The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro

The Great Bath discovered at Mohenjo-Daro revealed that the people had attained a high level of perfection in the art of building. It has been suggested that the Great Bath was used for bathing during religious ceremonies. It is also suggested that perhaps a hierarchal structure existed in a society where the ruling class collected taxes to build structures for public use.

The Great Bath

  • It is one of the largest public buildings in Mohenjo-Daro. It is a 39-feet long bathing pool, 28 feet wide and 8 feet deep.
  • This Great Bath was made of brick and coated with plaster and a layer of natural tar to avoid any water seepage.
  • Steps were constructed on both sides leading to the Great Bath. It was surrounded by rooms on all sides.
  • Scholars are of the view that these rooms were either meant for the members of the priestly class or for changing clothes.

Granaries

  • Granaries were found at several sites such as Harappa, Lothal, and Mohenjo-Daro. At Mohenjo-Daro, the granary was 45.71 meters in length and 15.23 meters in breadth.
  • Two rows of six granaries were found at Harappa. Working floors consisting of rows of circular brick platforms were discovered to the south of the granaries in Harappa. It is believed that it was built for threshing grains as remains of grains of wheat and barley were found in crevices of the floor.
  • Near the granaries, two-roomed barracks have been found which might have housed laborers.
  • The granary was built on a raised platform to protect it from floods. The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro Well-laid drainage system of the Harappan Civilisation.

The Citadel

  • The cities of the civilization were divided into two parts—lower and upper. The elevated portion of the city is known as the citadel.
  • Important buildings such as the Great Bath, granary, assembly halls, and workshops were built in this part of the city.
  • The citadel points towards elaborate and efficient planning of the city which justifies that the Harappan Civilisation was an urban civilization.
  • The presence of some houses on the elevated platform and some on the lower parts of the city indicates that perhaps society was divided into the ruling and ruled classes.

Also, Read The Harappan Civilisaion

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