Vernacular Architecture

Hill Architecture

Department of Architecture,
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Submitted to: Ar. Parul Minhas Submitted by: Bhavya Dawar

Gurkomal kaur kalyan (15)
Pragti Saini (22)
Priya Choudhary (23)
INTRODUCTION
FLORA AND FAUNA
• Forest areas constitute 66.52% of the area of himachal pradesh
• The presence of cedar forests has played a major role in the evolution and
development of various architectural forms. the wood extracted from the cider
tree is full of strength and can be used in multistory, can withstand long periods
of weather corrosion, the wood is insect and termite resistant.

CULTURE
• The state is well known for its handicrafts. the carpets, leather works, shawls,
metal ware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating.
• Nearly every household in himachal owns a pit-loom. wool is also considered
as pure and is used as a ritual.
• Kangra and dharamshala are famous for kangra miniature paintings.

PEOPLE & LIFESTYLE

• Himachal pradesh is a multi religion, multicultural as well as multilingual state.
• A majority of the population Hindu, but Muslims ,Sikhs and Christians are also
there , Buddhists migrants of Tibet which are in lahaul –spiti and dharmshala
region of state , which brings impact of Buddhist architecture.
• The typical house is constructed of clay bricks and the roofs are of slate. in
some areas the slate roof is also replaced by timber.
INTRODUCTION TO VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
• In hills elements of nature shape the spatial order and man has to adapt himself
to these forces.
• Over the ages it has evolved unique traditions of art and architecture with
foreign influences.
• In the post independence period it has been marked by almost complete break
from traditional and colonial style of architecture.
• Small hamlets located in remote areas, still continue with their old age
vernacular building traditions.

ARCHITECTURE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH CAN BROADLY DIVIDED INTO 4 BROAD CATEGORIES

• ARCHITECTURE OF HOUSES , PATTERN OF SMALL SETTLEMENTS
• TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
• PALACES
• GRANARIES
AREA LOCATION
LAYOUT OF A TYPICAL VERNACULAR HOUSE
• The long walls of the house are parallel to the mountains and the
gaushala door faces the valley.
• The house has a high plinth so that the cows may remain cool
during summers warm during winters.
• In the lower part of the gaushala walls, only stone is used at base
level. In the upper part of the wall the kath khuni method of
layering wood and stone begins.
• The entrance to the living quarters is parallel to the gaushala door
and is approached by a wooden staircase at the side of the house
leading to the enclosed first floor balcony.
• The first floor has rooms for fixed storage and unique feature of
mini granary integrated in the centre of the structure. It is hidden
from outside view.
• The second floor is used for cooking, cleaning, living and
entertainment of guests. To one side of the entertainment room is
the kitchen and the other side is the living room.
• There are a variety of open and closed wall units in all these area.
The walls of the kitchen are plastered with mud plaster. The vent in
the kitchen connects to the roof or half attic.
• The rooms on the third floor are made of beautifully carved local
wood. The balconies have a corner built in wooden bench and
extended cubical spaces such as washrooms.
• The stone used in the walls are chiseled and well dressed. The walls
are constructed with stacking wooden framed on each other. While
on the second floor, the stacking of wooden frame is seen with an COLOUR CODING OF FUNCTIONS AND
infill of rubble. ORGANISATION OF SPACES
TYPICAL FLOOR PLANS AND ELEVATIONS
TYPICAL SECTION
DESIGNING AND PLANNING IN HILLS
Dealing with the contours has always been tricky. Hence,
the practice is to study the ridge lines and the valley lines,
through imaginary but straight lines.

The trick is to place

the building parallel
to the contour lines,
not perpendicular,
so get the maximum
area with less cut
and fill.
Above is the study
of the slope in the
percentage to know
the areas of
construction.
Higher the slope
percentage, difficult
is the construction
Similarly,
Hence,
Providing the huts, bazaars, eating places, parking, cluster housing,
and roads, according to the slope.

Here is the plan of the Cultural Complex,

comprising of the Cottages, Open
Exhibition, Food Courts, Parking, Dwelling
Units, Internal Roads, Offices, etc.,
The planning of which is compared to the
general settlement in hilly areas.

