4. Geography and evolution
Located in the Indus River Valley on the Indian subcontinent
The river arose in the high mountains of the Himalayas and flowed south through
semiarid plains to the Arabian Sea, a part of the Indian Ocean. When it flooded each
summer, the river deposited a layer of fertile silt that made for easy tilling of the soil
Weather is influenced by yearly monsoons.
The Kyber Pass thru the Hindu Kush mountains allow people to cross into the Indus River
Valley
That soil attracted farmers, who built villages and, in time, cities. The studies reveal that
the Indus Valley civilization was home to around 100 villages and several walled cities.
Two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, dominated the region.
The Indus often flooded deeply, so farmers built their settlements on high ground and
surrounded them with barriers of stone or earth. They planted wheat and barley when the
floodwaters receded. At some point they also began growing cotton
5. The social and economic life of the people of Indus Valley Civilization
(Harappan Civilization) was systematic and organised.
The Indus valley population consisted of Australoid, Mediterranean, Mongoloid and
Alpine races. The cosmopolitan character of the population proves that the Indus
valley was the meeting place of the people of various races.
The people had good understanding of an urban civilization. The population of
Mohenjo-Daro was about 35000.
The center of government was the citadel.
The Harappan’s had a strong and well-organized central government
People who lived in the towns and cities were mostly merchants and craftsmen
People who lived in areas outside the cities were farmers and herders
The Harappans invented the first system of weights and measures for trade
They traded as far away as ancient Sumer where they imported textiles and food in
exchange for copper, lumber, precious stones, cotton, and luxury goods
Society and people
6. Society and people
The studies reveal that the Indus Valley civilization was home to around 100
villages and several walled cities. Two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro,
dominated the region.
Harappa and Mohenjo-daro reflected the organization and complexity that is a key
sign of a civilization. Each consisted of two sections—an elevated citadel, or
fortress, and a lower residential area. Both were surrounded by walls.
In the citadel, members of the ruling class likely conducted their political business
and carried out religious rituals.
In the residential city below, the people lived in brick houses linked by an orderly
arrangement of streets. The finer homes had wells for water and bathrooms that
drained into the city’s main sewer system.
More people involved in trade and craftsmanship than other civilizations
Little evidence to suggest what their class system was like
Women had no legal rights and were considered the property of their husbands
As the Arayan influence spread, a caste system developed
7.
8. Major cities
•Mohenjo-daro (hill of dead) now
in Pakistan
•Kalibangan in Rajasthan
•Lothal, Sukortada and
Dhoulavira in Gujrat
•Rakhigadhi in Haryana
9. Characteristic features
While in 2500b.c the Egyptians were building pyramids, the Indus was laying
sun dried bricks in India’s first cities.
The most interesting feature of this civilisation was its town planning and
sewerage& water supply systems.
The civilisation has greatly developed as that of ancient Mesopotamia.
The cities at Mohenjo-Daro and Harrapa were built systematically, divided into
12 blocks, each 365m X 244m.
Walls were laid in English bonds
The streets were 9m wide
The streets and buildings were marked by under-ground drainage lines with
inspection chambers at regular intervals.
10.
11.
12.
13. Grid-iron layout for streets
Houses were of varying sies and of one or two storeys, built stictly on utility
basis.
A series of rooms were arranged around an open to sky courtyard and
contained a staircase to the upper storey.
The openings were small and there were no openings to the main streets and
subsidiary walkways.
The city had an effective drainage and water supply system. Houses had well
designed toilets and bathing facilities. Acommon well was provided to the
group of houses.
The drainage lines were running under the walkways and finally connected to
the main sewers. There were manholes located at different places for cleaning
and inspection
The indus valley culture collapsed due to the natural catastrophe. After
centuries later, it was occupied by the aryan invaders in 1500-1000b.c
14.
15. VEDIC PERIOD
The aryans were originally from central europe.
They came riding horses and chariots to the North west India and these war
like invaders capture the unarmed people of Indus valley.
They attacked the fertile land of Gangatic plains and captured the nose-less and
dark Dasyus(Dravidians). This marked the beginning of Aryan culture in India.
The aryan village was made of timber and thatch huts which were arranged in a
group of three or four around an open courtyard.
It was protected by a timber fence consisting of rectangular wooden posts at
regular intervals and connected with three horiontal bamboo bars
At the enterance, it was projected out where a gateway was provided which
consisted of two upright wooden posts. These gateways was later converted
into ornamental gateways called Torans.
16.
17. VEDIC PERIOD
Even in vedic period, the town planning was done on scientific grounds. The
principles of town planning are mentioned in some sacred books.
In viswa karmaprakash it is stated that first layout the towns and then the
houses.
Mansara silpashastra deals with many aspects of town planning such as study of
soil, climate, topography and layout of various types such as Dandaka, Swastika,
Padmaka, Nandyavarta, Prastara, Chaturmukh, Karmuka.
The main or king streets ( Raja Marg) were alligned East-West to get the roads
purified with sun rays, while the short roads were alligned North-South.
