Understanding Factors Affecting House Form

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM
------ Study of House form of Gurjar Kshatriya community, Kutch.

Undergraduate research thesis
Zaveri Pratik Arun 4003
pratikz@yahoo.com

Indubhai Parekh School of Architecture
Saurastra University,
Rajkot, India.

…………………… dedicated to my parents.

APPROVAL

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH THESIS
Vyavasayi Vidya Pratishthan’s
Indubhai Parekh School of Architecture,
Rajkot, India.

The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work on the approval subject carried out and
presented in a manner sufficiently satisfactory to warrant its acceptance as a pre-requisite to the degree
for which it has been submitted.

It is understood that by this approval, the under signed does not necessarily endorse or approve any
statement made, opinion expressed or conclusion drawn here in, and approves the study only for above
purpose; and satisfies himself to the requirements laid down by the thesis committee.

THESIS TITLE: Understanding the factors affecting the house forms.
--Study of House form of Gurjar Kshatriya community, Kutch.

Student: Zaveri Pratik Guide: Kiran Vagehla.
Roll no: 4003 Signature:
Date:

CONTENT
INTRODUCTION I - VI

CHAPTER – 1 Introduction to house

1.1 Shelter – basic human need. 01

1.2 Understanding of culture. 02

1.3 Factors affecting house – form. 04

1.4 The Relation of House and Settlement. 07

CHAPTER – 2 About the region

2.1 Introduction of the region – Kutch. 08
A. Geographical characteristics. 09
B. Political history. 10
2.2 Various communities in different parts of Kutch. 12

CHAPTER – 3 About the community

3.1 History. 14

3.2 About people. 17
A. Social belief and lifestyle.
a) Life style.
b) Ceremonies.
c) Caste system.
d) Religious belief.
B. Occupation.
3.3 Community behavior. 23

3.4 House. 24

CHAPTER – 4
4.1 Identifying of case studies. 26

4.2 Case studies. 27

4.3 Analysis of case studies. 45

4.4 Conclusion. 58

ANNEXURE

ACKNOLEDGMENT

BIBLOGRAPHY AND REFRENCES

INTRODUCTION

Earth with its hidden forces have buckled the strata, and lifted and
shifted the landmasses. And on the surface, the erosion of snow and rain and
storm, of stream and ocean, of sun and wind, have carved out a natural
architecture.1 Similarly, man has carved out nature and reorganized it
according to his needs and requirements and has created wonderful man-
made architecture. He has also become an architect of his environment, but
he does not command forces as powerful as those of the nature do. Though
he has advanced in technologies, he is not able to control the physical
environment completely.

With evolution, man left caves and started living in groups and
communities, and created wonderful primitive and vernacular architecture.
With the study of primitive and vernacular buildings, one finds a close relation
between house forms, traditions and cultures. For understanding culture and
its relation to the house form, one needs to understand first the relation of
house form with man and nature and also the cultural and physical
surrounding. The primitive buildings were built by people using their wisdom,
ability, and resources to their fullest extent. They refer largely to certain
technological as well as economical levels of development and also include
aspects of social organization. The vernacular house form is the result of
collaboration of many people over many generations, as well as collaboration
between the maker and user of the building and other artifacts, which is
defined by the term "traditional".2 Tradition has the force of a law honored by

1
Bronowski Jacob: THE ASCENT OF MAN, Back Bay books, USA, 1908, Pg. 91
2
Rapoport Amos: HOUSE FORM AND CULTURE, prentice-hall, inc., London, Pg. 6

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM I
- Study of house form of Gurjar Kshatriya community, Kutch.

INTRODUCTION

everyone through collective assent. It is thus accepted and obeyed, since
respect for tradition gives collective control, which acts as a discipline. This
approach works because there is a shared image of life, an accepted model
of buildings, a small number of building types, and finally an accepted
hierarchy and hence an accepted settlement pattern.3 As long as tradition is
present, the shared and accepted image is workable; when tradition changes,
the picture changes.

