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Step back almost 4000 years, when a city was built with perfectly planned streets, drainage systems, and homes with courtyards—a civilization ahead of its time. Yeah, you heard it right! The Citadel of the Indus Valley civilization is a true hidden gem that showcases its outstanding architectural and engineering designs that still amaze today’s generation.
From the stunning Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro to its clever city layout, this ancient civilization broke new ground in design and fresh ideas. Curious to learn more? Join us as we uncover the untold and fascinating stories of the Citadel of Indus Valley civilization and explore its lasting legacy.
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What is the Citadel of Indus Valley Civilization? Layout and Design
The citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization was an upper part of the area in civilizations like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, often surrounded by big walls. The architectural structures of their houses, like the Great Bath and granaries, likely served as the centre for administration, religion, and public activities. The well-structured and systematic infrastructure showed how advanced their society was.
“The great rivers, for all their beneficence, were at the same time treacherous and formidable enemies. If not constrained and directed by wise, large-scale and sustained effort, they were destroyers no less than fertilizers.”
— Sir Mortimer Wheeler, Renowned archaeologist who excavated Indus Valley sites.
1. Town Planning in the Indus Valley Civilization
The ancient citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization stands as a remarkable testament to urban town planning and structurisation. Each city was perfectly split into two distinct sections:
- The raised citadel or acropolis was on the western side.
- The lower town to the east.
This division wasn’t arbitrary; it showcased the sophisticated social organisation and town planning of the Indus Valley.
2. The Strategic Location of the Citadel
Despite its smaller size, the citadel area was located on the highest ground in the city. The raised platforms played multiple roles, notably in flood protection. These raised areas kept the city safe from the frequent flooding that put riverside towns at risk. From their archaeological history, it seems like Mohenjo-daro had to face at least six rounds of damaging floods while it existed.
3. The Ingenious Grid System
- The city featured a perfectly planned grid system.
- Streets ran precisely north-south and east-west, intersecting at right angles.
- This grid pattern dates back to 2600 BCE, marking one of humanity’s first systematic attempts at urban planning.
- Streets were more than just paths; they were:
- Integrated with covered drainage channels.
- Connected directly to homes.
4. The Fortification Walls and Public Structures
The citadel was enclosed by strong fortification walls, larger and sturdier than those around the rest of the city. Within these protective walls, there were remarkable public structures in the Indus Valley Civilisation:
- The Great Bath: A famous water tank located in a courtyard, surrounded by corridors.
- The Great Hall: Once mistakenly called the “Granary”.
- The Assembly Hall and the College (as named by archaeologists).
5. Practicality in Indus Valley Architecture
Indus Valley architecture stood out for its practicality and focus on livable spaces. Some historian architects like those in Egypt and Mesopotamia, mainly focused on monuments, while the Indus Valley civilization people focused only on practical design. Advanced water systems were incorporated into their cities as the cities were large population centres:
- Mohenjo-daro had an estimated population of 35,000 to 42,000.
- Harappan Civilization estimated population was 23,000 to 35,000.
- Again, it shows that such large populations require exceptional planning and infrastructure.
6. A Legacy of Urban Living
The citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization represents more than a mere architectural achievement. It reflects a profound understanding of urban living, a concept that would take other civilizations thousands of years to rediscover.
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Homes in the Citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization
The Citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization is well-known for its remarkable domestic architecture, showcasing the organisation of a complex urban culture and highlighting the distinctive features of Indus Valley architecture.
1. Building Materials and Standardization
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization built their homes in the citadel using basic things like mud bricks, dried mud bricks, or clay bricks. The focus on the accuracy of this civilization shows in their utilization of the uniform bricks.
2. Innovative Residential Design
- Multi-Story Dwellings: Many houses in Mohenjo-Daro had two or more floors, showing off their advanced architectural building skills.
- Courtyard-Centric Layout: Each home was built around a central courtyard, acting as the family’s social hub. Their designs allowed for a smooth transition between inside and outside living areas. The courtyard concept was a pioneering feature introduced by this civilization.
