VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

INTRODUCTION
• The architecture of a place depends on the climate, geography, resource availability, material and
knowledge of construction techniques, geography, building rules and regulations, socio-economic
conditions, household characteristics, culture, infrastructure availability, and other natural forces.
• The hilly regions remain less connected to outside regions, both in physical and information
linkages.
• The exchange of materials and information about the construction techniques has endangered the
usage of indigenous material and construction techniques for the development of climate-
responsive architecture.
• The authors thoroughly investigated the local materials and contemporary construction techniques
of the Kullu region, Himachal Pradesh.
• Vernacular buildings constructed by using indigenous materials and construction techniques are
more responsive to their geo-climatic conditions.
• The lessons of traditional wisdom in building construction can be a very powerful tool for
sustainable development.
• The paper concludes with the plausible policy required for the preservation of indigenous
construction techniques for sustainable development.
INTRODUCTION
• THE Himachal Pradesh state is prosperous in traditional architecture. And to use indigenous
materials eg. stone, wood, and mud as per the region's climate provides comfort to humans.
• Himachal is hilly state with elevation ranging from 350 meters to 6000 meters above sea level, so
the typology used for construction varies with respect to elevation.
• Traditional construction techniques vary from region to region depending on weather, material
efficiency, and seismic zone just like Kath-Kunni, Dhajji –Diwari construction, Dry stone
construction, Mud construction, and wood construction.
• The possible construction materials had their own thermal resistance requirements.
• The Himalayas constitute the world’s highest mountain system. Due to variation in height 450-
6500 meters.
• Average Temperature Max-31to 36 degree Celsius, Min—3 to 4 degree Celsius, Rain fall - 111mm,
Humidity -79%.
KATH-KHUNI ARCHITECTURE

• Kath-khuni is an indigenous wooden stone construction technique employed by all types of

vernacular built forms we observed in the Sutlej valley of Himachal Pradesh.
• The inherent stability, flexibility and strength of Kath-khuni buildings made them procreate to
their mountainous terrain that is prone to earthquakes.
• The plinth is constructed entirely of stone.
• The base of the structural wall is two parallel layers of stones installed flat.
• Depending on the size of the stone, the gap in the middle is filled with an infill of random rubble.
• This particular style plays an important role in the lifestyle of natives.
• The kath-khuni architecture is evolved from the quest to survive in very harsh climate, to do so,
the climate demands a very sustainable, efficient and functional building.
• Here the sustainability of a building becomes a need of survival.
• This need of sustainability has developed a unique arrangement of volumes and functions
• This process of evolution is followed by cultural, social and economical enrichment of the people.
• This adds to the basic concept of sustainability contributing to make human life better.
• It is observed that whenever a beingness of human is challenged by the nature, we tend to evolve
intelligent sustainable solutions for it.
• Stone rubble walls are used in Kath-Kunhi architecture to maintain internal temperatures
habitable.
• In winters the temperature outside is generally below freezing point. Whereas the observations say
that the internal temperatures are habitable for humans as well as cattles.
• The same material ‘stone’ is used as roofing material.
• They use shingles of slate stone to cover the tops.
• The shingles rest on the intricate framework of deodar wood joists and purlins.
• The typical pent gable roof is in common phenomenon observed in Old Jubbal.
• The complex roof system developed over years of trial and error has proven the limit of
sustainability; vernacular architecture can attain.
• These roofs are not only weather shields but also they contribute in structural integrity should the
seismic forces traverse the structure
WOOD AND STONE THE VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
• The architecture of houses and other structures in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh
reflects the region's extreme terrain and climate-along with its unique culture and history.
• The early morning mist lifts over Banjar Valley,revealing the village of Chehni, with its
dramatictemple tower, and the thickly forested slopes beyond.
The grand darbargadh at Kotkhai village is the tallest and most imposing
building for miles around.
The upper storeys are balconied, while the lower portion resembles a fortress
rather than a palace.
WOOD AND STONE

