Ancient Indian Cities are cities which were in existance before the arrival of Islam in India in the 8th Century. The ancient Indian Cities includes the cities, towns, villages in the localities of concentrated human settlements of ancient India as mentioned in the Epics(Mahabharata and Ramayana as well as the Puranas). The ancient Indian cities depict thevast and diversified culture of Ancient India.

The India of the past is revealed while knowing of the ancient Indian cities. We can understand that there were many ancient cities. The cities are the same in the modern times except that their names are changed. There are certain cities that are not existing today just because of the fact that they could not stand the test of time. India is a beautiful abode that reflects the wonders of a diversified culture.

The ancient cities of India were:

Aror is located 8 km east of Rohri in Sindh, Pakistan. It was the ancient capital of Sindh and was once located on the banks of river Indus. The city was once the center of commerce and trade. The main language spoken by the people here are Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi. The religions followed by the people of Aror are Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.

Kannauj was one of the beautiful cities 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." Kanauj was a place of historical significance. It became a new district of U.P.Province on September 18, 1997.

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

Kalibangan is a town in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. The town is situated on the banks of Ghaggar River. The city of Kalibangan is the third important city among excavated Harappan sites. The word Kalibangan is derived from two words as Kala and bhangan. Kali means black and bhangan means bangle. It got its name from the myriad pieces of terracotta bangles excavated here.

Sravasti is an important Buddhist center located in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. This city has the honor of for sheltering Buddha for 24 rainy seasons in the Jetvana Gardens.

Sagala is believed to be modern Sialkot, which is located in northern Punjab, Pakistan. Sagala was a great center of trade and commerce.

Sitanagaram is a small and ancient site located in Guntur district of India.

Hansi is a town in the Hisar District of Haryana in India. The city of Hansi has 5 gates to enter Delhi. They are the Delhi gate at the East, Hisar gate at the West, Gosain gate at North-West, Barsi gate at South and Umra gate (South west). The important trait of this town is that the altitude increases as we enter the from any of the gates.
Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.

Kalpi is a city in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. Kalpi is the birthplace of Ved Vyas, who was the author of Mahabharata. Kalpi is renowned for paper making.

Bhinmal is a town in the Jalore district of Rajasthan. Bhinmal was the capital of ancient Gujarat. The earlier name of Bhinmal was Bhillamala. Bhinmal was also known as Sriaml.

Tamralipta is the name of an ancient city situated on the Bay of Bengal. Now the place is known as Tamluk. Tamluk derives its name from the Sanskrit word Tamra Lipta meaning "Full of Copper".


Urayur is located in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The word Urayur in Tamil means "the residence".

Dwarka is a state in Gujarat. According to the Hindu mythology Dwarka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. The meaning of the word Dwarka means "door".

Ujjain is located on the banks of river Shipra. According to Hindu Mythology, Shirpa has originated from the churning of the Oceans by the Gods and the Demons, with Vasuki, the serpent as the rope.

Osian or Osiyan is an ancient city that is approximately 65 kms from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The city has a number of temples and is a famous tourist spot. Osian is considered as an oasis in the dessert of Rajasthan

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 found out by an Asura named Banasur.
Chunar is located in the Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh state. Chunar is well-known for its pottery work especially clay toys.