Today man has differentiated himself into various groups and
communities based upon various aspects like origin, faith, beliefs and
practices etc, and one finds that with passage of time these communities
develops a rich and distinctive lifestyle and characteristic of themselves.
They have their own peculiar way of living, may that be their celebrations,
day-to-day activities, culture, traditions or customs. Building is result of
interaction of man and his nature, aspiration, social organizations, worldviews,
way of life, social and physiological needs, individual needs and group needs.
However, today in our culture, “traditions" – which are the regulators – have
started disappearing for various reasons. As houses being the direct
expression of changing values, images, perceptions, and way of life, it
becomes very necessary to understand this topic.4

3
Ibid, Pg. 6
4
Ibid, Pg. 12

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM II

INTRODUCTION

A community evolves from the act of living to share a common culture
and share a common collective image of life. According to condition prevalent
in each region and the size of the settlements therein, each culture acquires
certain types of form and concepts in their settlement patterns. Evolving out
of the socio-physical and socio-cultural context and due to local acceptance
of its validity over a period of time, they have become the traditional type of
habitat of the people. As long as the main features of the context remain
unchanged, the settlement pattern also retains its validity. The major
contextual forces shaping these settlements can be enumerated as climate,
available materials, technology and culture. These forces not only contribute
to the form of the habitat, but at times to the development of the lifestyle of
the people as well. Every community has something very special and unique
about themselves, which cannot be found within other communities. The
differences between the types of buildings in different area are result of
differences in culture, rituals, ways of life, social organization, climates, and
materials and technology available, while the similarities are the evidence not
only of areas where some or all of these factors have coincided, but also of
some basic constancies in man’s needs and desires.5 Hence one needs to
study in respect to various viewpoints rather than only one constant which
helps in understanding the change in culture, expressed in behavior, relating
to changes in the environment, as shown by physical form.

5
Ibid, Pg. 15

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM III

INTRODUCTION

AIM:

The aim of this study is to understand the major factors affecting the
house form of ‘GURJAR KSHATRIYA’ community in Kutch region.

OBJECTIVES:

• To study the culture, tradition, religious beliefs, life style, occupation and
other factors and to understand there reflection in their built form.
• Identify various different house forms, if any.
• To study the peculiar characteristic of community houses.
• To study and analyze the spatial organization of various spaces and to
identify the element that constitute.
• To study house form at various place and to understand the constant and
the variable factors.
• An overview of the facade and ornamentation of the house.
• Understand the material and construction techniques, and their
importance.

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM IV

INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY OF STUDY:

• Collection of available data and literature.
• Verbal interaction with people.
• Understanding and correlating the available data.
• To understand the distribution of community and mapping it.
• Identify their settlement and their location in the town.
• Studying the built form by analyzing it and identifying the factors affecting
the built form.
• Identifying various special features of built form.
• Study the cases in detail by documenting them.
• Finding constant and variable found in house form of different places.
• Common house form characters are tested against the cases studied in
order to arrive at specific generator.

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM V

INTRODUCTION

SCOPE AND LIMITATION:

This dissertation is limited to the study of factors affecting the house
form of ‘GURJAR KSHATRIYA’ community in Kutch region only. The study is
limited to house form only and not any other type of community structure.

While pursuing the dissertation I realized that there are various scopes
of taking forward this research and continue the search by studying the
community structures such as bridges, schools etc, also one can study the
influence of colonial architecture on the house form of the Gurjar Kshatriya
community and its façade details.

RESEARCH QUESTION:

• Which are the factors that affect the house form of the community and
understand how they influence the house form?
• Find out the missing link between old design process and new design
process.
• Upto which extent traditional house form has its contemporary validations.

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM VI

CHAPTER – 1 Introduction to house

1.1 Shelter – basic human need.
1.2 Understanding of culture.
1.3 Factors affecting house – form.
1.4 The Relation of House and Settlement.

CHAPTER - 1

1.1 ‘SHELTER’ – BASIC HUMAN NEED:

Shelter or house has always been the basic need of humankind, today
and throughout history. In the past, nomad used to first live in open air, near
to source of food and water. They choose location that could be defended
against predators and rivals and that were shielded from the worst weather.
Later with understanding due to evolution, they started living in caves or in
the open air, with little of formal structures for living in, such as tents and
huts.

