A ‘planned city’ is a title which even today, in modern times, many of our cities fail to achieve. But you will be surprised to know that this was achieved by the Harappan cities of the Indus Valley civilization centuries ago.
The cities of Harappa were well planned. Large areas were built with the bricks of the same size and weight. They used kilns to make bricks, and used burnt bricks in domestic and public buildings.
The main feature of Harappan town planning was the granaries or store houses used to store grains. The great bath was the earliest public water tank, and the lower town was the place where common people lived. Harappan streets were straight and the cities were well known for the drains built on either side of the road. The houses were varied in size some had more than one storey. Houses were built on massive platforms to save them from seasonal floods.
The excavations conducted here have revealed the advanced town planning that characterized the Harappan cities, built more than 4000 years ago.
