kutch architecture

DESERT ARCHITECTURE IN

INDIA

DESERT ARCHITECTURE RUSTAM CHHABRA

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CONTENT

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Region 1.2 People 1.3 Living

CHAPTER 2- ARCHITECTURE

2.1Houses 2.2 Bhungas 2.3 Jhumpas 2.4 Sam Village 2.5 Khidrat Village 2.6 Hamlets Of Bani

CHAPTER 3- CONSTRUCTION

CHAPTER 4- CONCLUSION


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INDIAN DESERT

PARTS OF RAJASTHAN & GUJARAT :

THAR, the great Indian desert cover is over 27,800 sq. km.

Temperature in summers may vary from 30 to 50Celsius.

Whereas in winters it varies from 18 to 30 Celsius with chilly winds blowing.

Climate is hot and dry throughout the year.

Receives very little rainfall over the annual cycle.

Days are extremely hot while the nights are cold.

THE REGION

KUTCH

Kutch is an ancient land located in the north-western region of Gujarat. It takes its name from the word

katchua meaning tortoise, possibly due to its resemblance in shape to a tortoise.

The Rann of Kutch is a unique feature found nowhere else in the world. The entire area is covered with a

thick layer of salt mixed with sand creating a saline desert; there is no trace of vegetation in the area.

Droughts are a common feature and at times it may not rain for 3 or 4 years in a row.

Fig.1 - Kutch Region


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PEOPLE OF THE REGION

The arid climate, scorching heat, uncomfortable hot winds and erratic rainfall have combined to make the

area very sparsely populated.

There are several caste and community groups, and various classes of nomadic people who inhabit the

desert.

The Rajputs, the most dominant.

The Jats, a prominent farming community.

The Brahmins, the largest single group.

The Mahajans or Maheshwaris, known for their business and entrepreneurship skills.

The Banjara community, a kind of gypsy group who are travelling tradesman.

There are also some aboriginal tribes such as Bhils, Garasias, Kathodis, Saharaiyas, Rabaris, etc.

There is a small Muslim population also in the area.

Fig.2 - The Women In The Desert Wear Richly Embroidered Clothes And Elaborate Jewellery


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LIVING IN THE DESERT

Dwelling forms and the building methods used in the desert are rich expressions of creative instincts.

The results are not only aesthetically appealing but also innately functional.

In spite of the variations in individual villages and street and cluster formations in the region, the thematic

expressions therein are most commonly dictated by the materials, construction techniques and life-styles.

Fig.3 - Open spaces

Open spaces usually in the form of courtyards, balconies, terraces and platforms are common in the region, refer to

as outdoor activity spaces which are subject to climatic conditions.


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ARCHITECTURE:

HOUSES:

The most valuable things that come out of these constructions is a freshness and a humane environment often

unseen in many designed buildings.

These spaces are not only beautifully conceived, but also well defined.

The different type of houses are as follows:

- bhunga

- jhumpas

BHUNGA

The house in Banni is composed of the platform and single cell constructions, especially the circular bhunga. There

may be one, two or three such bhungas juxtaposed in a close spatial relationship.

One or two rectangular spaces called chokis may also be there, one of which is used for cooking. There are

smaller elements without definite shape, used for washing, bathing and at times for storage of fuel.

The platform is the main connecting element for different bhungas and chokis, which are never inter-connected

directly with one another. As the familys space increase, an additional space is constructed and it is connected to

the house by extending the platform to include the new space in the domain of the house.

Fig.4 - A Typical Floor Plan Of A Bhunga


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Fig.5 - Colourful Entrance Door Fig.6 - Traditional Patterns And Designs


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Fig.7 - Each Pillar, Post And Door Are Covered With Designs

Fig.8 - The Mud-Mirror Work Or Lippankam Inside A Bhunga Hut. The Shelves Built Onto The Walls And

Decorated With Inlayed Mirrors.


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JHUMPAS

Jhumpas are the dwelling units surrounded by a strong circular hedge of dead thorns with a wooden gate. On the

right, there are two open enclosures (one for the cattle and the other for the sheep and goats) and on the left open

spaces for the camels. The residential area comprising a circular dung plastered compound, enclosed by a wall; on

its circumference are located three jhumpas, all opening inward.

The jhumpas are circular huts, each with a radius of two meters or so. A thin plastered mud wall comes up to the

waist and on it is a roof of wood and straw. A centre pole supports the roof whose slanting sides rest on the wall

and the whole thing is secured by ropes. One jhumpa serves as a kitchen, the second as a fodder store and the

third as a store for keeping cereals and miscellaneous articles. In winter, the members of the family sleep in the

kitchen, the choolah fire keeping them warm. In summer they sleep in the compound.

Fig.9 - The Kitchen Is A Simple Place Fig.10 - Places Of Worship In A Courtyard

DWELLING PATTERNS

In order to understand the building traditions in the desert, the dwelling patterns have been grouped into three

broad categories. These form categories are identified as follows:

Dhanis

Villages- bastis

The hamlets of banni

DHANIS

A dhani is the most common form of rural settlement. Here individual houses are dispersed in the landscape fairly

apart from one another. The three such settlements included in this are:-Phukeri Dhani, Mangta and Tejya Vas

PHUKERI DHANI is actually formed by seven of these kind of farm houses. These farms depend on the rains and

therefore the people are engaged in other occupations such as woodwork in the off season.


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Surrounded by a metre high mud wall demarcating the outer court prevents windblown sand from entering the

court, thus protecting the living spaces.

The house is devoid of details and any kind of ornamentation except for its well-made wooden doors and charpais.