Due to various factors, later they started living in the small groups.
Because of which a community living started, where all people developed and
followed peculiar ways of beliefs, religion, festivals, rites, and rituals,
FIG: 1 Cave man customs and traditions. With this, came into existence of occupation and
culture. In order to survive and earn livelihood, people started commercial
activities, by dividing work according to individual capabilities. People
belonging to same group or sub – group and/or the occupation find it
convenient to live in close proximity, thus forming an identifiable group or
society. Society can be thus defined as a group of people occupying a
specific locality that are dependent on each other for survival and who share
a common culture. Hence, a peculiar way of life develops in a society among
the people. Culture and society are two closely related concepts. There can
be no culture without a society, just as there can be no society without
individuals.
FIG: 2 Primitive shelter

UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORM 1

CHAPTER - 1

1.2 UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURE:

Culture and society are not the same thing. While cultures are
complexes of learned behavior patterns and perceptions, societies are
groups of interacting organisms. They are inextricably connected because
culture is created and transmitted to others in a society. Culture consists of
the values, beliefs, and perceptions of the world that lie behind people's
behavior and which are reflected in their lifestyle. They are shared by
members of a society and when acted upon, they produced behavior
considered acceptable within that society.6 People maintain cultures to deal
with problems or matters that concern them. To survive, a culture must
satisfy the basic needs of those who live by its rules, provide for its own
continuity, and provide an orderly existence for the members of a society. In
doing so, a culture must strike a balance between the self – interests of
individuals and the needs of society as a whole. Also, a culture must have the
capacity to change in order to adopt the new circumstances or to altered
perceptions of existing circumstances in order to survive.7 Changes take
place in response to events as environmental crises, intrusion of outsiders,
or modification of behavior and values within the culture. Although cultures
must be able to change to remain adaptive, sometimes cultural changes can
also bring unexpected and often disastrous results.8

6
Havilland William: ANTHROPOLOGY, Harcourt brace & company, USA, 1997, Pg. 345
7
Ibid, Pg. 345
8
Ibid, Pg. 361


CHAPTER - 1

CULTURE – That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law,
morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a
member of society.
- British anthropologist sir Edward Burnett Tylor – 1871

Society is the union of individuals, all of whom have their own special
needs and interests and share a common culture. Large societies often have
subcultures, or groups of people with distinct sets of behavior and beliefs
that differentiate them from a larger culture of which they are a part. The
subculture may be distinctive because of the age of its members, or by their
race, ethnicity, class, or gender. The qualities that determine a subculture as
distinct may be aesthetic, religious, occupational, political, sexual or a
combination of these factors.


CHAPTER - 1

1.3 FACTORS AFFECTING HOUSE – FORM:

Houses that were built in past, were based on several factors ranging
from socio-culture, economics to physical factors, where as today house
form are based on different set of ideas/factors such as world views,
rationalization and fashion. Modern man has lost the mythological and
cosmological orientations, which was so important to primitive man, or has
substituted new mythologies in place of old.9 Its not that house built today
are illogical or irrelevant, but at the same time they are questionable.
Rejections of old design process or modifying them according to
contemporary time, shows that form still reflect old concerns.

In past people were more concern about holistic orientations, were
highly responsive to site, climate, topography for physical comfort and
peaceful microclimate within the house. Today we have advance in technology
that we can overcome several of these factors according to our need and
desire. Today choices are excessive and vocabulary is not limited, which has
given rise to new factors affecting the house form, which in the end seems to
dominate our traditional values and cultural ideas. Phenomenal urban growth
has put man into a very unprecedented environmental situation, to the extent
that he is unable to relate himself with his habitat. Slower rate of changes in
the past allowed sufficient contextual factors to come into play in the shaping
of human environment. These contextual factors varied according to the

9


CHAPTER - 1

variation in the regional situation. Major forces acting upon the form were
climatic, constructional, and social. Normally one or other force become
predominant depending upon the context and found expressions in the form.
These factors contributing to the life style of the people, also affected the
form of the settlement.

With the shortage of time today, a person appoints architects and
designers to design their house that has his own myths and ideas. In the
past, an individual himself possessed sufficient knowledge for construction of
his house, while today we are depending on various agencies for providing
various services. The old/traditional house represents certain values which
may be different in architects designed house/building and which tells
something about life style, which explains their acceptance and success. The
house that people buy today or get built, reflects popular values and goals
more closely than do they relates to culture or traditions. In general, one can
argue that modern symbols related to house are as strong as those of the
past and still take precedence over physical aspect ----- they are only
different. 10 Modern man may still have his own myths and the form of house,
while very different in their specifications, may be motivations, which are not
completely different from those of the past, and still primarily be socio-
cultural.11 The physical setting provides the possibilities among which choices
are made through the taboos, customs, and traditional way of the culture.
Even when the physical possibilities are numerous, the actual choices may be

10
11
Ibid, Pg. 127


CHAPTER - 1

severely limited by the cultural matrix.12

Please refer the annexure for understanding how various physical and
social factors have affected various communities and cultures all around the
world.

