[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) › c9.29 # Town Planning in Ancient India c9.29 Town Planning in Ancient India c9.29 - **Language:** English ### [c9.29](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9.29) Indian cities were variously classified and denominated according to the number and direction of the streets and the arrangement of houses along them:—“That town is called Daṇḍaka which has only one easterly street resembling a phalanx or a staff (daṇḍa) with houses arrayed along it. If the town possesses also one northerly street intersecting the other at the centre, it is called Kartarīdaṇḍakam. If it further contains two building alleys running east-to-west (prāchīnau kuṭṭimau) at the extremities of the northerly street, then the town is known as Vāhudaṇḍakam having four gates in the four cardinal directions. If there are several sets of houses along the two sides of the northerly street with many house-lanes intervening between, it is called Kuṭikāmukhadaṇḍakam.¹ If the town is planned with three east-to-west streets and three other north-to-south streets, it is termed Kalakābandhadaṇḍakam.” The last four rural towns—these rather resemble the subdivisional towns in modern India—are clearly the four varieties of the daṇḍaka town. “Noted among other towns is Vedībhadrakam. It has three streets directed north and south and three vīthis or streets running to the east. These streets are separated by many residential lanes (kuṭṭimamārga), one lane intervening between every two streets. The Swastika town does not differ in plan from a Swastika village.¹ The Swastika is also a town which has six streets facing north and six others facing east, all encircled by another road and these dividing the city into residential plots (vīthipadam). The town-plan is known as Bhadrakam, if it consists of four streets running eastwise and four other running northwise. In it there are one street going round the quarters of Brahmā and three lanes to the east intervening between the - [Previous: c9.28](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9.28) - [Next: c9.30](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9.30) - [Up: c9](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9) ## Linked texts (1) - [Bhadrakasutta](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.theravada.sp.samyutta.4.42.11) — Pāli --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9.29](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.art.dutt-1925.c9.29) · Pramāṇa