Town Planning in Ancient India c15.50

c15.50

The city was founded by Harihar Deva in 1336 A.D. Its foundation in the middle of the 14th century notwithstanding, there is nothing to suspect that it was not laid out according to the canons of the Śilpa Śāstras, especially when we remember that many cities, particularly the capitals of many principalities in Rajputana founded much later were planned according to the best Indo-Aryan town-planning traditions and this demonstrates beyond doubt that Indians never relegated this science to oblivion until the advent of European civilisation into this country. From the description of the city by Nicolo, an Italian traveller who visited it in 1420-21, we learn: "The circumference of the city is sixty miles; its walls are carried up to the mountains and enclose the valleys at their foot, so that its extent is increased." Here and there were wonderfully carved temples and fanes to Hindu deities with Brāhmaṇical colleges and schools attached to the more important among them. The narrative of Domingo Pæz, the Portuguese traveller (1520-22) is more extensive and minute: "The whole country (of Vijayanagara) is thickly populated with cities, towns and villages. The king allows them to be surrounded only with earthen walls for fear of their becoming too strong. But if a city is situated at the extremity of his territory he gives his consent to its having stone walls; but never the towns; so that they may make fortresses of the cities but not of the towns.