[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Architecture and art](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art) › [Town Planning in Ancient India](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925) › c11.11 # Town Planning in Ancient India c11.11 Town Planning in Ancient India c11.11 - **Language:** English ### [c11.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.11) In the Harivamśa,¹ we find that Viśvakarmā² was the principal architect of Śrīkṛṣṇa, the king of Dvārakā. The 98th Chapter of its Viṣṇuparva furnishes us with an account of reconstruction of the town of Dvārakā or Dvārāvatī. When the king Śrīkṛṣṇa first conceived the plan and issued instructions about the construction of Dvārāvatī, the civic architect Viśvakarmā made low obeisance to his royal pleasure with this humble remark:—"The town would not be sufficiently large for the strength of its citizens. Further extensions on a magnificent scale would have been more becoming."³ This expert opinion was not much heeded to at that time with the result that, after lapse of a few years, Śrīkṛṣṇa had to realise his shortsighted blunder and give orders for reconstruction and extension. Under the new scheme, the municipal area was doubled into eight ‘yojanas’ by breadth and twelve ‘yojanas’ by length. Though in the original city there were large streets, yet they were few in number as seems to be evident from the innumerable number of lanes in it (rathyā-koṭi- - [Previous: c11.10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.10) - [Next: c11.12](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.12) - [Up: c11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11) ## Linked texts (2) - [Harivaṃśa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.harivamsa) — Vyāsa, Sanskrit - [Dvārakā](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.site.dvaraka) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.11) · Pramāṇa