TOWN PLANNING IN

MEDIEVAL INDIA

NASEELATH
ATHUL
 BEGINNING OF MEDIEVAL ERA
-Medieval era in the Indian history begins from the
decline of Vedic era in the end of 6th century.

-During the period, a large number of kingdoms

flourished in the region:-
*The Mauryan and Gupta dynasty in the north.
*Cholas and Pandyavas in the south.
*Aghom dynasty of Assam.
*Rajput of Rajasthan.
*Hoslaya dynasty of Karnataka

-Great cities were developed and prospered.

-Religion, Military, and politics formed the basis of
city planning.
INFLUENCES
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
The Indian peninsular region majority followed Hinduism, until the spread of
Buddhism and Jainism onset of islam.
Under the patronage of kings , a lot of great temples were built which lead to
the development of very particular temple styles and other architectural fea-
tures in every region.
The temple and other religious building held an important place in their cities.
MILITARY INFLUENCE
During this period, there was constatnt threats from neighbouringregions, this
lead to extensive measures for security.
It was during this time, that the concept of fortification and defense city walls
was used widely.
Great scholar from vedic era and kautilya has provided detailed guide lines for
designing.
POLITICAL INFLUENCE
The king and the royal court were the seat of administration of kingdoms.
The palaces and forts were architectural marvels and occupied most prominent
location in the city.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDIEVAL INDIAN TOWN
-Medieval period in India was a transitional time and it was not possible under the unstable
political conditions for the planned and systematic urban growth.
-Towns along the main routes of travel, and by the river-side had trade in food grains, cloth,
swords, carpets, perfumes and several other handicraft articles.
-It was under Akbar that disturbed urban life was reconstituted and redeveloped. All centres
– ‘dasturs’ (districts) as well as ‘parganas’ (tehsils) beside capitals in nature were also ‘garrison
towns’ where armies were stationed for protection.
-Medieval towns were walled, encircled by an outside moat.
-It was usually governed by physically significant terrain- either on a hill flanked on the other
side by a water body, or it was guarded by a ring of mounds.
-It used to have its first nucleus often as a fortress of walled property of a landlord, its internal
roads being controlled to connect the market place lying directly before the gate of the castle
or place of worship. Nucleus of the town - were daily model of buying and selling, religious,
tournament and procession”.
-Urban centres of the medieval times were surrounded by agricultural land, and farmers and
labourers commonly were having their dwellings near or outside the town limit.
-The areas within the walls of a town near its bound were occupied by artisan castes engaged in
handicrafts.
CITY PLANNING
-The vedic era bestowed the world with vastushastra which formed the basis for design and
construction for centuries.
-All the medivial cities followed certain parts from it and kautilya later formulated detailed
regulations for defense purpose.
-The roads were generally irregular and narrow in the residential region, while the major roads
used by kings were wider.
-The cities were not made on a regular pattern to create a maze like plan for defense purposes.
-Roads generally radiated from a religious place or market place.
-The Residential Pattern observed strict hierarchy in terms of distance from the royal fort
situated on a mound. They developed along side or along the contours.
-The royal citadel must have a council hall in the center.
-The military is stationed within the fortress as a precaution against any invasion.
-Residential quarters is located towards the north, while the royal army and military occupy the
east and south sides.
-The houses for common mass generally known as Janabhavanas.
-The palaces and mansions for ruling class called the Rajbhavanas.
-The religious shrines known as Devabhavanas.
-Early medival town was dominated by church or monastry and castle of lords.
-Church plaza became a market place.
-Irregular pattern in planning was devised to confuse enemies.
-Open space , streets, plazas deleveloped as an integral part of site.
-Streets were used for pedestrian while wheels were restricted to main roads.

CITIES IN TWELTH & THERTINTH CENTURY

-The city of middle ages grew within the confins of walls.

-While the population was small, there was space in the town , but when it increased the build-
ing were packed more closely and open spaces were filled.
-Result was a intolerable congestion, lack of hygiene and pestilence.
THE MEDIEVAL DWELLING
-The medieval dwelling was conceived as an individual fortress.
-The average dwelling was two stories in height , the workroom and storage were on first or
basement. Sometimes kitechen was also located in there, living , dining and sleeping took place
on the second floor.
-Masonry was the usual construction , although wood frame filled with wattle and clay and
roofed with thatch for compression.

