Question

Discuss in detail the Town Planning System of Harappan Civilization.

Hint:

Focus on the grid layout, Citadel vs Lower Town, and especially the drainage system.

Answer 1

Step 1: Start from the street grid: The defining feature is the orthogonal grid of streets, unlike the organic, unplanned growth typical of most ancient cities.

Step 2: Explain the two-part city structure: Layer this grid onto the Citadel/Lower Town division: the Citadel held public buildings on a raised mound, while ordinary residents lived and worked in the Lower Town below.

Step 3: Highlight the sanitation achievement: Then focus on drainage: covered drains running along streets, connected to individual house drains, is the single most praised engineering feature of Harappan cities, indicating strong municipal-level planning and civic authority.

Step 4: Note materials and buildings: Add that standardized baked bricks (common ratio 4:2:1) were used uniformly across sites, and specific structures (Great Bath, granaries) suggest organized communal/ritual and economic functions.

Final Answer: A grid-planned city with Citadel/Lower Town zoning, standardized fired-brick construction, and an advanced covered-drain sanitation network — evidence of strong centralized civic planning.