Editing Architecture of India (section)

==Indus Valley Civilization (2600 BCE – 1900 BCE)==
{{Main|Ancient Indian architecture|Harappan architecture}}
The [[Indus Valley civilization]] covered a large area around and beyond the [[Indus River]] basin in the late [[Bronze Age India|Bronze Age of India]]. In its mature phase, from about 2600 to 1900 BCE, the civilization developed several cities marked by great uniformity within and between sites, including [[Harappa]], [[Lothal]], and the [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] [[Mohenjo-daro]].
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| image1 = Dholavira Layout.jpg
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| caption1 = Layout of [[Dholavira]]
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| caption2 = Layout of [[Kalibangan]]
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| header = Planning of Indus valley civilization cities
| image3 = The drainage system at Lothal 2.JPG
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| caption3 = The drainage system at [[Lothal]]
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The civic and [[town planning]] and the engineering of these cities are deemed remarkable, but the building designs are "of a startling utilitarian character". There are [[granary|granaries]], drains, water-courses and tanks, but neither palaces nor temples have been identified, though cities have a central raised and fortified "citadel".<ref>Rowland, 31–34, 32 quoted; Harle, 15–18</ref> Mohenjo-daro has wells which may be the predecessors of the [[stepwell]].<ref name=L&B2/> As many as 700 wells have been discovered in just one section of the city, leading scholars to believe that 'cylindrical brick lined wells' were invented by the Indus Valley Civilization.<ref name=L&B2>Livingstone & Beach, 19</ref>

Architectural decoration is extremely minimal, though there are "narrow pointed niches" inside some buildings. Most of the art found is in miniature forms like seals, and mainly in [[terracotta]], but there are very few larger sculptures of figures. In most sites, fired mud-brick (not sun-baked as in [[Mesopotamia]]) is used exclusively as the building material, but a few sites, such as [[Dholavira]], are in stone. Most houses have two storeys, and uniform sizes and plans. The large cities declined relatively quickly, for unknown reasons, so a less sophisticated village culture was left behind.<ref>Rowland, 31–34, 33 quoted; Harle, 15–18</ref>

After the collapse of the Mature Harappan Period, some cities still remained urban and inhabited. Sites like [[Bet Dwarka]] in Gujarat, Kudwala (38.1 ha) in Cholistan, and [[Daimabad]] (20 Ha) in Maharashtra are considered urban. [[Daimabad]] (2000–1000 BC), developed a fortification wall with bastions in its [[Jorwe culture]] period (1400–1000 BC), and had public buildings, such as an elliptical temple and an apsidal temple. It also shows evidence of planning in the layout of rectangular houses, and streets or lanes, and planned streets. The area had risen to 50 hectares in with a population of 10,000 people. A {{convert|580|m|adj=on}} long protection wall dated 1500 BCE was found at Bet Dwarka which was believed to be damaged and submerged following a sea storm.<ref>U. Singh (2008), pp. 181, 223</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOJ8aT3xYPoC&q=daimabad+elliptical+temple&pg=PA94|title=The City and the Country in Early India: A Study of Malwa|last=Basant|first=P. K.|date=2012|publisher=Primus Books|isbn=9789380607153|language=en}}</ref>