Fig.11 - Comparitive Plans Of Houses Of The Various Settlements

b. MANGTA:

This village also has the inner and the outer boundary walls with internal courts as main spaces besides the circular

and rectangular living rooms. Many animals, storage units, etc., constitute the household.

c. TEJYA VAS:

It is a cluster of houses near the village of Mangta. Here the house is constituted by similar jhumpas varying in

shapes and sizes around the courtyard. All the rooms have extended verandahs with no windows. For light and

ventilation, small gaps are left b/w the mud wall and the conical thatched roof. The roof of thatched reeds is worked

into a perfect conical shape and its tied at the centre at the highest point. The detached room situated on one side

of the entrance is for visitors segregating them from the private areas. The doors are made of rough wood and the

hardware used is minimal. Two small storerooms are used for storing grains.

Fig.12 - A House At Tejya Vas


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VILLAGES- BASTIS

In this category, the houses are either constructed out of stone as well as mud. Rectangular rooms with stone slabs

or rough wood, arranged in a geometric pattern around the courtyard constitute the basic plan form. There is

usually one circular space with a conical thatched roof sometimes used as a kitchen or store or even as the main

living space. The walls of the houses are either constructed out of sun baked mud bricks or undressed stone

plastered with mud.

Openings in the walls are small and few in number. The mud plastered walls are painted white at these openings

which makes them look larger. Since the flat roof slab is usable, a solid stair is provided which forms an imp. visual

element within the central court.

SAM VILLAGE

Situated at the west of Jaisalmer town. These house are constructed of random rubble masonry, bound with mud

mortar. Rooms are fairly large and spanned with rough wooden rafters closely arranged, with their bearings on

walls and stone pillars which have wide capitals. These rafters are covered with a layer of rubble and mud, often 25

to 30 cm thick. The heavy walls and thick roof keep the houses cool during summer days and warm during chilly

nights.

Fig.13 - Plan And Section Of A Roopsi House Fig.14 - Plan And Section Of A Sam House


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KHIDRAT VILLAGE

South of bikaner is a settlement made up of clusters of round jhumpas, unlike Roopsi and Sam villages. The

rectangular houses with tin and country tile roofs are set apart from the rest of the village and are obviously a

contemporary development.

The most spectacular element is a conical thatched roof in three layers. In summer, when the temp.is unbearable,

these mud plastered weed jhumpas are the coolest places. The bottom of the roof almost touches the head of a

man. The inside dimensions are just sufficient to hold two charpais.

There is no water supply, drainage system or electricity in these villages. Only occasionally a few houses may have

electricity. The water has to be brought from the village well and thus water storage assumes great importance. So

due importance is given to the water pots and water storage.

Each house has about half a dozen brass or earthen pots for water storage and these are neatly stacked in the

courtyard. The stacking place is neatly maintained and people do not go near it with their shoes on as mark of

respect.

THE HAMLETS OF BANNI

Clusters are formed according to community groups and are separated by a few hundred metres. The dwelling units

are the bhungas , varies from 3 to 6 m dia.

Fig.15 - Plan Of Dhordo, A Small Hamlet In Banni


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CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS:

Building materials had much to do, both with organization of architectural spaces and with the aesthetic

treatment of facades, elements and surfaces.

Earth materials like MUD and STONE have been important building materials in the desert due to local

availability.

Construction materials are limited to CLAY, WOODEN STICKS and THATCH which has resulted in a uniform

character throughout the settlements in the region.

The thatch consists of the main twigs from the food grains they produce which are jowar and banjara (millet).

These are straight sticks about 1 cm in dia and 1 to 1.5m long, tightly secured at the centre and then either

spread around in a conical shape or perched straight.

Roofs are made of WOOD, TWIGS, REEDS and MUD though at least one room has a thatched roof which is a

better insulator.

To live in mud houses one needs time to repair and maintain them. Mud replastering is done every year after

the rains.

The walls of the bhunga are usually constructed in two ways depending upon the location.

In places which are not likely to face inundation during the rains, the walls are made of sun- dried clay blocks

and finished with mud plaster. These walls cannot carry the load of the roof. The roof load is cleverly

transferred above head level. A wooden prop placed in the centre of the beam, supports the conical roof and

helps transfer the load to the posts through the beam.

The two posts carrying the beam are either placed outside the circular wall and left exposed ar are embedded

in the mud wall.

Fig.16 - Wooden Beams And Posts Support The Roof Since The Mud Walls Are Not Structurally Strong

Enough


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Fig.17 - Details

In the areas which face waterlogging, bhungas are built with wooden sticks covered with mud plaster. These

reinforced walls have a far greater load-carrying capacity. For the roof, a wooden frame is made of sticks which

rises from the wall and is tied at the crown to create the cone. The cone is surfaced externally with thatch. The

interiors is finished with white clay. Intense heat is countered by its thick mud walls and thick thatched roof.


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Fig.18 - External Surfaces Of Mud Are Treated With Finger Patterns; While They May Appear As Forms Of

Decoration, They In Fact Help In Minimising Shrinkage Cracks

Fig.19 - A Mud Wall Reinforced With Sticks


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CONCLUSION:

The fundamental functions of buildings are explained and their development since the modern period is briefly

described. It is clearly seen that there are two distinct separations of architectural movement: the contemporary and

the traditional. While the former has hardly proved successfully, the latter seems to gain a renewal of interest. For

building designs, the factors which have been affected, are considered. The concept of the central courtyard for

desert architecture as a main strategy is explained. The small courtyard is an excellent thermal regulator. This is

because, if the courtyards size is kept small enough to achieve shade during the day, it will allow less thermal

impact and more heat dissipation from surrounding indoor spaces. The solutions have nevertheless been

suggested, which lead to the trends in desert architectural design.

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kutch architecture