3. Advanced Sanitation and Amenities
- Almost all of the houses were fully equipped with basic needs like private wells for water, bathing areas, and separate toilets, which also shows their standard of living.
- Moreover, toilets functioned by flushing waste through the pipes into the communal drains.
- Bathing platforms were strategically placed against outer walls, ensuring waste flowed directly into the city’s sophisticated underground sewage system.
4. Structural Integrity and Aesthetic Features
- Robust Construction: Some research shows that walls were constructed to a thickness of 70 cm, with ceilings reaching heights of 3 meters, ensuring spaciousness and durability, too.
- Architectural Details: Doorways featured wooden frames with brick sockets in the thresholds, indicative of advanced carpentry. Windows were equipped with shutters and grills, and affluent homes boasted decorative elements like alabaster or marble latticework.
5. Harmonious Blend of Privacy and Community
- Strategic Entrances: House entrances were typically located on side streets, maintaining privacy by keeping interiors shielded from public view.
- Integrated Infrastructure: Despite their private entrances, all homes were connected to the communal drainage system, reflecting a balanced value for personal privacy and communal responsibility.
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Sacred and Public Places of the Indus Valley Citadel
The public structures extending beyond the residential quarters of the Indus Valley citadel are truly remarkable. Sir John Marshall, Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, challenged prevailing notions by stating: “Never for a moment was it imagined that five thousand years ago, before ever the Aryans were heard of, the Panjab and Sind, if not other parts of India as well, were enjoying an advanced and singularly uniform civilization of their own, closely akin to but in some respects even superior to that of contemporary Mesopotamia and Egypt.”
1. The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro
- Dimensions and Structure: Their bathing area measures approx. 12 meters by 7 meters, with a depth of 2.4 meters.
- Engineering Excellence: The Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro was constructed with a five-layered floor and walls made from precisely fitted bricks and gypsum plaster. Additionally, it was waterproofed using a thick layer of bitumen, ensuring no leaks to this day.
- Access and Purpose: Features two wide staircases on the north and south sides, with small sockets likely intended for wooden steps. There is still debate about its exact purpose, but it is believed to have been basically used for ritual purification and religious ceremonies.
2. The Great Hall at Harappa
- Structure and Size: A huge public building that covers an area of about 45 meters from both sides, north-south and east-west.
- Function: Initially, it was believed to be a granary, but recently, researchers found out that it served as an administrative or religious centre.
3. The Assembly Hall and College Building
- Assembly Hall: Located near the Great Bath, it features a double row of square columns and lines of bricks set into the floor, indicating its use as a gathering space.
- College Building: This one was built around the Great Bath, which comes with several rooms, verandas, and a staircase leading to the roof, possibly serving as a residence for priests or scholars
4. Reflection of Egalitarian Society
- These extraordinary wonders highlight a society that must be characterized by strong teamwork and shared leadership.
- The Citadel of the Indus Valley Civilisation prioritised public areas that encouraged community interaction and consensus-building, in contrast to other modern civilisations that built imposing structures to exalt rulers.
- This strategy made sure that resources and wealth were distributed more fairly among various social groups.
What stands out most among the architectural genius of Indus Valley architecture, is their balance between function and sophistication. The Indus Valley creators designed cities with grid patterns, advanced drainage systems, and homes with wells and bathrooms—features not seen elsewhere for centuries.
FAQs
The greatest mystery of this civilization is its sudden collapse. Even after a well-structured and systematic pattern, no one knows the reason behind its devastation, whether it was due to climate change, natural disasters, or changing trade routes.
The citadel was so named because it was a walled, raised section of the city that protected significant buildings and individuals from floods and invasions.
The Citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization probably functioned as the city’s centre, and the buildings therein were indicative of public structures, state, and perhaps religious areas, acting as an administration of sinews of government and daily life within the city.
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This was all about the historical facts about the Citadel of the Indus Valley Civilization. If you find the read interesting and wish to read more then stay tuned to the General Knowledge page of Leverage Edu.
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