Vernacular Architecture of Kashmir

Vernacular Architecture 0f Kashmir

With courtesy to all the source of Information

Link for the Video lecture
https://youtu.be/QdtHV_WeQ5I

1. VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
OF KASHMIR
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE WESTERN
AND NORTHERN REGIONS OF INDIA
Form, Spatial planning, Cultural aspects, Symbolism,
color, Art, Materials of construction and techniques
Ar. S.BalaHariKrishnan, Assistant Professor,
PMIST

2. KashmiristheNorthernmostgeographicalregionoftheIndianSubcontinent.
ThecultureofKashmirishighlyinfluencedbyNorthern,SouthAsian,PersianaswellasCentralAsianculture.Alongwithitsscenicbeauty,Kashmirisfamousforits
Culturalheritage;itamalgamatesHindu,Sikh&MuslimandBuddhistPhilosophiesandhasinvolvedcompositeculturebasedonthevaluesofHumanismandtolerance
whichiscollectivelyknownasKashmiriyat.
KASHMIR

3. The Landscape of the region
follows the Jhelum river.
Settlements are established some
distance away on the steep slopes
of the adjacent mountains.
Theclimateofthevalleyof
Kashmirhasitsown
peculiarities.Theseasonsare
markedwithsuddenchange.
Prone to Earth quake
and landslides
Agricultureistheoccupationof
mostofthepeople.Theywerealso
involvedinmakingartifactsand
artisticworks.

4. Spring Summer Rainy season Autumn Winter Ice cold season
Sont Retkol Waharat Harud Wandah Sishur
16 March to 15 May 16 May to 15 July 16 July to 15 September16 September to 15 November 16 November to
15 January
16 January to
15 March
thevalleybecomesa
blanketofemerald
greengrass.In
Springshowersare
frequent
themountainsaredark
blueincolorwithsnow
cappedpeaks,clear
streams,coolsprings,
beautifullakesandpine
forest.Thunderstorms
cooltheairon
excessiveheatduring
June.
Valleyreceiverainfall
with dark clouds
touchingthemountains.
JulyandAugustwitness
showersbutarenot
frequent.
InSeptembertemperature
beginstofallandthenights
becomecool.Followedbysame
kindinOctoberandNovember.
Startsreceiving
snowfallmaking
itpleasant.Inthe
endofDecember
heavysnowfall
willstart.
Intensecoldmakes
winteraveryharsh
climate for
commonpeople
and animals.
Intense cold
prevails till
February.

5. Mohallas–Streets
Thestreetsweredevelopedonthebasisof
theirOccupationandClan.
Asmoreandmoremembersofthefamily
becameassociatedwithtraditionalcraftsand
skills,mohallasdevelopedasacloseknit
community.
Similarlyclanorfamilybasedmohallasalso
grewinthecoreareas.By19
th
centurythe
cityhadmohallasbearingnameslike
Qalamdanpora,SheeshgariMohalla,Banduk
KharMohalla,BhandMohalla,Razdan
Kucha,MirMohalla.
Ziarats,templesandshrinesbecamethefocal
pointsaroundwhichlargehabitationswere
established.Worshipplacesbecamethe
centerofsettlements
Theriverfrontandtheareasalongthecanals
likeNalaMarwitnessedcontinuousarrayof
houseswithprojectingwoodenbalconies,
intricatelatticeworkandwindowscreens
facingthewaterfront.
Asignificanturbanfeatureofthewaterfront
wasintheformofghats.Theghatsservedas
landingplacesforthetransportation.
SETTLEMENT PATTERN

6. TheArchitectureofSrinagarwithitssteeplypitchedgable
roofsatopbrickandwoodenstructuresremindsoneof
themedievalEuropeancity.Itsstillaliveandlivedinasit
hasbeenforcenturies.
Invicinityareamixtureofbuildingsbuiltandrebuilt
overthelast300yearsinacompatiblestyle.Andwithits
economybasedonhandicraftsandcarpetweaving,
Srinagarneverhadthelocalwealthnecessaryto
undertakeamassiverebuildingofthecity.
Basedonmethodofconstructionthedwellingswereof
Gujjar’shouse(Shepherds)
FoundalongBanihalpassandonmountains.
Ruralhousesinvillages
UrbanhousesinTown
(Taq&DhajjiDewarisystemsofconstruction)
HouseBoats.
ARCHITECTURE OF DWELLING UNITS

