wider compared to
those of other patterns.
 The town may or may not be surrounded by a
fort.
6. PADMAKA :-.
• Its Length and Breadth are made
equal while the enclosing walls are
circular or it can be quadrangular,
hexagonal, or octagonal.
• The temple or council house should
be at the center.
• Round about this plot should be
planted streets no. four to eight and
they are line with houses.
• There should be gates in four
cardinal directions.
 PADMAKA
 This type of plan was practiced for building of
the towns with fortress all round.
 The pattern of the plan resembles the petals of
lotus radiating outwards from the center.
 The city used to be practically an island
surrounded by water, having no scope for
expansion.
 7. KARMUKHA – Literally means a Bow.
• Its shape is semi circular or semi
elliptical, like a bow.
• This type of plan is used at sea shore.
• Towns like Pattana, Kheta, or Khavarta
are planned in this manner.
• Pattana has preponderance of viasyas.
• Kheta is generally inhabited by Traders
and Laborers.

• It has two car streets and one principal streets.

• If bow faces west then one car streets runs from south to east and other from north to
east and principal street runs from west to east and other runs from north to south.
• No. of traverse streets can be from one to five
• Houses range on both side of them.
• It may have desirable no. of gates and circumvallation is optional.
 KARMUKA
 This plan is suitable for the place where the site
of the town is in the form of bow or semi-circular
or parabolic and mostly applied for towns located
on the seashore or riverbanks.
 The main streets of the town run from north to
south or east to west and the cross streets run at
right-angles to them, dividing the whole area into
blocks.
 The presiding deity, commonly a female deity, is
installed in the temple build in any convenient
place.
8. CAHTURMUKHA
• It is square or oblong in shape lying east- west.
• There are four car streets on four sides.
• Two large streets crossing at right angles in the
center dividing the whole site into four blocks or
wards.
• Four principal gates are raised placed on the
terminus of two highways and no. of supplementary
gates at corner.
• Each ward is planted with four smaller roads
crossed by same no. of them.
• The south eastern ward is alloted for Brahmins.
• South- western for ruling class.
• North- Eastern and North- western to traders.
• Sudras or artisians and labour class are relegated to
the extreme borders.
 CHATURMUKHA
 Chaturmurmukha type of plan is applicable to all
towns starting from the largest own to the
smallest village.
 The site may be either square or rectangular
having four faces.
 The town is laid out east to west lengthwise, with
four main streets.
 The temple of the presiding deity will be always
at the center.