NOERDLINGEN
It shows the radial and lateral pattern of irregular road ways with the church plaza as the princi-
pal focal point of the town.
JAIPUR- PINK CITY
PLANNING
Jaipur lies at a distance of about 200 miles from Delhi, 150 miles from Agra and 84 miles from
Ajmer. Capital city of Rajasthan is located amidst the Aravali hill ranges at an altitude of about
430 m above sea level.
Military Reasons
Defence was an important consideration. A site at the South of Amber ensured greater distance
from Delhi and also prevented the expansion of the city in that direction. It was clear that the out
skirting hill ranges shaped as a horseshoe would allow the new city to expand only in the South.
So this flat site with a basin like shape was chosen. It was open plain bounded on the north-west
and east by hills.
Geographical Reasons
-The rocky terrain of Amber restricted expansion.
-Jaipur had the potentialities of developing into a city with adequate drinking water due to the
presence of a perennial stream nearby and good drainage system. Its rugged hills also ensured a
constant supply of building material, which might be required in the times to come.
-The generic plan of a medieval Rajasthani hill town- as in Dausa and Amber.
Layout plan of the Walled City of Jaipur
CONCEPTUAL PRASTARA PLAN
-It is a model of town planning- the first planned city in India. It is
based on Hindu systems of town planning and followed the principles
prescribed in the Shilpa-shastra, an ancient Indian treatise on archi-
tecture .according to this shastra the site should be divided into grids
or mandalas rangung from 2x 2 to 10 x 10.
-Thus plan of jaipur is a grid of 3x3 with gridlines being the city’s
main streets.
-The town has around it a masonry wall, 25ft. high & 9ft. thick, with
eight gates.
-The city’s division into nine wards was also in conformity with the
Hindu caste system, which necessitated the segregation of people
belonging to different communities and ranks.
-South of the main road were four almost equal rectangles.
-The rectangle opposite the palace has been broken up into two equal
and smaller rectangles by the Chaura Rasta.
-Thus altogether there are now five rectangles on the south of the
main road called Chowkris.
-On the North of the main road from West to East are the Purani
Basti, the Palace and Ramchandraji.
-Jaipur’s road network follows a definite hierarchy. The major
east-west and north-south road ,form the sector boundaries and
are called Rajmarg as they lead to the city gates.
-An orthogonal grid of 8.25mx4.00m roads in the pra-
stara-chessboard pattern further divide sectors into Mohallas.
Junctions of the main axial streets formed the two square civic
open spaces called chaupars.
-Historically, the chaupars were outlets for intense social use
with water structures connected by underground aqueducts,
supplying numerous sources of drinking water at street level.
-Presently, the centre of each chaupar has square enclosures with
ornamental fountains.
-The streets and chowks (central open squares in a town) of the
internal chowkries (sectors) with numerous clusters or mohallas
were not predetermined; hence show a mix of grid iron and or-
ganic pattern, with the basic unit of built form being the rectan-
gular haveli.
JODHPUR- BLUE CITY
PLANNING OF JODHPUR CITY
-Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief belonging to the Rathore clan.
-Rao Jodha succeeded in conquering the surrounding territory and thus founded a state which
came to be known as Marwar, that initially served as the capital of this state however, Jodhpur
soon took over that role.
-The city was located on the strategic road linking Delhi to Gujarat.
-The land area which is called jodhpur today was only a small portion of the grand marwar state
before independence.
-This city came to be known as Jodhpur or Jodhana or Jodhaji Ki Dhani and was the capital of
the Marwar state for five centuries
-Eventually Rao Jodha decided to shift base to a safer spot and moved from Mandore to Jodhpur
which he founded in 1459.
-It was a sage who suggested that Jodha establish his settlement on a craggy hill known as the
birds nest, which is now called Jodhpur.
-In 1459 there were no water bodies of consequence near Bhakurcheeria, and with the fort un-
der construction the settlement was largely undefended.
-The water problem was successfully tackled by Jodha’s queen Rani Jasmade who constructed a
tank at the base of Mehrangarh, today called Rani Sar, The Queen’s Lake.
- However, it was only after the ragged lines of Bhakurcheeria assumed a definite shape of forti-
fication thatpeople gradually began to migrate to Jodhpur, the new seat of power and potential
prosperity in the Thar.
-Like other medieval cities of consequence, Jodhpur was originally a walled city too.
-Jodha’s walled Jodhpur had four Pols or gates three of which still stand, though not in very good
condition.
-Jodha’s capital was small indeed, for these gates stand almost in the shadow of Bhakurcheeria.
-The city was located on the strategic road linking Delhi to Gujarat. This enabled it to profit from
a flourishingtrade in opium, copper, silk, sandals, date palms and coffee.
FORTS AND DEFENCE SYSTEM
-Kautilya in his Arthasasthra has described a number of forts to be raised on certain places in
different localities namely Sthaniya, Dronamukha, Kharvatika, Sangarahana etc.
-On all the four cardinal directions of the boundaries of the kingdom, defensive fortifications
against an enemy in war was constructed on grounds naturally best suited for the purpose.
-A water fortification , such as an island in the midst of a river, or a plain surrounded by low
ground.
-A mountainous fortification (parvata) such as a rocky tract or a cave.
-A desert fortification(dhanavana) such as a wild tract devoid of water and overgrown with
thicket growing in barren soil.
-Or a forest fortification (vanadurga) full of wagtail (khajana) water and thickets.
 REFERENCE

-https://www.slideshare.net/saumyakohli/architecture-and-planning-of-jaipur.
-https://www.slideshare.net/mathewsdijo/medieval-india.
-https://www.academia.edu/28716657/TOWN_PLANNING_IN_INDIA_