12
Ibid, Pg. 47


CHAPTER - 1

1.4 THE RELATION OF HOUSE AND SETTLEMENT:

As we all know that living pattern always extend beyond the house to
some extent, it is necessary to see house as part of total social system, and
not in isolation, which helps in understanding the relation of man to his
settlement and landscape. House is only a small part of large settlement, and
the way one uses the settlement affects the house form. Moreover, each of
the settlements has its own customs, traditions, ideas, and different man –
women relations. These differences can be seen in their houses, their forms
and space allocation in them, even if direct casual relations cannot be traced.
The use of public spaces and buildings, interaction spaces for each gender,
ceremonial spaces, and educational spaces forms the part of settlement and
affect its surrounding and settlement in total.

Thus, it is important to see house not only in relation to the basic
dichotomy of settlement types as settings for life and in relation to their
variants along the total space use scale, but also as part of the specific
system to which it belongs. It should be understood in its relation to the
town, its monumental parts, non-domestic areas, and social meeting places,
and the way they and the urban spaces are used. One should also consider
the movement from the house, through the various transitions to the street,
and then to the other parts of the settlements. 13

13
Adopted from Rapoport Amos: HOUSE FORM AND CULTURE, prentice-hall, inc., London,
Pg. 73


CHAPTER - 2

2.1 INTRODUCTION OF REGION - KUTCH:

Kutch is very peculiarly geographically located in the northwestern
region of Gujarat, the western most state of India. Kutch is a princely state
of India. It is the largest district of the state of Gujarat and the second
largest district in India covering an area of 45,612 sq. kms. Kutch is very
sparsely populated. Being a draught prone area, intense agriculture is not
possible. Many communities in past came and settled in kutch adapting
themselves to the physical surrounding and carrying forward their culture, out
of which Gurjar Kshatriya community was one.

Kutch literally means something that intermittently becomes wet and
FIG: 3 Location of Kutch. dry; large part of this district known as Rann of Kachchh is shallow wetland
that submerges in water during the rainy season and becomes dry during
other seasons. The same word is also used in the language of Sanskrit origin
for a tortoise and garments to be worn while having a bath. It is interesting
to note that when its map viewed upside down, it resembles a tortoise, and
henceforth it takes its name from the word ‘kutchua’. and so kutch was also
know as ‘kutchdweep’ or ‘Kutchbet’ , as it looks like an island in monsoon
time as water of sea entered to the rann, the desert.

FIG: 4 Map showing Kutch as an island.


CHAPTER - 2

A. GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTRISTICS:
Kutch stretches from 22o 44’ to 24o 41’ north
latitude and 68o 09’ to 71o 54’ east longitude. Bounded
by the Arabian Sea on the west and the southwest, by the
Gulf of Kutch to the south, it meets the border of Sindh,
which becomes a part of Pakistan after the partition of
India in 1947, in the north. To the northeast, it runs along
Rajasthan and in the east and southeast, it links up with
other parts of Gujarat. Kutch is connected with the other
part of the country only through a bridge called ‘SURAJ
BARI’. The Kutch region can be divided into three parts
running more or less horizontally in an east – west
direction. The northwest part of the Kutch is the desert,
which is divided in two parts - ‘MOTU RANN’ and ‘NANU
RANN’. Motu rann is also known as ‘Great rann of Kutch’,
FIG: 5 Map showing Kutch as an island. which is completely barren. The central belt known as
‘Banni’, which was fertile grassland, is sparsely populated.
The southern belt of the district is a coastal belt and is most fertile and relatively densely populated. Many parts of Kutch
were fertile in the past, but because of shortage of water, these areas became dry. The main water source for the Kutch was
the Sindhu River, which changed its path after the earthquake that happened in 1819 A.d. Kutch is the only region where we
get variations in landform and climate because it has desert on one side and sea on the other three sides. As a result of
which, it has numerous ecology forming distinct ecosystem in each place, which in turn gave rise to distinct cultures to
develop in each zone. The coastal area is humid right through the year where as the central and northern parts of the region
are dry. Kutch as a region is characterized by its extreme intensities, the geographical space, the topographical formations,
the climate, the vegetation – Its flora and fauna, and of course its people.