7. Thetraditionalbuildingsareoftwocategoriesonthe
basisofplanform:SquareplanandLinearplan.These
dwellingswereoccupiedbyJointfamilies.Mostlythey
weresquareinplanhavingwindowsonallsides.
Distributionoffunctionissymmetrical.Symmetryisa
basicprincipleforearthquakeresistancestructures.
Mainentranceopeningintoacentrallylocated
staircaselobby.Spaceunderneaththecentrallylocated
staircaseisusedasastoragespace(ganjeen).
TypicallyDoorwillbeplacedinthewallseparating
privatecourtfromthestreet.Thecourtisflankedby
oneortworoomsoneitherside,ingroundaswellasfirst
floor.
Groundfloorhousestheheatedlivingroomwith
cookinganddiningareas;Bedroomsonfirstand
secondfloor.
Apartofthelobbyonthefirstfloorisusuallyconverted
intoasmallerroom(kuther)overthemainentranceon
groundfloor.Thisinsomecasesalso enclosesa
projectingwoodenbaywindow(dub).
Topmostfloorisalargeroomwithmanywindows.
Traditionaluseofthisroomisduringsummersin
ordertotakeadvantageofcoolbreeze.Alsousedfor
gatheringsandsocialevents.Inwintersusedforstorage.
ARCHITECTURE OF URBAN HOUSES
Ground Floor plan
First Floor plan
Isometric view of the dwelling units

8. TheW.Cisusuallydetachedfromthehouseandsetin
thecornerofthefrontcourt,whilethe bathroom
usuallyconsistsofsmallroomnexttothehotwater
tapbehindthekitchenstove.
Internaldivisionsconsistofthinnerpartitionwalls
oftenofwattleandDaub,madefromtimberframing,
in-filledwithreedsandplasteredwithamixofmud
andanimaldung.
Theouterwalloftheoverallsquareisconstructedasa
heavystonemasonrywall,forbothstructuraland
climaticpurposes.
Traditionallywindowsbeingclosedwithtwosetof
shutters,insidebeingofsolidwood,outsidewithjalli-
anopenfiligreeofcarvedwood.Oilednewspaperwas
gluedontothejallishutterstoadmitlightintothe
housesduringwinters.
Thebuildingtypeconservesenergybyreducingair
infiltrationthroughwindows,byinsulationinthe
thickearthroofandwall.
Insomeofthecases,thelowerlevelconsistsofa
masonryplatformwhichmaybeoccupiedbyanimalsand
forgrainstorage.Clearheight8-9feet.Upperfloorshave
highceiling.
ARCHITECTURE OF URBAN HOUSES

10. MUDandCOWDUNG: The
bondingmaterials usedfor
masonryisamixtureofmudand
cow-dungwhichhasadequate
bondingpropertieswithstoneand
brick.
Theweakmortarperhapsallowsa
certaindegreeofmovementand
plasticityintotalwall.Kashmiri
housesreflectanadaptationtothe
threatofearthquakesthrough
interlacingofheavytimbers
withintheplaneofexteriorofthe
heavymasonrybuildings.
STONE:Theheavystone
wallsthatformthe
masonryboxatthelower
levelaretiedhorizontally
atvariouslevelswith
timberbands.These
bandsareusuallyatsill
andlintellevel.
WOOD:Timberstructures
havehighresistanceto
earthquakes.Timberisan
organicmaterialandtheir
cellulosefibermakesthem
highlyeffectiveundertake
tensilestresses.
MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

11. The‘DajjiDewar’isamuchthinnerandlighter
formofwallconstructionitconsistoftimber
framingwithinfillsofbrick.Infewcasestheinfill
willbeofStonemasonry.
Inthistypethewallswillhavegreaterductility
anddamping.
Inadditiontothisthehorizontalandvertical
cageformedbythetimberarebraceddiagonally
againstshear.Thiscrossmemberisusuallyatthe
corner,butlendstheentireframingaresistance
againstshear.
Thecloselyplacedtimberstuds prevents
propagationofshearcracks.Thisframingalso
resultsinbreakinguptheupperlevelmasonrywalls
intosmallermultiplepanels,eachofwhichare
independent.
Thecollapseofanyonepanelwillnotresultinthe
completecollapseofthewallandthereforethe
structure.
Smallmasonrypanelssurroundedbytimber
elementshavegreatersafetyagainstoutofplane
collapse.
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
DAJJI DEWAR

12. Theprinciplefeaturesofthesesystemsare:
Inthissystemofconstruction2’6”–3’0”thickbrickmasonry
pierssupportingwoodenfloorbeams formedthebasic
structuralsystemofthebuilding.
Thedistancebetweenthetwobrickpiersusedtobenormally
around3’0”–4’0”andwasknownastaq.Thetaqthusformed
thebasicstructuralbayofthebuilding.
Thegapinbetweeneachtaqwouldbefilledinwitheithera
windowopeningorbrickmasonry .Normallytheinner
facingofthestructurewouldbemadeofsundriedbrick
(khamseer)orrubbleinfill.
Thesuperstructureusuallyrestedona3’0”–4’0”highstone
plinth,constructedinrandomrubblemasonry.
Aseriesoftwinwooden(deodar)tiebeamsasdas(plinth)
separatedthestonemasonryfromburntbrickmasonryof
thesuperstructureandactedasanisolateddiaphragmin
betweentwolayers.
Inmanycasesthegroundfloorwasalsoconstructedinrandom
rubblemasonry.Thesuperstructurethusbehavedasa
framedstructure,whichaccountsforconsiderablesuccess
thatthesebuildingsexhibitedinwithstandingearthquakes.
CONSTRUCTION METHODS – TAQ SYSTEM