The roads running around the village are called Mangal Vithi, were served for
priests.
These books also refer to the qualification and moral qualities of the town planner
(Sthapati)
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. A traditional nagara(city) is one where the sacred and the secular
mingle.
Temples ( mentioned in Yajurveda hymns)- the link between the cosmic
and the human
Cultural centres; festive and ritual activities
Educational: pathshala
Social life: public meetings and social gatherings
Mathas: monastic centre of education and pilgrim rest house.
24. Ancient texts
Sthapatya Veda: (parts of artherva veda) ; layout of a city
Smriti shastra: street layouts (micro & macro)
Vaastu shastra: treatises on architectural planning; construction and
design; matters relating to site selection, site planning and orientation,
quality of soil, water resources, planning of trees and groves.
Arthashastra: Enviornmental management
Manasara Shilpa Shastra: Grama vidhana & nagara vidhana
Mayamata
Viswakarma
Vaastu purush Mandala
25. Silpashastra refers to four distinct categories of habitation settlements:
Janabhavanas: houses for common mass
Rajbhavanas: palaces and gorgeous mansions
Devabhavans: religious shrines
The public buildings such as public rest house, public gardens, reservoirs,
wells, etc
Manasara, mayamata and vishvakarma prakara laid emphasis on planning and
architecture of janabhavanas
There were 4 kinds of Varnas & 4 kinds of Ashramas ( classification of society)
Brahamana: Intellectual class
Kshatriya: Administrative class
Vaisya: Business class
Sudra: Working class
Sannyasa: Renounced order
Vanaprastha: Intermediate stage between grihasta and sannyasa
Grihasta: ideal married person, who contributes to society
Bhramacharya: does academic learning under a bonafide guru
26. Nagara vidhana
Grid-iron pattern: main streets
Primary, secondary and tertiary street layout
Street design with green plant borders
Pedestrian foothpath between street and green belt
Junction of main axis: Bhramhastana
Mixed use on main streets, i.e residences above commercial
People of similar professions, age groups, heaalth can be housed in the same
quarters
Crematoria were placed outside the layout Mandala
28. Emperor Chandragupta Maurya was one of the powerful rulers of this time.
Kautilya or Chanakya were chief ministers who wrote Arthashastra.
Patliputra city (modern patna), the capital of Magadh, was laid on grid iron
pattern consisting of 16 sectors.
Most of the houses had gardens with wells and ponds.
Waste water was carried through underground drainage which finally opened in
river Ganga.
The city was surrounded by a moat on all sides. (16 km long and 3.5 km wide)
Protected by ramparts stretching more than 40 km and had 64 gates and 570
towers.
Main gates were oriented at cardinal points. Wide enough for elephants to pass
through.
Gates were two storeys high and contained guard rooms.
32. Wooden origin was noted in most of the construction of this period.
Teak wood were carefully trimmed into the required shape.
Vaulted roofs were supplemented by a series of curved wooden ribs or groins
which were closely spaced.
The erly phase of timber construction is seen to be carried over in later rock cut
architecture of Buddhist period.
A filling of lime plaster was added and painted in white.
33. Depiction of balconied and windowed
streets of the Mauryan towns, that were
much more lively than the rather bleak
windowless streets of Mohenjodaro
34.
35.
36. Budhism on the other hand marks its beginning in 563 bc, by Shiddhartha, also
known as Gautam, son of chief of Sakya dynasty.
The religion teaches non-violence, oneness, humanity, deliverance from sorrow
and all trouble, through enlightment.
Nirvana can be attained by a path of self purification, with no regard to caste,
creed.
Three objects worthy of veneration in Buddhiam are:
Sarika: physical remains like hair, nail, bones
Prabhogika: like begging bowl, robes, vessels
Uddesika: symbols like tri ratna, stupa, chakra
Eightfold path enunciated by Budhha are
Right Belief, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Action, Right means of
Livelihood, Right effort, Right awareness, Right meditation.
ASHOKAAND BEGINNING OF BUDDHISM
37. ASHOKAAND BEGINNING OF BUDDHISM
Emperor Ashoka was the grandson of Chadragupta Maurya who took the empire
forward.
He strengthened the city of pataliputra and provided many civic amenities like rest
houses, wells, hospitals for travellers.
His conquest of Kalinga was a turning point in his life. He turned to Buddhism in
261 bc.
For propagating budhhism, he built 84000 stupas, stone edicts written in pali
language.
At his time, the change from wooden to rock as material happened, thus resulting
in construction of various massive rock cut structures and religious structures
during his era.
Memorial pillars or lats were also important feature of this period. As many as 30
pillars were constructed.
39. Budhhism rejected any form of image worship therefore no temples, statues were
built
The represented Budhha by means of symbols like stupa, Bodhi tree as
enlightment, wheel of law as the first sermon, corporeal wheel of budhha and his
footprints.
Other scultural works include jatak tales, serpents, yaksha and yakshika
Female figures were also used on the bracket capital, railing pillars
