The Indus Civilization c5.5

c5.5

Building regulations seem to have been strictly enforced in Mohenjo-daro for many years, and the greatest care was taken to prevent any structure from encroaching upon the streets. In actual practice, the latter grew wider as time went on. This was due to the fact that, from earliest times, the walls of both houses and public buildings were constructed with a pronounced batter or slope (Pl. E, b. c), which was always preserved by the masons when any raising or rebuilding had to be done. Cases of encroachment are, therefore, extremely rare in the lower strata of the city, which, although they were not so thickly populated, must have been extremely prosperous, to judge from the excellent masonry and carefully built houses. A very different state of affairs prevails at the latest levels, for here even streets and lanes were built upon, and the original lay-out of the city came to be disregarded. These levels, however, mark the period of Mohenjo-daro’s decline, and it is obvious that municipal law and order must then have been at a very low ebb.