- Fortification, well-planned streets, lanes, and drainage are noticed in the Harappan towns.
- The Harappans used baked and unbaked bricks and stones for construction. The towns had a grid pattern and drainages were systematically built.
- The houses were built of mud bricks while the drainages were built with burnt bricks. Houses had more than one floor.
Fig: An isometric drawing of a large house in Mohenjo-Daro
- The site of Mohenjo-Daro had a planned town, built on a platform. It has two distinct areas. One is identified as a citadel and another as the lower town. The houses had bathrooms paved with burnt bricks and proper drains. Some houses had stairs indicating the existence of an upper floor. The houses had multiple rooms. Many of the houses had a central courtyard with rooms all around.
- The citadel area had important residential structures that were either used by the public or select residents In Mohenjo-Daro, a building has been identified as a warehouse.
- The Great Bath is a tank situated within a courtyard. The corridors were present on all four sides and stairs are seen on the northern and southern sides. It was well paved with several adjacent rooms. Some structures are identified as granary.
- The bricks were laid watertight with gypsum mortar. It had drainage. It is associated with a ritual bath. The structures identified as granary or Great Bath should be seen as archaeologists’ interpretations
Fig: The Great Bath
Fig: A drain in Mohenjodaro
- Unlike the ruins of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilization did not contain big monumental constructions like temples or palaces for the kings.
- Great granary at Mohenjo-Daro: Strategic air ducts and elevated platforms in the granaries clever design helped to store grains and keep them safe from pests.