Keeping the maximum area pedestrianized,

so to enjoy the surroundings
Design considerations in hills require extra sensitivity and care because of the delicate nature of terrain
and ecosystem. Unlike plains, here a new dimension or a height variation to the ground poses additional
problem to the entire exercise.

Physical Planning
• The planning on the hills is very restrictive as compared to the plains. The major factors that govern
the planning are topography, climatic conditions, orientation, traffic movement, available usable
spaces, sources of water supply, natural drains and paths.
• Gentle slopes are required so that the cost of site development is lessened. The roads for traffic
movement are of gradual gradient. Less excavation is required to be done to maintain the ecological
balance.
• Slope of the ground should not be more than 30º as far as possible even in rocky reaches to avoid
instability problems, especially during severe earthquakes.
• Suitable clearance around buildings is necessary. Foundation of any part of building should not rest
on filled up ground. On hills there should be clearance of about 40º in case of soil, soil mixed boulder,
fractured rock zone, soft rock zone having outward dip, so that any slip, if occurs may not hit the
building.
• Due to the cold climate, the southern slopes are preferred.
• The orientation of the houses is to maximize the penetration of the sun rays.
• The stress is also laid on the preservation of the green cover. The site should be developed in such a
way that felling of trees is avoided as far as possible.
• Site susceptible to high winds, storms, floods and landslides should be avoided.
• Since the inner side of the cut slope may have higher bearing capacity, building should be so oriented
and planned so as to enhance that higher load comes on inner side. Where the site seems to
undergo unequal settlement, the site should be so planned and designed that the higher load comes
on harder part of foundation and soil.
• Terrace in all around the building should have proper slope for efficient drainage. During the site
development, terrace may be cut at 1:30 to 1:50 slope and may be trimmed at suitable slope after the
completion of the building work.
• In the steep hilly zones, the stepped terraces will be much beneficial environmentally and
economically, as they result in the least hill cutting and disturbance to the hill stability.
• Minimum clearance of 1.0 m to 1.5 m should be given between the hill face and the building wall to
avoid dampness and also for proper light and ventilation.
• Top hill surfaces near the buildings should be properly treated to make it impervious as far as
possible, possibly by thick vegetation or stone pitching.

Construction types on hills

Development of Critical Areas

• Physical development of a hill town is attributed to topography, climate, accessibility, availability of

developable land, hilly tracks prohibiting large scale expansion of urban activities in ecologically
sensitive areas.
• Hill geomorphology does not allow concentrated development of settlements. Hence the dispersal of
settlement has to be encouraged.

View shed Ridge lines

Building Layout on Contours

The building should be placed along the contours to increase the stability of the structure and to cut down
the cost on the site development. The existing form of the terrain welcomes some building forms while
rejects some. In hills building break the continuity of landscape and hence appear rigid, this can be
controlled by giving horizontal and vertical devices like stilts, etc.

Building layout
 TYPOLOGY OF HOUSES
• House is a space inhabited by people and their stories.
• The character of a Himachal vernacular, the story unit is
basically a cuboid .
• The smallest houses are two or three layers stacked in two or
three levels (ground, first and second floor)
• The size of the house increases by placing cuboids side by side
and then extending up three levels.
• Each house is determined by capacity. The capacity is not only
the size of the family but also the family’s socio – economic
status.

SINGLE CUBOID VARIANTS

DOUBLE CUBOID VARIANTS

TRIPLE CUBOID VARIANTS
 SINGLE CUBOID VARIANTS

DOUBLE CUBOID VARIANTS

TRIPLE CUBOID VARIANTS

TYPOLOGIES OF HOUSES - DARBARGADH
• The powerful historical leaders of the villages build
grand houses that reflected their status in the
community. These structures were known as
darbargadhs.
• The darbargadhs was built using kat khuni
construction techniques with much larger spaces.
• Darbargadhs have enclosed groups of stacked cuboids,
still following the conventional orientation of facing the
valley and the mountain but also including enclosed
courtyards or narrow street like open to sky spaces and DARBARGADHS OF KHANET VILLAGE AND KOTKHAI VILLAGE
towering cuboids at the highest point, for significant
yet personal local deities.
• The entrance for the people of these princely houses is
separate from that of their animals.
• The balconies of Darbargadhs are very elaborate,
enclosed and carved with local flora, fauna and deities.
• The structure comprises of excluded spaces and a
unique layout.
• They contain all elements of a vernacular house with
added attraction of an interior temple.