CHAPTER - 2

B. POLITICAL HISTORY:

Due to variety in ecosystem and ecology of place, distinct cultures have emerged with each having special
characteristics. Kutch is divided into several parts based on the cultures residing in that area. These parts are known as
‘PARGANA’. These divisions are as follows:

FIG: 6 Map of Kutch as divided into various ‘PARGANA’.


CHAPTER - 2

The human history of Kutch goes back to the time of Prehistory. The
dry bed of the river Surkhi at a few miles in the northeast direction of
Nakhatrana has revealed large flakes, hand-axes, and scrappers of the
Paleolithic era made from local dikes and basalt. The people who lived here
were hunter-gatherers. Around 2,600 BC, the Indus Valley Civilization made
its way to Kutch with people settling down at Dholavira, an island city,
located at Khadir Island to the northeast of Bhuj.

Sakas were first to rule Kutch between 1st and 3rd century, and also
did the Buddhism and Jainism did spread in Kutch. Followed by abhirs and
guptas, Arabs attacked Kutch, through which Muslim came to Kutch. In 1304
Mogul sultan Allahuddin Khilji came on rule. From the available data, it is found
that Muslim rule was limited only to the costal tract on the west and north.

Defeating Jam Raval, Khengarji became the first ‘Rao’ king of Kutch in
1548. Ruling until 1585, Rav Bharmal came to throne. Following several
centuries, Rao rule continued in Kutch. In 1819, Rav Desalji becomes the
ruler while still and infant; regency council then managed the affairs. Pragmal II
(1860 – 1875), Khengarji III (1876 – 1942), Vijayraji (1942 – 1948) were
the success ding rulers with Madansinghji (1948) being the last ruler who
signed the treaty of accession to the Indian union in 1948.


CHAPTER - 2

2.2 VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF
KUTCH:

Kutch as in the history was been invaded by variety of invaders and
ruled for many centuries as a result we find a lot of diverse communities and
cultures. According to condition prevalent in each region and the size of the
settlements, therein each culture acquired certain form concepts in their
settlement patterns. As long as the main features of the context remain
unchanged, the settlement pattern also retains its validity. Due to variation in
landform and climate, every community has evolved its house form according
to the needs and comfort, which also varies from place to place.

Various major communities residing in Kutch are Rabaries, Aahirs, Jats,
and Harijans. Other minor communities include Maldharis, Raisipotra,
Halepotra, Wankars, Sammas, Kodis, and Kanbhi etc. These communities have
actually migrated from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran and other
area in Middle East and Central Asia.


CHAPTER - 2

VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IN KUTCH AHIR COMMUNITY
FIG: 10 Also known as ABHIRA, they are
cow herders and shepherds. They are
JAT COMMUNITY principally farmers who once sole milk and
ghee but have changed their occupation
because of irregularity of rain in Kutch.
JAT

RABARI COMMUNITY

FIG: 7 They are originally
herders from Iran and are
basically Sunni Muslims. Men
normally look after animals
and women look after fields.

HARIJAN COMMUNITY

BHATIA COMMUNITY

FIG: 13 Bhatia’s are the FIG: 11 - 12 They are camel
trading community, are quite breeders, cattle herders and
FIG: 8 – 9 They originally
brave, and adventures. move from place to place by
came from Marwar in
Originally, they were warriors carrying their household on
Rajasthan. They are good in
of Jaiselmer. In the past, they camels back. They live in
leatherwork, weaving wool
also used to do farming. They circular mud house know as
and cotton. They always live
belong to ‘vaishnav’ sect of bhunga due to their climatic
in groups. They were former
Hindu religion. and social factors.
suspicious as untouchables.


CHAPTER – 3 About the community
3.1 History.
3.2 About people.
A. Social belief and lifestyle.
a) Life style.
b) Ceremonies.
c) Caste system.
d) Religious belief.
B. Occupation.
3.3 Communal behavior.
3.4 House.

