[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) › c11.43 # Town Planning in Ancient India c11.43 Town Planning in Ancient India c11.43 - **Language:** English ### [c11.43](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.43) It is a sound principle of town-planning that buildings should continuously diminish in density as they recede from the centre so that fresh air may pass from the country into the interior of the town. What with centralisation of business in a town and what with its organic growth and development, this principle is more or less carried out in all towns inasmuch the suburbs are only thinly inhabited and abound in many trees and gardens. It is impossible to ascertain whether this principle was recognised in ancient India, from the meagre materials that we are able to glean together, discussion of principles being a thing never to be met with in the majority of treatises on science. Yet the allocation of different citizens in order of their ranks, castes and subcastes, these diminishing in degree and order from the centre outward, and the different structures of houses peculiar to each of them, their heights and dimensions, as well as their number lessening with their distance from the centre, and also the rings of girdles encircling the city one after another with intervening plots planted with gardens and orchards, may be recalled in justification of the conjecture that this principle was fairly realised in the Indo-Aryan cities. The town of Vijayanagar is an instance in point. This city was founded in 1336 A.D. It was enlarged by Ajarao, the grandson of Bukkaraya who succeeded Harihar Deva to the throne. "This king made in the city of Vijayanagar many walls and towers and enclosed it anew. The king desiring to increase that city and make it the best in the kingdom, determined to bring it to a very large river which was at a distance of five leagues away. So he did, damming the river itself with great boulders. By means of this water they made, round about the city, a quantity of gardens and orchards and great groves of trees and vineyards and many plantations of lemons, oranges, and roses, and other trees which in this country bear good fruits.¹ Reading this in the light of detailed description of the city given by the same traveller, reproduced elsewhere,² one will realise how reasonable is the attempt made above to credit the ancient Indians with some acquaintance with the principle. It is to be observed here that beauty, sanitation, and usefulness of the city were considerably enhanced as a result of extension of the city executed on such a magnificent scale. It reflects great credit upon the circumspection and wisdom of the king and his civic architects. Even in these days we scarcely come across any case of such splendid scheme of town improvement carried in such magnitudinous proportions. The ancient city of Kaveripumpattinam also illustrates this method of distributing houses. "The plan was to have an outer square consisting of gardens and houses; a second square consisting of market places, workshops and so on; and smaller squares towards the centre where the more expansive houses and the palace and other public buildings were located." - [Previous: c11.42](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.42) - [Next: c11.44](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.44) - [Up: c11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11) ## Linked texts (1) - [Vijayanagara](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.site.vijayanagara) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.43](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c11.43) · Pramāṇa