The University of Nalanda c18.48

c18.48

Another thing, though of little architectural importance, is the manner in which the joints are soldered. Hardly any plaster is visible. Again the width of the staircase unearthed in M. Nos. 1 and 4 and the exquisite polish on the staircase of the Stūpa No. 3 are but manifestations of the love of grandeur, beauty and symmetry of the architects of the Nālandā buildings. But, if these small details are an index of the architects' aesthetic sense, their sense of sanitation and hygiene are evident from the numerous drains that have been discovered in various monasteries. These drains, wonderfully enough, bear resemblance, on one hand, to those *paccā* built drainage-system of Mohenjo-daro and Harappā and on the other, to those of the present day.