13. Aninterestingfeatureofmanysuchbuildingsis
theabsenceoftrusssystemsupportingthe
roof.Theroofcomprisedalayerofearth
coveringoverbirchbarkandwoodenplanks
restingonwoodenrafters.
Therafterswereinturnsupportedona
woodenlog(narKooth),runningalongthe
entirelengthofthebuilding.Thiswoodenlog
wassupportedonloadbearingmasonrypiers.
Mostoftheinternalwallswereusually4-6
inchesthick.
Inmanyofthelargerbuildings,theceiling
wouldbesupportedonacentrallyplaced
woodenlog(narkooth)runningalongthe
lengthofthebuilding.
Projectingfloorjoistswouldbeusedto
supportbaywindows knownasdubs.The
structuralsystemseemstohavediedoutinthe
earlypartofthe20
th
centurywhenloadbearing
brickmasonrybecamepopular.Also,the
manufactureofmaharajibricksseemstohave
stopped.

14. ‘DHOONGA’ OR DHUNGAOF KASHMIR

15. Intheinitialstageitwasafour
pillaredpavilionwithbamboo
roof.
Tradersusesmallshikarasto
transportthehouseholditems,
vegetables,goodsandfor
commercialactivity.

16. LateralsousedbythegreatMughal
kingsforexcursions.
EarlierBritish'shadnorighttoliveonlandinKashmir.Houseboatsweremainlyconstructedfor
themtostay.TheseHouseBoatsarewelldecoratedandwellfurnishedforcomfortablestay

17. Latertheyimprovisedthesewater
dwellingsonthelakesofKashmirin
theyear1888.Theseboatsare
commoninDalLake,NaginLake
andinJhelumRiver.
It was modern tourism that popularized Kashmir’s houseboat

18. Theouterwallsweremade
ofbamboomats.Using
bamboopolestheouter
structureframeworkwillbe
formed.
Thetopmostroofingwillbe
usingslatematerial.
Thefrontverandaleadsto
LivingandDiningarea.This
furtherleadstoBedroom.
Adjacenttolivingareais
Kitchenette.Thehouseboat
wasaccompaniedbyasmall
boatwhichwasmainlyused
forcooking.
Depending upon the
requirementtheroomswill
beadded.Someoftheboats
hadladdersleadingtothe
upperdeckarea.
Initiallytheboatswere
movingandlatersome
becomesstatichousesin
water.
Front DeckService Deck
Bedroom
Living and
Dining
Kitchenette
Veranda
Boat for cooking

19. BoatbuildinginKashmirisanancient
craftpassedonfromonegenerationof
mastercraftsmantothenext.The
craftsmanthemselveswouldgofor
selectingsuitabledeodartree.After
selectiontheywouldsplittheentiretree
inhalveslengthwayswithanaxe.These
halveswerethentrimmedtoarequired
thicknessandhauledbehindtheboatfor
severalmilesonwatercourse,before
beingleftintheriverorlakefrotwoto
threeyearstoseason.Thetrunksof
20mlengthwereusedtoconstructthe
sidesoftheboat.Thefabricationwas
generallycarriedoutonadryflatpiece
ofground.
Periodofutility–4years.
Top Level Plan
Base Level Plan
Elevation of Boat

20. https://www.arup.com/projects/dhajji-dewari
https://kashmirlife.net/lost-in-modernity-1280/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2018.00
018/full
http://indayear3studio-
1718s1.blogspot.com/2017/09/ploy-bunyanut-
kemmonta.html
https://www.stirworld.com/inspire-visits-of-taaq-and-
dhajji-dwaris-the-romance-of-kashmiri-wooden-
architecture
https://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-123817-11
https://kashmirpages.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/11/KASHMIR-THE-LAND-OF-
STREAMS-&-SOLITUDES-by-piririch.pdf
https://theurgetowander.com/2017/06/07/srinagar-
sukoon-houseboat-review/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327401756_Seis
mic_Behavior_of_Timber-
Laced_Masonry_Structures_in_the_Himalayan_Belt
http://akshay-kaul.blogspot.com/2014/10/vernacular-
kashmir-1988-save-its-art.html
REFERENCES
THANK YOU
END OF PRESENTATION