Mehrgarh culture - Architecture of India

Mehrgarh culture—Indus Valley Civilization (7000 BCE—1500 BCE)

Further information: Mehrgarh and Indus Valley Civilization

Archaeological evidence from Mehrgarh (7000 BCE) shows construction of mud brick houses and granaries.^[2] Irrigation was developed in the Indus Valley Civilization around 4500 BCE. The size and prosperity of the Indus civilization grew as a result of this innovation, which eventually led to more planned settlements which further made use of drainage and sewers.

Mauryan architecture in the Barabar Mounts, Bihar. Grotto of Lomas Rishi. 3rd century BCE.

By 2800 BCE, private bathrooms, located on the ground floor, were found in nearly all the houses of the Indus Valley Civilization.^[4] The pottery pipes in walls allowed drainage of water and there was, in some case, provision of a crib for sitting.^[4] The Indus Valley Civilization had some of the most advanced private lavatories in the world.^[4] "Western-style" toilets were made from bricks using toilet seats made of coal on top.^[4] The waste was then transmitted to drainage systems.^[4] Sophisticated irrigation and storage systems were developed by the Indus Valley Civilization, including the artificial reservoirs at Girnar in 3000 BCE and an early canal irrigation system from circa 2600 BCE.^[5]

Excavated ruins, Mohenjo-daro, modern-day Pakistan.

Large-scale sanitary sewer systems were in place in the Indus Valley by 2700 BCE.^[4] The drains were 7–10 feet wide and 2 feet (0.61 m) below ground level.^[4] The sewage was then led into cesspools, built at the intersection of two drains, which had stairs leading to them for periodic cleaning.^[4] Plumbing using earthenware plumbing pipes with broad flanges for easy joining with asphalt to stop leaks was in place by 2700 BCE.^[4]

Pramod Chandra (2008) details the Indus Valley architecture from 2500–1800 BCE:^[6]

From excavated remains, it is clear that the Indus Valley civilization possessed a flourishing urban architecture. The major cities associated with the civilization, notably Mohenjo-daro, Harappā, and Kalibangan, were laid out on a grid pattern and had provisions for an advanced drainage system. The residential buildings, which were serviceable enough, were mainly brick and consisted of an open patio flanked by rooms. For monumental architecture, the evidence is slight, the most important being a “sacred” tank (thought to be for ritual ablution) and associated structures. Corbel vaulting (arches supported by brackets projecting from the wall) was known, and, to a limited extent, timber was used together with brick; whatever architectural ornamentation existed must have been of brick or plaster. Source:Wikipedia