INTERIOR DETAILS
SOCIAL USE OF SPACES
• In each level of the houses and during each year,
spaces are used in a pattern that makes it a
cohesive unit.
• In warm sunny days, activities take outside the
house on balconies and plinths while during the
colder times, the activities are performed within the
warmth of wood and stone walls.
• Each room has three progressive vignettes: the first
is empty, the third has people and small objects
animating the space
• The womenfolk fashion their own chulhas. These
chulhas are defining aesthetic and practical
elements of the kitchen. These are generally placed
in the corner and allows the smoke to escape
through the vents in the roof. People often gather
around for interaction around the chulha.

CHULHA AND KITCHEN DESIGN

INTERCATION SPACES
TRANSITIONAL SPACES
• These are the connecting links between interior personal
rooms and the shared public spaces outside
• These spaces include ground floor, balconies of the upper
floor and vertical connections like stairs and steps.
• The plinth is made of slabs of slate stone layered over the
entire footprint of the house and extending from the
structure to beyond the overhang of the roof. It is usually
located at the front and two sides of the house. The
plinth receives interaction between neighbors, food and
fodder provided to animals. It demarcates the building
from the street.
• The balconies are found in the first and second floors of
the house and built around the perimeter of the house.
They act as the intermediate space between the interior
rooms and outside spaces.
• It is either open from the side or has a wooden parapet.
These spaces are used to transport goods to all spaces of
houses, to hang laundry, as sorting centre for agricultural
produce and also social interaction.
THE BALCONY AND PLINTH AS TRANSITIONAL SPACES

PLINTH AND BALCONIES AS SOCIAL INTERCATION

SPACES
TRADITIONAL SETTLEMENTS
The construction of the house or the habitable places usually
starts near the resources like agricultural land, water etc. Prior
to the commencement of construction, due consideration is
given to the terrain and the climate. (Figure 1).

• The traditional house is in the form of a hut, and a hamlet

develops when there are more than one hut and a small
temple, dedicated to the local deity is gradually added.
Thus from a singular structure of a hut, a small settlement Figure 1 Traditional settlements
is developed.

• The vernacular architecture of hamlets in Himachal

Pradesh also varies from region to region, depending upon
the climatic factors and the availability of local materials.

• Factors affecting the settlement has always

been the slope of the settlement area, and
ridge and the valley.

• Flat land provides the maximum settlement.

 THE PALACES
• The major palaces of the state are located in jubbal, rampur
bushair, naggar, chamba and kumarsain.
• Kumarsain palace is about 100 km beyond shimla is about 100
years old
• It incorporates various styles of hill architecture such as
traditional, features from Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries
and even from Islamic structures of the plains.
• A pergola roof to highlight main entrance coexists with domical
roof tops over the main halls.
• Palace is built in local materials and roof forms have to be
perforce sloping – so as to ward off climatic elements.
 GRANARY – A SHARED STORAGE

A granary is a storehouse for grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most
common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored
food away from mice and other animals.

FINDING STORAGE IN REAL TIME

When observing the way of life in Himachal
Pradesh, we came to understand the
importance of food and agricultural products to
the survival of people I this place.
Food is used in exchange for services as well
as means for generating income. The isolated
lifestyle and need to store food over long
periods of time resulted in the creation of
granaries.
View from the village side of a cluster of
granaries and folk temples.
These structures have different types of roofs –
gable, pent and gable and pent roof.
Two main types of granaries:
Independent (freestanding) buildings
Granaries within the houses
The size and the scale of the granary is in direct
correlation to the volume of the content to be stored.
In Himachal Pradesh houses, the prime criteria in
creating spaces is personal security and comfort for
daily living.
Granaries on the other hand are for food security
and the storage of work from the past, for life in the
future.
Granaries, with their associated local small temples,
are the intersection between houses that guarantee
the communities’ habitation and large temples that
possess the communities’ shared beliefs.
In socio-economic terms, the granary is the content
and container of the community.
 TYPES OF INDEPENDENT GRANARIES

