Ancient Indian cities reveal facts about the different civilisations of the country. The mode of daily life, customs, cultures, celebrations, festivals, religious observances, caste system, sports activities, education, and position of women, architecture, or any other possible facet of the past can be studied through the ancient Indian cities. Indeed, it can also be comprehended that most of the contemporary Indian cultural refinement has been heavily borrowed and inspired form these ancient Indian cities.

The ancient cities of India possess well-planned streets, art of pottery, drainage ditches, bulky granaries and large bath sources for ritual cleansing. Constructed on a raised platform, most of the major buildings were made from brick. There also existed some small, two-room structures to enormous houses with two-storied with courtyards. The history of ancient cities and civilisations in India is of the ages or eras in the evolution of Indian history generally, commencing from pre-historic era to the colonial era of modern India. The history of ancient civilisation of India can be traced back to the Bronze Age, beginning from 3300 to 1300 BCE, which had disseminated and prospered in the north western part of Indian subcontinent. Ancient Indian cities have been described to belong to that bunch, which had existed before the arrival of Islam into India, precisely prior to the 8th century. The ancient Indian cities bearing depict and represent the vast and diversified culture of India. From archaeological and repeated historical accounts, it can be comprehended that there did exist an astounding number of ancient cities, each bearing its distinctive quality. And the most intriguing fact about these ancient cities is that they have remained the same with slight dash of contemporaneity. Modern Indian cities have verily grown upon the ruins of the ancient cities in India.

Some of the popular ancient Indian cities are mentioned below -
Aror is located 8 km east of Rohri in present day Sindh, Pakistan. It had served as the ancient capital of Sindh and was once located on the banks of Indus River. The city was once the prime nucleus centre of commerce and trade. The main languages spoken by the people are Hindi language, Urdu language, Punjabi language and Sindhi language. The religions followed are Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.

Kannauj was one of the most beautiful ancient cities in India that was ruled by different rulers. The city was described as a city which raised its head to the skies and which in strength and beauty might boast of being unrivalled. Kannauj has incessantly served as a place of immense historical significance. The city had, much later, become a new district of the Uttar Pradesh on September 18th, 1997.

Bairat is a much celebrated and momentous town in the northern Jaipur District of Rajasthan. It is located 52 km north of Jaipur and 66 km west of Alwar.

Kalibangan is a town situated in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. The town is precisely located upon the banks of Ghaggar River. This ancient city of India has been considered as the third important city amongst all the excavated Harappan sites, under the Indus Valley Civilization. The city had received its name from the innumerable pieces of terracotta bangles that were excavated here.

Sravasti is an exceedingly substantial Buddhist religious and research centre, located in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh.

Sagala is believed to be the modern day Sialkot, and it had once served as a great centre of trade and commerce, filled with business prospects.

Sitanagaram is a small and humble and ancient site located in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

Hansi is a town in the Hisar District of Haryana. The ancient city of Hansi is known to possess five gates to enter Delhi. It majestically incorporate the Delhi Gate at the East, Hisar gate at the West, Gosain gate at North-West, Barsi Gate at South and Umra gate in the south west direction.

Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.

Kalpi is an ancient city of India, in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. Kalpi rather seizes stronghold from its sisterly counterparts, due to being conceived as the birthplace of sage Ved Vyas. The city of Kalpi is also renowned for its art of paper making.

Bhinmal is a town in the Jalore district of Rajasthan. Bhinmal had once served as the capital of ancient Gujarat. The earlier name of Bhinmal was Bhillamala.

Tamralipta is the name of another important ancient city of West Bengal. Now the place is however identified as Tamluk. Tamluk derives its name from the Sanskrit word Tamra Lipta meaning `Full of Copper`.

Urayur is an ancient city located in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Dwarka is another ancient city situated in Gujarat. According to Hindu mythology, Dwarka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. The meaning of the word Dwarka implies a `door`.

Ujjain is located on the banks of Shipra River in Madhya Pradesh. According to Hindu Mythology, Shipra had originated from the much admired churning of the oceans by the Gods and the Demons, with Vasuki, the serpent, serving as the rope. Osiyan is another ancient city that is approximately located at a distance of 65 km from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The city houses a number of temples and is presently a famous tourist spot.

Bayana is a town in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. The ancient name of the city was Sripatha or Sriprashtha or Shantipura. The city is claimed to have been discovered rather accidentally by an asura named Banasur. Chunar is located in the Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh state. Chunar is well-known and intimately in style for its pottery work, especially clay toys.

Some of the other legendary ancient cities in India, much respected for its excavation finds and historical wonders include - Sopara, Agroha, Kurukshetra, Paithan, Vallabhi, Kalinjar and Tirunelveli.

The Indus Valley Civilisation, with their huge cultural wonders, was primarily based upon the cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Ancient cities in India are known for their distinctive cultural ethos, with the populace known to have been much civilised and for their well structured societies.