Which one among the following is not the characteristic feature of the Harappan settlement ?

The characteristic features of Harappan urban planning included a high degree of privacy and sophisticated drainage. Residential buildings were designed such that main entrances did not provide a direct view of the interior, and windows were generally absent from ground-level walls, meaning doorways typically faced side lanes rather than main streets [3]. Houses were equipped with separate bathing areas paved with bricks and connected to street drains [3]. For multi-storey houses, water chutes and drains were often integrated into the thickness of the walls to carry waste from upper floors [3]. However, the statement that only the citadel was walled is incorrect. While the settlement was divided into a citadel and a lower town [4], archaeological evidence from sites like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa shows that the lower town was also frequently walled, and in some cases, like Dholavira, the entire settlement was fortified [2].

Sources

1. [3] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones > A Planned Urban Centre > p. 5
2. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones > 3.2 Domestic architecture > p. 7
3. [4] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 6: The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation > Water Management > p. 94