These are independent free standing These wooden granaries with The communal wood and stone
wooden granaries with stone tile roof. stone plinths and roofs in Sundagaon granary is a cluster of three
are a part of a cluster of family independent Kath-Khuni storage
buildings. buildings and three small folk temples in
old Jubbal.
INDICATION OF STORAGE AREAS, AUKTA GRANARY, OLD JUBBAL VILLAGE

The blue colour

indicates where the
storage spaces are
throughout the building
plans and sections.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN FIRST FLOOR PLAN CROSS SECTION

 SOCIAL USE OF SPACES, AUKTA GRANARY, OLD JUBBAL VILLAGE

CROSS SECTION
GROUND FLOOR PLAN FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Beginning at the ground floor plan, first floor

plan and cross section of the granary, these
illustrations shows the use of spaces with
reference to a human.
The things to be frequently used are stored at
the first floor while the ones that have to be
retained for a longer period are stored at the
ground floor.
WEST ELEVATION SOUTH ELEVATION
 SHRI MAHENDER SINGH AUKTA GRANARY, OLD JUBBAL
True to the conventional construction system of the villages, the granaries and small temples were constructed
in KATH-KHUNI method.
The organization of the buildings in the cluster is roughly circular.
The granaries are on the one side and temples on the other and open ground in the middle.
The granary is composed of two cuboids stacked on each other with a pent-and-gable roof.
The entry to the granary interior space is through first floor open balcony embracing all sides of the building.
The door to the granary is accessed by the organically stacked stones making a stairway to the open balcony.
This cantilevered balcony without a parapet, leveled at the average shoulder height of the villager, becomes an
active interactive space between the people sitting on it and the ones in the open ground during the festival.
The door in the center of first floor defines its interior storage organization.
Leaving the open space open and unobstructed, the inbuilt storage boxes are articulated in inverted U shape
around the periphery.
This central space has four trap doors in wooden floor allowing access to the four storage units at the ground
level.
The granary also offers a space and environment that is conductive for the honey-bees to make beehive in niche
near the entrance on the first level.
The finally cut wood used for the container of the granary is of a high quality.
Lap joints, housing joints and tongue and groove are all used as a part of wooden detailing to create an airtight
container.
Mud plaster is used in the interior spaces to further seal the joints and make them impenetrable.
 TEMPLES
Himachal Pradesh, amid the Himalayan mountain range, is a land of
the Gods, Hindu temples, of many types. from the rock hewn ancient
forms brought from the plains of India, are found in this spectacular
land of the Himalayas.
The temple is where the past intersects with the present through
belief, historical time. It is an explanatory workshop of the greatest
craftspeople and artists as well as sincere efforts of the ordinary local
people.
The wooden temple here refers to the type of temple where wood is
used as the primary material of construction for the structure. Stone
is used only in temple’s foundations and roofs as slabs and slate
stone shingles similar to the independent granaries.
 TYPOLOGY OF WOODEN AND WOOD AND STONE TEMPLES IN HIMACHAL
PRADESH.
THIS IS TYPOLOGY OF TEMPLES BY VISUAL IDENTIFICATION

GABLE ROOF

PENT ROOF

PENT AND GABLE ROOF

 TOWER TEMPLES

MULTI-TIERED PYRAMIDAL
ROOF TEMPLES

COMPOSITE ROOF
GABLE ROOF
In Himachal Pradesh, the major type of the gable roof temples are single
storey structures built on a solid stone plinth. One notable example
of a gable roof temple we observed Is the Lakshana devi temple at
Bharmaur. This type of temple Is developed around a small
sanctum with a circumbulatory path on its periphery and a
Wide enclosed verandah on the entrance side. The roof ridge
runs parallel to the longer wall of the form. The gable slope is
Achieved With use of only horizontal members and no diagonal
members are employed. In terms of construction these are the simplest
Temple structures in Himachal Pradesh.