• The state of Himachal Pradesh offers an opportunity to explore a pure combination of two of the
fundamental materials of structures in North India.
• In our journey to discover the vernacular built form in the villages of the Himalayas, we need only
look at the mountains themselves to see stone, one of the primary ingredients of abuilding.
• The slopes of those mountains are forested with deodar trees, the other ingredient for a potential
structure.
• In these remote mountain houses, palaces and temples, the play of wood and stone becomes both
an art form and a characteristic expression of folk culture.
• Himachal's extreme climate means that local building has to conserve heat and disperse snow:
hence the small doors and windows, extended balconies and steep sloped roofs of vernacular
structures.
• The inherent stability, flexibility, and strength of indigenous kath-khunt (wood and stone)
buildings make them appropriate for this earthquake-prone terrain.
• The technique articulates local materials in systematic layers, which make it practical as well as
aesthetically gratifying The villages are usually located in the middle of the mountains, as if
suspended between two worlds-the river valley below and the great stone mass of the mountain
above.
• A palace(darbargadh) or temple often forms the focal point of the village, being built on the
highest place or the largest platea of flat ground.
• Around such focal points are markets, community spaces and schools or government centres.
• The organisation of houses creates further social spaces between buildings and along pathways.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF VILLAGE
• Houses in Himachal are oriented with their longest side facing the valley and their backs against
the mountain, which makes them less susceptible to seismic forces. Because of the steep, step
pedterrain, houses lie scattered across and up the mountain plateau.
• Exterior spaces link together, bringing people as direct possible from one building to another and
from one level to the next.
• The essence of a Himachal house, Its story unit is a space that is rectangular or cuboid.
• The smallest houses are single cuboids stacked in two or three layers (ground, first and second
floors).
• The size of the house increases as more cuboids are stacked side-by-side and upwards.
• The most common variation in vernacular houses is the addition of balconies on the first and
second levels of the house, which can be open or covered, either partially or completely
• These balconies form a transitional space between the inside and the outside as well as between
levels.
• Other additions can be enclosures for outdoor rooms increased oraltered storage space and,
sometimes, innovative spaces for new purposes-shop, a car park or a guest space.
The miniature camases of artist Bireswar Sen (1897-1974)
manageto perfectly capture the grandeur of the Himalayan
landscapeand its buildings. In this haunting watercolour of
Gondhia Towerat dusk thom the National Gallery of
Modern Art Niew Delhi, Senhighlighted the wood-and-
stone structure by placing tiny pointsof light in its
windows, Gondhla is situated on the banks of
theShandraiver just over the Rohtang Pass. Like most
kabahunitower foms, it consists of alternating layers of
timber and stoneheld together with dry masonry and the
upper leven are enclosedby a balcony Painted by Sen in
the 1950s this magnificent eightstorey folt now lies in a
state of disepak
• IN THEIR HOUSES, PALACES AND temples, the communities of Himachal Pradesh have
traditionally built used naturally available resources, avoiding wastage and taking the topography
and climate into account.
• The vernacular architectural idiom that emerged is an organic eXpression of local culture.
• As the social fabric of life here stretches and changes shape with new economic activities and new
kinds of agriculture, so does its architecture.
• Patterns found in wood and stone structures, or the delicate carving niche frame in a kitchen or a
balcony could be the night of as the spatial songs of communities.
• The material reality of these solid built forma embodies something that is both more mutable and
intangible: the life and culture of Himachal people.
Physical survey of the Kullu region
The architectural character of the study region
• Despite the infusion of foreign materials and construction techniques, the architecture in the Kullu
region is primarily characterized by local materials, integrating socio-cultural and economic fabric,
but the pace of change is fast.
• The buildings are an example of sustainable architecture.
• The majority of houses in the region have passive architecture features used for controlling
temperature and ventilation.
• Based on the controlling parameters, functional plans have evolved over a period of time.
• The spaces are the outcome of the natural factors, local materials, socio-cultural and economic
factors, e.g., the kitchen is preferably kept in internal core of the building to keep the surrounding
spaces little warm, ground floor is generally used for livestock and fodder storage which exposed
the habitable spaces on the first floor to heat generated from the livestock
• Low volume spaces used to provide thermal comfort at less energy consumption.
• Glass covered balconies and verandas are there, which act as sunspace during the day, basically
solarium type of arrangement with double skin type arrangement to trap heat for space.
• These spaces are used as sunspaces and for yarning by using “khaddi” in most of the houses.
• These balconies are also used as storage space for fodder; this fodder provides time lag to heat
loss as well as acts as an insulating surface and increases the thermal mass.
• Lofts are constructed under the pitched roof, which is used as storage space and provides thermal
insulation and thermal mass.

A typical section of a House at Kullu

Indigenous construction techniques
• Indigenous construction techniques used in the study area, e.g., the practice of using plaster on the
inner surface and avoiding it on the outer surface, adds to thermal comfort by increasing the
conduction of solar radiation from outside to inside but provide thermal resistance in loss of heat
back to the environment.
• Dhajji construction provides earthquake resistance.
• The uses of local materials reduce the cost of transportation and are cheaper in comparison to
materials procured from outside the region.
• The locally available labour is efficient in handling the local materials and construction
techniques, e.g., Kath-Kuhni Technique so, employment opportunities can be retained to local
people.
• The mixed construction and use of foreign materials and construction techniques have not only
changed the architectural vocabulary of the region but also changed the visual sustainability of the
region.
Arrangement of Volumes and Development of Sustainable
Architecture
• Aukta house is owned by the head of village Old Jubbal. It represents Kath-Kunhi architecture at
its best.
• The 300 year old house is still strong and functional; providing shelter for a family of 5 and 3
cattle.
• The gaushala-cowshed is located at the very ground level resting on a random rubble stone plinth.
Plinth extrudes a meter and half outside the periphery to provide base for cattle in summer.
• This arrangement makes sure of the heat produced by the cattle is directly radiated to the habitable
spaces above.
• Aukta house has two floors above gaushala.
• The first floor is typically a storage space for grains, apples and other life support things.
• It is covered by a timber cased balcony from three sides.
• The balcony is at the valley side to protect internal spaces from chilly winds.
• The second floor is a habitable space with a bedroom, a kitchen and a public meeting space.
• Second floor is covered by a balcony projecting 1.8 m from all the sides.
• All the balconies are cantilevered and supported on beams of deodar wood.
The second floor is completely cladded with timber and no stone is visible from outside, although it
has a infill of stones. The roof is a combination of pent-gable and gable roofs cladded with stone
shingles. They provide excellent protection from heavy snowfall. [2]The study explains the need of
spaces and volumes was tackled by a very different approach to architecture. The locals and the
natives never finalized on conclusions in a day. The time and survival made the building sustainable.
These buildings are the best examples of sustainability embodied in the life of natives. In a city one
can live even if the shelter is not sustainable. Natives have evolved architecture which is sustainable
by its efficiency as well as by its function. Evolution of a structure to be sustainable and efficient is
not a day process. The native fore fathers of Jubbal have put all their analytical skills and the
experiential conclusions by observing nature to develop a full proof system.