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Most cities were very well planned. The
streets cut each other at right angles.
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In Mohenjo Daro, the
main street was over 800 meters long and 10 meters wide.
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Houses were
built on both sides of the street
in a planned way.
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Baked bricks were used
to construct buildings.
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Most cities, including Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, were divided into two parts-
Citadel and Lower town.
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The part that was
built on raised grounds is called the citadel
or the acropolis. It had walls
made of bricks
, which provided protection during floods.
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The citadel contained
public buildings, religious structures and granaries.
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The
ruler and the ruling class,
consisting of rich merchants and priests, probably
lived in the citadel.
- The other part, called the lower town , was a t a lower height but much bigger area . It had small buildings and houses of the common people.
The citadel
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The
ruins of many buildings have been found on the citadel
, in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.
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In Mohenjo-daro, the
largest building is the granary.
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Another building nearby was probably used as a
meeting hall
. Residents of the city might have gathered here to discuss important issues.
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The most impressive structure at Mohenjo-daro is the
Great Bath
.
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‘It is a
rectangular structure and resembles a swimming pool.
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It is
made of baked bricks
and has been made watertight with a layer of bitumen or tar.
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The Great bath has
two flights of steps, one on each side.
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There are
rooms on the side for changing clothes
. Water was probably drawn from a well and drained out after use.
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The Great Bath was perhaps used fo
r bathing on special occasions.
- At Harappa, a number of granaries have been found . Surplus grain was perhaps stored in them,
The Lower town
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The Lower Town was made up of many houses that were
built close together and arranged in a grid pattern.
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The houses were
made of mud bricks and had multiple rooms.
The streets in the Lower Town were straight and intersected at right angles.
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The Lower Town also had many
public buildings, like a granary, a bathhouse, and a marketplace.
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The Lower Town of Harappa had a wall made of baked bricks that was around
3.5 meters high and 6 meters wide.
This wall surrounded the entire residential area, helping to keep the people who lived there safe.
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The Lower Town had a
complex system of drainage and water supply
.
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The
houses had their own drainage system
, which helped keep the streets clean and prevented flooding.
- The city also had a s ystem of wells and water channels that brought clean water to the people who lived there.