The gable form is similar as in vernacular houses; the major difference

being the orientation of the entrance. in temples of this type, the main
entrance is below the gable at the narrow end, whereas in houses It
is in the longer wall under the edge line of the roof. Another smaller
Scale temple of this kind was found in the Old Jubbal village near
Mahasur Devata Temple . Most of these temples are situated In
high-altitude areas and their high pitched gable roofs protect
them during heavy snowfall.
PENT ROOF
Pure pent roofed temples in the western Himalayan region are rare perhaps
no more than a couple stiII exist.
The four equal sides or the roof rise to a single point and
appear as a mountaintop. the peak of the worship space for the Gods.
On the four corners of these curvilinear pent roofs. we observed the
wooden member with carved edges. similar to that of pent and gable
roof. The Shiva Temple and the Mahasur Devata
Temple within the same village also exhibit the pent
root capped with golden metal pots {kalash, locally known as poru or
andas). Fencing and the Instruction plaques for use of the space clearly
Indicate the local community management of the temple.

MAHASUR DEVATA SHIVA TEMPLE

TEMPLE
 CLASSICAL WOODCARVING, LAKSHANA DEVI TEMPLE,
BHARMAUR VILLAGE.
Brought by the kings and religious leaders of 7th and 8th centuries, woodcarvers trained in carving of classical
forms of hindu pantheon, created the original doors of the early wooed temples. Gods, mythical creatures,
symbolic flora, fauna object were made throughout the layers of doorway. Lion figure is the most important
feature of the exterior and interior door frame. various poses of human figures, sacred tree motifs, etc. were
observed on lintels of doors and façade of temple
BIJJAT DEVTA TEMPLE, SARAHAN (CHOPAL) ,SHIMLA
Shakti-Devi Temple ,Chhatrari Village , Chamba
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OF RESIDENCES AND TEMPLES
They are of indigenous styles and peculiar to the hills. Preparation of layout plans in hill area
for the construction of different types of buildings, such as housing clusters, commercial
complexes, institutional buildings is much more complicated as compared to the preparation
of such plans in the plains. Layout planning is complicated due to constraints of hilly terrain
for construction of buildings and roads beyond certain degree of slope. It is further
complicated due to the following:

 Difficulty of getting suitable orientation on the hill slopes.

 Problems of soil erosion and land slides.

 Restrictions by the forest department.( ban on cutting of the trees).

 Existence of tall shoddy trees and dense forest area, which obstruct the winter sun required for the
buildings.

 Limitations on the height of the building due to earthquake risk.

 High cost involved in the site development due to the cutting and the filling process.

 Non-availability and transportation problems of construction materials.

Numbering approximately more than 6000, the Himachal Pradesh temples offer a variety of
architecture and art. Thus the architectural styles found in Himachal Pradesh have been
identified as

(a) Pent-roof or Chalet style

(b) Nagara style

(c) Pagoda style

(d) Tower style

(e) Flat roofed temples

(f) Pyramidal style

(g) Gompas.
Pent- roof or Chalet Style
• The square or rectangular wood and stone temples with pent roof are the most ancient in Himachal
Pradesh.
• In size these structures differ considerably, while they all have only one common feature, that is the
finely cut large and excellent stones, that constitute their base.
• Most remarkable among these temples are Lakshana Devi temple at Brahmaur, Shakti devi at
Chhatrari in Chamba.
• The usual pattern is a square resting on a raised platform of stone. The building itself may be entirely
of wood or of the wood and stone. It generally consists of a central cellar with an open verandah
around it, and is covered with a pent roof of wood, which either slopes on two sides from the central
ridge, or on four sides from the top
NAGARA STYLE
• The Nagara temples in Himachal Pradesh broadly follow the overall form and design of the typical
Indo-Aryan stone temples, found in Orissa and Khajurao areas.
• Some minor modifications were made in the form of these temples of the plains to adapt them to
the climatic conditions of the hill areas.
• The series of monolithic temples of Massur in Kangra district are the earliest specimen of the
Nagara design (Figure 4).
• There are a number of seventh century Nagara type temples at Brahmaur, such as Manimahesh
and Ganesha built by Meru Verman ( 680-700 A.D).
• The famous Lakshmi Narayan temple of Chamba is a group of temples with Nagara style.
PAGODA TYPE TEMPLES

