Parallel Walls 6

Published in ARASI 1924-25, Plate XXIV (c). Title: ‘Harappa: Mound F, A Large Brick Building Consisting of Two Series of Parallel Walls with an Open Corridor Between Them’

Sahni referred to this photograph to note the “most important architectural discovery” of the year:
“The most important architectural discovery (Plate XXIV, c) of the year was made about the centre of this mound which, though only partially, exposed, already embraces an area of 106' from east to west by 122' from north to south. The purpose and character of this building are shrouded in mystery, but it may be hoped that further exploration will supply the explanation. I was led to the examination of this portion of the site by the existence of two solidly built walls running parallel to each other without any party walls which had been brought to light here in the preceding ·year, but the exact meaning of which could not be ascertained. With these walls as a starting point, the excavation was taken in hand and great was my surprise when the operations continued to reveal, in quick succession at narrow intervals, wall after wall, until I had a series of 14 of them, all running parallel to each other· and of the same length namely 51’9". All of them terminated on the west on an open corridor 24 feet wide beyond which stretched a similar set ,of walls in precise correlation with those in the opposite series. So far only six of the walls have been found on the west, but there seems no doubt that when the excavation is continued each of the walls in the eastern row will be found to have its counterpart on the other side. These walls exhibit two distinct types, namely, a stouter kind and a thinner type. The former type is 9' in width in the lower portion which is composed of clean indurated clay obtained from the bed of the river and secured on all sides with retaining walls of burnt brick. The upper portion is built solidly of burnt bricks, the total extant height of the wall being eight feet. The thinner walls have no clay-core but are constructed throughout with burnt bricks. All these walls rise from an uniform level at the depth of 12' below the surface of the mound, and: have finished ends towards the central aisle. At the other extremities, however, they are somewhat broken, but it seems as though they will be found to extend further out but to what distance it cannot be ascertained in the present state of our knowledge. It is curious that the walls of the thicker type are ranged approximately at equal distances from each other, the intervals between them being 17 to 18 feet and had it not been for the thin walls, which intervene between them, it might have been thought that they enclosed a series of spacious rooms.”

- Daya Ram Sahni, ARASI 1924-25, p. 76.

In describing ‘The Great Granary Area’ Vats quoted the above by Sahni, and noted:
“In January 1921, Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni sank in the north-western part of this mound the diagonal Trench A, 16 ft. wide and 500 ft. long from south-east to north-west, starting from the centre of the mound and reaching almost to its northern end (Pl. I). In the course of his operations here he succeeded in tracing out, in 1923-24, a little more than the southern half of the Eastern Block of the Great Granary and a small part of the Western Block also. In describing the portion uncovered by him the Rai Bahadur observed, that ‘The most important discovery …..to have its counterpart on the other side’. [footnote 2: A.S.R. for 1924-25, p. 76] That the Western Block was an exact counterpart of the Eastern one became apparent from the plan which I was able to trace out completely in the years 1926-27 and 1928-29 (Pls. II and VI). Taken individually each block covers an area of 150 [footnote 3*] ft. from north to south by 56 ft. from east to west and is connected with the other by means of an aisle or passage 23 ft. wide between them.” [Vats 1940, Vol. I, pp. 17-8]

*Footnote 3: “With the rectangular battered additions at the outer ends the length is 159 ft. and with the retaining wall and common foundation wall 170 ft.

“A fact worth noticing in connection with the excavation of these granaries was the complete dearth of those small finds which are met with in such large numbers among the residential buildings. Indeed, the only objects that merit notice at all are three large and broken earthenware jars Nos. 10232 a-c, of which two are napiform and one carrot shaped. [footnote 1, cf. M.I.C., Pl. LXXXV, 8]. These were found lying together near the south end of the central aisle in front of the flight of steps attached to the Eastern Block.” [Vats 1940, Vol. I, p. 22]

- Vats, M.S. 1940. Excavations at Harappa: Being an Account of Archaeological Excavations at Harappa Carried out Between the Years 1920-21 and 1933-34, Delhi: Manager of Publications, Vol. I, pp. 17-22.

Note: Sahni mentions a building with parallel walls, and both, the “thinner” and “thicker” walls are visible in the photograph, as is a superintendent archaeologist, who is standing on the right, most likely Daya Ram Sahni.

To follow Vats’s description of the building and the area, the photograph is of the Eastern Block of the Great Granary.

See also Plate III, in Vats 1940 Vol. II, for a ‘Plan of the Great Granary Area’

ASI Number: 
1262/86
Punjab Volume: 
Silver Plate: 
518