HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Unit 3: Session 06
Indian Architecture
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
UNIT 3 : INDUS VALLEY
CIVILIZATION
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
Geography and time frame
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Bronze age
The term bronze age refers
to a period in human cultural
development when the most
advanced metalworking
included techniques for
smelting copper and tin from
naturally occurring
outcroppings of ores, and
then combining them to cast
bronze.
Invention of writing coincides
with its early beginnings
National Science Centre –Delhi
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Location
Separated into three phases:
• The early Harappan phase from 3300 to
2600 BCE
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The mature Harappan phase from
2600 to 1900 BCE
• The late Harappan phase from 1900 to
1300 BCE.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
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Mehrgahr
Amri
Kot-Diji
Harappa
Mohenjo-Daro
Lothal
Dholavira
Kalibangan
Ganweriwala
Rakhigarhi
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Politics and society
State system
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There is no clear idea about the political organization of
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the Harappan.
It seems to be an egalitarian society.
Major indicator of the absence of an organized state system
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Lack of remains of a palace-like
structure Lack of grandiose mortuary
remains
Lack of coercive elements of warfare.
"Priest King" statue, MohenjoDaro,
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Art & Religion
Female figure, possibly a fertility
goddess, Harappan Phase,
2500-1900 BCE
Female figurines have been found in
all shapes and sizes. Some are slim,
some fat and some nurse babies.
harappa.com, ncert.com,humanjourney.us
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Art & Religion
The Pashupati seal,
showing a seated and
possibly tricephalic figure,
surrounded by animals.
Lord rudra or a person of higher
authority?
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Characteristics of IVC
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Construction technology
Urban-town planning
Metallurgy
Standardized weights
Drainage system
Writing
Irrigation systems
Health and sanitation
Food and nutrition
SEALS
GAMING PIECES
DICE
INSCRIPTION
MEASUREMENTS
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Simplified Harappan Technologies In Social Relations
Technology
Social -relation
Baked bricks
Skilled labor
Seals
Moral authority
Weights
Trade links
Writing
Administration
Shell ornaments
Elite status
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Metallurgy
They developed some new
techniques in metallurgy and
produced elements like copper,
bronze, lead and tin..
Red pottery with red and black
slip-painted decoration
Fragment of Large Deep Vessel
images: google images
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Art figurines
Small sculptures in stone, terra cotta, and
bronze
Mother goddesses.
Dancing girl
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Ornaments
The Indus valley is rich in many metals and worthy
stones such as Carnelian, gold, copper, turquoise
and other metals/semi precious stones .
These ornaments were never buried with the
dead, but were passed on from one generation to
the next.
These ornaments were hidden under the floors in
the homes of wealthy merchants or goldsmiths.
Ornaments include:▪
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Bangles
Chokers
Long pendant necklaces
Rings
Earrings
Conical hair ornaments
Broaches.
CARNELIAN AND A PRECIOUS STONE.
JEWELLERY FOUND AT BOTH MOHENJO-DARO AND HARAPPA.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Seals
• Soft steatite stone
• Baked to whiten and harden Motifs of
humans, animals
• Pictographic script . These pictographs
or inscriptions have not been
deciphered yet.
• There were more than 2,000 seals
discovered by archaeologists in
different ancient Indus cities.
• The symbols on the seals may have
been a way of writing and the animals
showed that maybe the people kept
animals.
• These seals might suggest belief in the
supernatural
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Pioneered buttons and stepwell
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People of IVC developed and used Buttons around 2000
BCE for ornamental purposes.
Buttons were made out of seashells, or carved int
geometric shapes. They had holes pierced into
them, so that they can be attached by using
thread.
Earliest known button is found in Mohenjo-Daro
which is believed to be about 5000 years old.
Earliest apparent evidence of stepwell is also found in
Indus valley civilization archeological site
Mohenjo-Daro.
