The Architectural Legacy of Harappan Civilization in Gujarat: Planning, Construction, and Sustainability
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Abstract
The Harappan Civilization (c. 3300–1300 BCE) produced one of the ancient world's most sophisticated traditions of urban planning and construction, and the Gujarat region of western India preserves some of its most distinctive architectural achievements. This paper examines the architectural legacy of the Harappan settlements of Gujarat, focusing on the interlinked themes of settlement planning, construction technology, and environmental sustainability. Drawing upon recent archaeological scholarship and geospatial studies published between 2016 and 2024, it argues that Gujarat functioned as a laboratory of architectural experimentation in which the shared conventions of Harappan urbanism—grid planning, standardized bricks, and integrated drainage—were adapted to a semi-arid, coastal, and stone-rich environment. Two sites receive particular attention: Dholavira, whose stepped rock-cut reservoirs and dressed-stone fortifications represent the apogee of Harappan hydraulic engineering, and Lothal, whose trapezoidal basin, recently reconfirmed as a tidal dockyard through satellite and geomorphological analysis, embodies the integration of maritime infrastructure with urban form. The paper concludes that the Harappan architectural achievements of Gujarat offer enduring lessons for contemporary debates on water security, climate adaptation, and sustainable urban design.
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