continuity between the Neolithic cultures of the Indus region and the later urban civilisation. The early Harappan phase saw the development of villages and towns in the entire region. In the Mature Harappan phase, urban centres developed. Planned Towns Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan), Mohenjo- Daro (Sindh, Pakistan), Dholavira, Lothal, and Surkotada (Gujarat, India), Kalibangan (Rajasthan, India), Banawali and Rakhigarhi (Haryana, India) are the major cities in the Harappan period.
Fortification, well-planned streets and lanes and drainages are noticed in the Harappan towns. A civic authority perhaps controlled the planning of the 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. 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 XI History - Lesson - - Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation intersecting circles, zigzag lines, horizontal bands and geometrical motifs with floral and faunal patterns. The Harappan pottery is well- baked and fine in decorations.
Metals, Tools and Weapons The Harappan civilisation belongs to the Bronze Age civilisation and Harappans knew how to make copper and bronze tools. Although they produced bronze implements, they needed various kinds of tools for agriculture and craft production. The Harappans