The inventions and discoveries made by indus valley
civilization doesn’t sound interesting today, but they
were great achievements at their time.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Introduction
Bricks from Harappa, Indus Valley
Civilisation, Housed at Former
Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai,
India
The rick lengths were in a perfect
ratio of 4:2:1
Classification Of Cities
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Introduction
NUCLEUS CITIES
(a) Harappa
(b) Mohenjo-Daro
(c) Dholavira
(d) Kalibangan
COASTAL TOWNS
a) Lothal
b) Balakot
OTHER CITIES AND TOWNSHIPS
a) Kot-Diji
b) Surkotada
c) Chanhudaro
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Introduction
▪ The sites of Harappa and
Mohenjo- Daro with a peak
population of approximately
40000 inhabitants .
▪ Total population in the mature
phase is estimated at a few
million.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Introduction
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Architectural Characters
• Town planning – the system was based on urban based.
• The sanitation and drainage are remarkable.
• Drainage system – no other civilization until the Romans had such
advanced drainage system.
• Underground drains covered with stone slabs.
• Evidences show that mud bricks were being used even in
Mehrgarh around 7000bc
• Baked bricks appeared around 2800 BC
Urban Town planning- Mohenjo-Daro
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Urban Town planning- Mohenjo-Daro
▪ The whole city aligned to cardinal
point, laid In N-S direction. covers
an area of about 250 acres.
▪ Grid iron pattern.
▪ City divided into two- lower town
and
upper citadel located on the west.
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Mohenjo-Daro-citadel
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Mohenjo-Daro-citadel
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Mohenjo-Daro-citadel
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Town planning is the unique feature
of Indus valley civilization.
Their town planning proves that they
lived a highly civilized and developed
life.
Indus people were the first to build
planned cities with scientific drainage
system.
The Indus cities were built on an
uniform plan. Town planning was
amazing in nature.
A few cities have citadels to the West
built on higher platform and to the
east of which is the hub of residential
area.
Both of them are surrounded by a
massive brick wall. The cities without
citadel are found on high mounds.
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Mohenjo-Daro-citadel
Streets
The streets were straight and cut each other
at right angles. They were 13 to 34 feet wide
and were well lined. The streets and roads
divided the city into rectangular blocks.
Archaeologists have discovered the lamp
posts at intervals. This suggests the
existence of street lights. Dustbins were
also provided on the streets. These prove
the presence of good municipal
administration.
Indus valley
civilizationslideshare.net
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Urban Town planning- Harappa
It was the first Indus site to be discovered and
excavated in 1921
The site has two large and imposing ruined mounds
located) on the left bank of river Ravi.
The western mound of Harappa, smaller in size
represented the citadel, parallelogram in plan and
fortified.
Outside the citadel was the unfortified town having
some important structures identified with workmen’s
quarters, working floors and granaries.
The workmen’s quarters, 10 in number were of
uniform size and space (17×7.5 m).
Harappa.com
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Important artifacts and sculptures
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Town planning
Artifacts
Two very important stone figurines
(not available at any other site) which
include one red stone torso of a
naked male figure (the prototype of
the Jina or Yaksha figure) and a
female figure in dancing pose.
Harappa.com
LOST CIVILIZATION
At its peak, the mature Indus civilization extended across the alluvial plains
of Punjab and Sindh, Baluchistan, the Gujarat coast, and the surrounding
valleys in Kashmir and Punjab covering 10 lakh sq km area, with several
million population.
The mystery and challenge in Indus lies in the unresolved causes for and
diverse opinions about this decline .
Most popular theories include:
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Environnemental change
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River relocations or
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Social causes
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I
Assignment - 6
Answer the following questions in the notebook with sketches.
1. List and explain the Salient Features of Indus Valley Town Planning
2. Explain the Town Planning at Lothal with relevant sketches
3. List and explain the Lessons of Urban planning from Indus Valley Civilization
with appropriate sketches
4. Explain the characteristics of Mohenjo Daro civilization with relevant
sketches
5. Explain the characteristics of Harappan civilization with relevant sketches
In the A3 sketch book sketch the following in individual sheets.
1. Indus valley civilization
2. Mohenjo Daro AND HARAPPAN civilization
3. Mohenjo Daro AND HARAPPAN civilization
Note - Compose and Sketch all the relevant plans, sections , artifacts and any
other details of the above mentioned civilizations.
Min 1 sheet per civilization.
THANK YOU
Ar. C Deepalakshmi
Faculty of Architecture
deepalakshmi@pes.edu
+91 80 2672 6622 Extn. 885