• These are rectangular stone and wood

structures with successive roofs,
placed one over the other making
them in some cases look like multi-
storey edifices.
• These temples are believed to have
Chinese or Tibetan influence in their
architecture. The arrangements in the
interior of these temples, including the
wood carvings resemble those
preserved in the Pentroof temples.
• The temples at Hidimba Devi at
Manali, Mahadev temple in Mandi
district and Tripura Sundri Devi
temple, Kullu come under this
category
TOWER STYLE
• Another type of pent-roof style is seen in the tower temples or it may be said that when
the chalet type structure is raised to two to three storeys height, so that the verandah all
around extends beyond the walls to form a cantilevered structure, as if a chalet placed on
the high pedestal, it looks like a tower.
• The excellent types of this temple are Bhimkali temple at Sarahan and Dum Devta temple,
Bhanmol, Shimla
 FLAT- ROOFED TEMPLES
• These temples are made of ordinary walls of mud and lime plaster.
• But the remarkable point about them is the wall paintings in Pahari style.
• This architectural styles include temples of Narbadeshwar (Sujanpur-Tihra) and Brajraj
swami (Kangra valley)

PYRAMIDAL STYLE
• Considering style of roofs as a basis of
distinction, such types of temples are
built on square plinths.
• All the four lower eaves of the temple
roof are of equal length and the roof
goes on narrowing towards centre
forming pyramid like roof in the centre.
• One of the examples of the pyramid
style roof temple is Dundi Devi temple
at Dabhas in Shimla district
 GOMPAS

• Except those at Rewalsar and Rampur, the Buddhist Gompas are confined to Kinnaur and
Lahaul-Spiti area.
• These are generally flat-roofed complexes of many rooms. These monasteries or the
Gompas are the repositories of Buddhist art and culture.
• The Gompa is the embodiment of the earthy seat of Buddha and other deities that make
up the Buddhist Pantheon.
• Every village or a hamlet has its own monastery, and it forms the centre of the culture and
social life of the people.

Traditional dwelling which have evolved over the ages have been
influenced by these factors:

Climatic response to the envioronment.

Cultural pattern of the inhabitants.
Adaptability of the house according to the social lifestyle.
Locally available construction material.
BUILDING MATERIALS AND THE CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

• In the vernacular architecture of the Himalayan region wood is extensively used, as the
forests of the deodar wood and other mixed forests were easily available.
• The vast number of hill temples, are of deodar wood generally. The walls of some of these
structures are raised on the horizontal wooden frame work called Cheols.
• In the well built structure, the wood is very carefully arranged, the beams with thickness
around 30 cms in depth extending over the whole length of wall - a beam on the outside
and another beam on the inside, the space in between is filled with stones.

• In certain regions the construction system constitutes the erection of a timber frame work
of uprights, beams and braces with dressed stone blocks as an in-fill material without any
cementing material.
• Over the walls, a frame of the timber rafters and purlins is laid out for the pitched roof. The
roofing on top is with slates as the material. The walls of the interior are usually finished
with the mud plaster.
• Another material used is mud, on account of its easy availability, good insulation and the
good binding properties.
• In some parts of the western Himalayan region comprising Upper Kinnaur,Lahaul- Spiti and
Ladakh, the architectural style is different. Stone remains in use but its usage is restricted
to the plinth. The locally available mud is used for the super structure.
TWO TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES ARE USED HERE

 the rammed earth technique

 and adobe construction.
• In the former style, the mud is filled into the wooden forms and rammed into the place
slowly building up the wall.
• In the later style, sun dried mud blocks are used in the construction of the wall. The roof
is kept flat and comprises a closely packed layer of sun twigs supported on wooden
beams and joists and resting on the wooden columns.
• Stability of the structures is a much desired quality, required for the hill regions. Lying in
the seismic zone 4 and partly in the high intensity seismic zone 5, faced with extreme
climatic conditions and steep hilly terrains, the available indigenous technology is an
appropriate response.
• To counter the seismic forces, the traditional structures usually stand on a high solid
plinth, made up of dry dressed stone masonry.
• The huge mass serves as a dampener pad to the earthquake forces and the dry
construction allows for vibration and hence faster dissipation of the energy.