[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) › c7.37 # Town Planning in Ancient India c7.37 Town Planning in Ancient India c7.37 - **Language:** English ### [c7.37](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7.37) There were many ways to ascertain the solidity of the ground. The following rule is laid down in the first section of the Kāśyapa, in the 4th chapter of the Mayamata, in the 227th chapter of the Matsya Purāṇa, and in the Rājavallabha, which shows it was a universal rule: “Dig out a pit one cubit deep in the ground and again return the earth into it. If the earth more than fills up the pit, then the ground is good; if it is just sufficient then it is middling or indifferent; while if it falls short, the ground is bad. The good and indifferent varieties are acceptable, but the bad should on no account be accepted.” Another way to determine the solidity as well as the fertility of the soil is as follows:—“Sink a pit one cubit deep, fill it up with water, walk away a hundred paces from it, and then come back and see. If the water stands slightly below the brim, then it is best; if the pit is empty by one quarter, then it is middling; if the pit is found only half-full, then it is worst.”² Mayamuni’s examination of the rule is slightly different. He would fill up the pit with water in the evening and examine it early next morning. If there is a remnant of water in the pit, then the ground should be welcome for all purposes. If the pit is found moist and muddy, then the ground will spell ruin for human habitation, and the aridity of the pit signifies loss of grains and wealth. The \*raison d'être\* of the above rules can be easily inferred. These tests indicate beyond doubt that the soil of the proposed site was examined to ascertain whether it was fit for cultivation and whether good drinking water was procurable sufficiently near the surface. - [Previous: c7.36](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7.36) - [Next: c7.38](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7.38) - [Up: c7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7) ## Linked texts (4) - [Matsyapurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.matsya) — Vyāsa, Sanskrit - [Mayamata](https://indike.org/pramana/in.art.silpa.dravida.mayamata) — Maya, Sanskrit - [Kāśyapadharmasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.vedanga.kalpa.dharma.kasyapadharmasutra) — Kaśyapa, Sanskrit - [Paryāyaratnamālā](https://indike.org/pramana/in.med.nighantu.paryaya.paryayaratnamala) — Mādhavakara, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7.37](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c7.37) · Pramāṇa