4. GENERAL
INFORMATION
The construction typology is the
result of vast avalibility of rivers
stones and scarcity of wood,
which forced people to
traditionally construct by the
wooden elements,rubble stone
masonary and thathara or kath
kunni.
5. Siting-These buildings are typically found in
sloped and hilly terrain. They do not share
common walls with adjacent buildings. The
distance from a neighboring building can be as
small as 30 cm but is generally 3 meters . The
land available is contoured in almost all the
cases. Therefore, depending upon the slope of
the site, a flat base platform is prepared in the
following two ways: (a) in case of sites with steep
slope, usable flat land is created by constructing
a dry stone gravity retaining wall over which the
building is erected; (b) in case of a site with a
comparatively gentle slope, cutand-fill technique
is used, which enables a small usable piece of
land in the lower level (which is usually used as
shelter for cattle or as storage space) and a
larger usable space at the upper level . When
separated from adjacent buildings, the typical
distance from a neighboring building is 3 meters.
6.
7. Building Configuration - The houses are
generally rectangular or L-shaped in plan with a
verandah in the front. Upper floors also have
verandahs. A typical house is of two to three
storeys. Large-size openings are usually
provided in walls for ventilation. Sometimes, in
order to have cupboards in the walls, small
niches are left at place and bricks are used in
that portion to create a space within the wall as
the thickness of the single wythe brick wall is
much smaller than the thickness of the dry stone
wall. Horizontal partitions are made within it so
created niche, using wooden planks or RC slabs.
The cupboard is usually kept open, but may be
covered sometimes, using a wooden frame and
panels.
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12. Kath-khuni is a type of cator-and-cribbage
building which employs locally available
wood and stone as prime materials for
construction. The origin of the term is
explained by O.C. Handa (2008) as ‘…
combination of two local
terms: kath and kuni. The word kath is a
dialectal variation of the Sanskrit
word kashtth, which means wood, and kuni
is again a dialectical variation of the
Sanskrit word kona, that is, an angle or a
corner. Obviously, the kath-khuni wall
implies it should have only wood on its
corner or angles.’
13. Indigenous construction : Kath-khuni A typical
house in Himachal is usually two or three-storey
high while a temple may rise much higher from a
single storey to a tower with seven storeys.
However, the method of construction and
elements remain similar in most cases. The level
of articulation and detailing is far more intricate
and elaborate in temples. In the houses, usually
the ground floor is used for keeping cattle and the
living areas are on the upper floor. Typical
construction begins with preparation of the
ground; the trench is dug relative to the height of
the structure, which is then filled with loose stone
blocks which rise up to make the plinth. The
raised podium provides the stability to the house
or tower and also protects the building from snow
and ground water.
14. It is followed by construction of
double-skin wall made with
alternate courses of dry stone
masonry and wood without any
cementing mortar. It involves
laying two wooden beams
longitudinally parallel to each
other with a gap in-between.
Loose in-fill material is packed as
filler and the external and the
internal skins of the walls are
held together by cross braces or
dovetail called maanvi. This
layered construction of wood-
and-stone is more distinctly
visible at the wall corner and
forms the quintessential feature
of kath-khuni houses. As the
walls rise higher, stone courses
decrease and the wood sections
gradually increase. The heavier
stone bases carry the lighter
wooden structure at upper levels.
The surface is usually plastered
for internal walls with mud.
23. Corner detail; wooden members are notched and lap jointed so
that they intersect at the corner and further supported by
cantilevered member fixed at one end in the wall.
The most critical element in the house is the
balcony that acts as an important extension to
the living room. Structurally, it rests on
cantilevered members sometimes supported
by brackets.
25. Aesthetics of craftsmanship - Fashioned out of a limited
palette of materials, tools and construction techniques, the
indigenous houses of Himachal reflect not just remarkable
thematic unity of material practice but also exhibit a range of
creative details from wood carving, joinery, surface
articulation, door handles that are all an integral part of
building construction. Each detail is justified functionally
which shows the material sensibility and ingenuity in
handling. They are reflected in the rhythmic pattern of wood
and stone on the façade, on doors and windows, and on the
overhanging balcony, that float lightly on the stumpy base,
adding another texture and dimension to the otherwise
dynamic massing.
26. Wood carving
Wood carving is an integral part of kath-khuni
built forms and is the oldest craft of Himachal
and still thrives in a number of valleys. The
quality of wood carving reflects high level of
intricacy and skills, as well as a highly
developed aesthetic sense that fluidly
integrates and expresses motifs based in folk
tradition and religious references. The jhalars
(wooden pendants) along the roof edge, motifs
on panels and on walls and balconies, door
frames and windows all are intricately carved.
The themes range from folk to abstract to
geometric to natural ones. They are used as
standalone motifs and at other times as a part
of a continuous frieze or panel. Wood-carving
is also seen in kath-khuni houses,
though usually not as elaborate as that in the
temples of Himachal, crude carving on the
door frames, balconies and ridge can be seen
in many houses.
27. Wood joinery
Apart from woodcarving, a remarkable level of
woodwork details can be found in many parts of
Himachal. What otherwise can be an ordinary wooden
joint in a door frames evolves into a complex play of
interlocking volumes and fluid edges. Some other
details follow regular geometric curves, other follow
free toothing patterns. These wooden joints in all
likelihood without the use of nails flex just enough to
rock with the earthquake tremors but otherwise
remain tightly locked together. The various kinds of
joints seen are the lap joints at balcony junctions,
extension joints in the wall beams, ‘z’ joints in the
floor boards, maanvi (double dovetailed joint) in the
wall, splice joint with wedge in structural walls. All of
these evolved out of a functional need and yet are
highly expressive.
