The Great Bath is one of the best-known structures among the ruins of the

Harappan Civilization Harappa (; Urdu/ pnb, ) is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation, now more often called the Indus Valley Civilisation, is named after the site, which takes its name from a mode ...

excavated at

Mohenjo-daro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, Pakistan.Great Bath
" Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 9 June 2010. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Great Bath was built in the third millennium BCE, soon after the raising of the "citadel" mound on which it is located.

Features

The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro is called the "earliest public water tank of the ancient world". It measures approximately by , with a maximum depth of . Two wide staircases, one from the north and one from the south, served as the entry to the structure. A ledge high extending the entire width of the bath is at the lower ends of these stairs. The sloping floor leads to a small outlet at the southwestern corner of the tank, connecting

corbelled arch A corbel arch (or corbeled / corbelled arch) is an arch-like construction method that uses the architectural technique of corbeling to span a space or void in a structure, such as an entranceway in a wall or as the span of a bridge. A corbel vaul ...

drain, which led the used water out of the bath.Kenoyer, slide
29
outlet and corbelled drain. The floor of the tank was watertight due to finely fitted bricks laid on edge with a gypsum plaster, and the side walls were constructed in a similar manner. To make the tank even more watertight, a thick layer of

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

(waterproof tar) was laid along the sides of the pool and presumably also on the floor. Brick colonnades were discovered on the eastern, northern and southern edges. The preserved columns had stepped edges that may have held wooden screens or window frames. Two large doors lead into the complex from the south and other access was from the north and east. A series of rooms were located along the eastern edge of the building and in one room was a well that may have supplied some of the water needed to fill the tank. Rainwater also may have been collected for the purpose, but no inlet drains have been found. It may have had a long bathing pool built with waterproof bricks.Kenoyer, slid
8 of 90

"Most scholars agree that this tank would have been used for special religious functions where water was used to purify and renew the well being of the bathers.This indicates the importance attached to ceremonial bathing in sacred tanks, pools and rivers since time immemorial." J. M. Kenoyer

College of Priests

Across the street of The Great Bath, there was a large building with several rooms and three verandas, and two staircases leading to the roof and upper floor. Considering the size and proximity to the Great Bath, this building is tentatively termed as the House of Priests and labelled as "College of Priests".

Gallery

File:The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro. Wellcome L0005461.jpg, During 1922-1927 archaeological excavations File:The_Great_Bath_of_Moenjodaro.jpg, Explanatory sign File:Mohenjo-daro.jpg, General view File:Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro 20160806 JYN-03.jpg, View of tank with both staircases File:The Great Bath of Moenjodaro by smn121-5.JPG, Staircase File:The Great Bath of Moenjodaro by smn121-6.JPG, Masonry detail

References

Bibliography

* Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark. Two sets of indexed images:
Mohenjo-daro!
', 103 slides. See "Great Bath, SD Area", slide

and
Around the Indus in 90 Slides
'

and slide
89

12
1995–2022. Accessed 2 July 2012, re-accessed 11 July 2022.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Bath, Mohenjo-Daro 1926 archaeological discoveries Archaeological sites in Sindh Bathing Buildings and structures completed in the 26th century BC Indus Valley civilisation sites Public baths