Vernacular Architecture of

Jaisalmer
 Vernacular Architecture
The word vernacular derived from vernacular means native.

Hence vernacular architecture native science of building.

The term "vernacular architecture" in general refers to the informal building of structures through traditional building methods by local
builders without using the services of a professional architect. It is the most widespread form of building.

The builders of this structure are unschooled in formal architectural design and their work reflects the rich diversity of India's climate,
locally available material and the intricate variation in social custom and craftsman.
 Jaisalmer
LOCATION : The city is situated in the midst of the Great Indian Desert on the western frontier of India.

Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the Thar desert (great Indian desert). Those in the west are covered with log
bushes, those in the east with tufts of long grass. The climate is dry and healthy.

CLIMATE : The region experiences an arid climate through the year.

The temperature remains low during the winter season while summers are characterized by cold and dry Jaisalmer weather.

Hot winds blow during summer and sand storms are also seen.
The absorbed radiation are dissipated to atmosphere at night. Mud hut of Rajasthan.
RAINFALL :The region is drained by very scanty rainfall during the monsoon season.

RAINCORPS : bajra, jawar, motif, til, etc., are grown; spring crops of wheat, barley, etc., are very rare.

Jaisalmer nicknamed "The Golden city.

The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of
the houses and temples are finely sculptured
 Traditional Houses

People of Jaisalmer live in fort . Now many of houses has been converted into shops.

They use the golden stone for construction.

Don't use any mortar , they make bond by using scissors in between the golden stones.
The golden stone is a soft stone hence, very nice carvings could be done over it.

 Patwon Ki Haveli
The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting piece of Architecture and is the most important among the havelis in Jaisalmer.
It was the first haveli erected in Jaisalmer in 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa and it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis.
It is believed that Patwa was a rich man and was a renowned trader of his time. He could afford and thus ordered the construction of
separate stories for each of his 5 sons.
Patwon Ki Haveli
It was well designed haveli , incorporates following rooms:
Drawing room, common courtyard, bedroom (female) with dressing room attached, bedroom (male) with attached dressing room, music
room, game zone , dinning room ,kitchen, utility area.

Entrance
Rich carved doors ,windows, pillars and balconies on entrance.
They store food for camel in basement .

Carved door

Balconies, window pillars

Common courtyard
Sheesh mahal
Walls and ceiling are decorated with glass and paint.
Beautiful paintings were also there.

Drawing room Music room

Preparation area Kitchen
Water storage

Direct access
to utility area
Game zone

Small decorative holes over the wall

To allow the hot air from inside to blow
out .
Its size is small to get ride of hot
Climate. Decorated ceiling
ceiling of top most floor is made with wood to keep the room cool.

Balcony around courtyard

Walls were 95 degree to
the floor
Shops in fort
 Typical vernacular architecture

COURTYARDS:
A wide range of household activities could extend into courtyards. These spaces became the living areas of all
domestic architecture.

This room without a roof is often bounded by verandahs along its periphery. Other rooms open into these verandahs
creating a spatial organisation based on a hierarchical sequence of spaces ranging from open to enclosed.

The rooms get their light and ventilation from this courtyard and have very few openings onto the exterior. This spatial
sequence encourages the intermittent flow of activities responding to various private needs. Also, the tropical climate of
India demands air movement as well as shaded spaces for comfort.

Variations in the generic form of the courtyard come from changes in materials, articulation of the enclosing elements,
scale, proportion and complexity of plan.

Clay sand
Bajra waste
ENTRANCES:
The complexity of transition as an architectural element varies from community to
community.
a single door is total and only link between the inside and the outside. In yet another form,
an entrance may be the prelude through which one is introduced to the interior right from
the first step.

PROTECTION FROM DUST STORM :

In cases where normal low level dust swirls within the settlement the interiors of
buildings are protected by almost blank walls with very small openings.
All major streets are oriented almost in window
Small the East-West direction at right angles to the
direction of dust storms.
CONTROL OF HEATING BY TEXTURE OF SURFACES:
The heat inside of the building is controlled by the use of textures in Jaisalmer.
the front part of the facade which remains exposed are controlled by creating deeply carved
patterns.
minimizes the heat gain by providing shading due to texture.

increased convective transfer of heat because of increased surface area. In summer in day
time when the major heat source is Sun the exposed textured surfaces will be cooler than plain
surfaces.

In evening when ambient conditions are cool the increase surface area helps in cooling it
faster. However, an extended surface will warm up faster than a plain surface under winter
conditions due to low solar altitude, therefore the location in context of these surfaces is very
important.

ORIENTATION:
The building is always oriented by the cardinal directions: North, South, East, West, Northeast,
Northwest, Southeast and outhwest. Each of these directions is considered as energy by itself.
Hence the spaces in different orientation are considered differently for design purposes which
is a very climate sensitive approach.

For example the East or the North walls are made more open to light and air as the West is the
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
The people use local available plants and trees for construction.

MATERIAL : Kejri (prosopis cineraria), bushes (hiniya) ,doka (bajara wate), akanda
plant, clayed sand , water, ropes of bushes, cow dunk

METHOD :
clay sand + water+ cow dun +bajra waste = to construct walls
wood of kejri to construct ceiling(use insided)
make 2-3 layers of bushes at the outer side of the roof kejri
use bushes rope to tie up bushes tightly
Akanda plant
Bushes rope
Kejri wood
bushes

Akanda plant
 Process of construction

Cow dung Clay sand

making Rope with shrubs

 TOP ( INSIDE VIEW)

SHADING AND SUPPORTING WOOD

 Appling cow dung over the walls
Roof view from outside
 Women decorating the walls
They usually decorate the small windows and shelves etc.
They decorate with the lime stone of red and white

Small size decorated

window

Kitchen
Hang utensils on wooden ends