Description of Mohenjo-daro’s tank complex and the Great Baath

Give a detailed description of Mohenjo-daro’s tank complex and the Great Baath.

The tank complex of Mohen-jo-daro, known as the Great Baths, is believed to be the first public water tank in the ancient world, measuring approximately 12 meters north-south and 7 meters east-west , which has a maximum depth of 2.4 m. Two sets of steps, one each on the northern and southern sides, led to the base of the tank. To avoid leakage of water from the tank, impermeable gypsum-mortar was used in the brick-on-edge floor of the tank as well as in the sidewalks. A corbeled drain in the south-west corner of the tank floor was used to drain the used water. A courtyard and a pillared corridor ran one after the other around the pond.

One of the rooms, found behind one of the three corridors, has a double-lined brick well, which apparently supplied water to the tank. Most scholars are of the view that this elaborate building was not only used for public bathing, but may also have had some religious significance, where water was used to purify and renew the well-being of bathers in particular religious functions. was done for. Similarly, at Dholavira, two water tanks with a well in the south-western part of the palace were identified as an interconnected complex.

Of these, the large tank   has competently built floors with smoldering stones, up to a certain height the side walls are lined with large limestone slabs and the superstructure with dressed stones. The northern side of the tank was provided with a flight of stairs only to the halfway point and not to the floor as usual practice. A pit was arranged in the center of this tank, possibly allowing dirty water to accumulate there during periodic cleaning of the tank.

A small orifice was also observed in the tank for easy disposal of the bulk of the water. Presumably it was connected to a sewage drain under nearby Broadway. Viscous, brown clay, highly impervious to water, was used in masonry work to make the tank leak-proof. The smaller tanks were more or less the same except for the larger ones, with the exception being that stairs were provided to the floor of the tank. The common source of water supply for both these tanks was from a nearby well, which was connected to a higher inlet drain. Nevertheless, Lothal also offers the interesting feature of the paved brick lined basin,

Practically rectangular in shape and 219 by 37 meters in size, it was situated just east of the parish of Lothal. The brick walls of the sunken enclosure are 4.5 meters high. A platform adjoins the city limits and allows easy access to the Warehouse and the Acropolis. In addition, two inlets were also observed, which supported the entry of water into the tank, on a northern and southern wall, which were 12 m and 7 m in width. 

In addition, a spillway was provided in the southern wall for surplus water to exit. 62 Excavators have identified this reservoir as a dock; however, elements of doubt still remain about the apparent function of this brick-lined enclosure and are still in question. Some scholars believe it was a tank (in fact, none of this tank versus dockyard options are completely convincing. Barring these functional utility theories, it is one of the ancient and largest artificial water bodies). Represents one of the holding basins, indicating the improved hydraulic technology developed by the Harappans.

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