CHAPTER - 3

3.1 HISTORY:

According to Sanskrit dictionary GURJAR means defeating enemies,
gur – means enemy and jar – means defeating. They belong to north western
part of India such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab etc. This community also resides in other
countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia etc. In different
countries they are known as gurjar, gojar, gorjar, godar, gorj, etc. They are
mostly Hindus and very few are Muslims or Sikhs. They mostly belong to
Kshatriya cast, and ruled over gurjara - pratihara kingdom i.e. 60% of south
Asia during 8th and 9th century.

Arrival of Gurjars in India has two opinions. According to one, it is
believed that Gurjars migrated in India in 476 AD, with the white hunas and
quickly assimilated into the local population as Kshatriya. They are believed to
have originated from Georgia. In Persian it is pronounced as "Gurjiya". Gujarat
is said to be named after them as they settled there in the 6th century. While
from the books of great scholars, it is found that they belong to Aryan
dynasty and were always a part of this country and were not outsiders.
Historian believes that they had migrated to India from central Asia. It is also
said that they probably might have settled in the Indian green territory during
5th and 6th century A.D. The gurjar traveled to India via Rajputana crossing
Punjab and finally settling in Gurjratra, which they ruled for many centuries.
They resisted the Arabian invasion successfully for 300 years till the fall of
their kingdom, when the Muslim invasion arrived. In 1697 al-ud-din khilji


CHAPTER - 3

destroyed the last rule of Gurjars in India. During the Muslim invasion, their
rule in India converted some and forced many Hindus community to migrate in
all directions from north India and especially some of the politically affected
Rajputs and Kshatriya communities of Rajasthan also migrated southward.
After that Gurjars were ruthlessly suppressed and persecuted. Numerous
plots began to be hatched against Gurjars. Under these bad and hostile
conditions some Gurjars ran away for safety while other disliked to be called
"Gurjars" and hence they converted themselves into communities, other than
Gurjars. Instead of saying Kshatriya KUMAR, they recognized themselves as
KHUMBHAR (PORTAR) to save their life from harassment and cruelty of
Muslim (Mogals) rulers. After Muslim invasion the Gurjars turned to farming as
their occupation.

From the available information of certain researchers and very old
preserved documents of barots (bhats), their ancestors arrived into Kutch
from Rajasthan in 7th century to fight and repel the unwanted alien's attack
from the Middle East to save the dignity of our motherland. In the 12th
century, 1178 – 79, they made entry into village called Dhaneti, in between
Anjar and Bhuj of Kutch district but they had to face harassment and were
repelled by the local public, as a result they migrated further and started
their livelihood at places where they were welcomed and accepted. Maintain
their core identity of Kshatriya, they settled in Kutch, Halar and other parts
of Saurastra region. Many of these people have migrated from villages to
other places for better prospects and got themselves engaged in various
other occupations as agriculture was not sufficient to survive.


CHAPTER - 3

Migration from Kutch and Saurastra continued to places such as
Bihar, Bengal, and Maharastra and from Halar region people
migrated to East Africa, from where they further migrated to
United kingdoms due to political changes and upheavals.

At that time, 18 main centers of the ancestors in Kutch
were Anjar, Vidi Meghpar, Galpadar, Nagalpar, Sinogara,
Khambhara, Chandia, Lovaria, Kumbharia and Devalia. All these
villages are near and around Anjar. These areas are relatively on
the eastern side and are generally plain and called Ugamana
pat. Regarding Dungra pat (area of small hills), there are 7
FIG: 14 Villages in Ugamana pat. villages named Nagher, Kukma, Hajapar, Jambudi, Reha and
Madhapar, where their ancestor settled.

FIG: 15 Villages in Dungra pat.


CHAPTER - 3

3.2 PEOPLE:

As the name suggests, people of gurjar Kshatriya community are very
brave and skillful. Evolved with the time and need, they took interest in
activity like agriculture, mason and construction activities to suit with the
situation. Believing in brotherhood and community development, this people
are very co – operative and helpful in nature.

A. SOCIAL BELIEFS AND LIFESTYLE:

a) LIFESTYLE:

As people generally live in joint family system, generally man do all the
work for earning livelihood, while women are mostly house wife, taking care of
family and children. Very few examples are there where women, in the past,
had step out of household activities and worked in the societies. “LAAJ”
system still prevails at some place, i.e. women has to cover her head below
eyes in front of elders of the family as sign of respect. A system of ‘LAAJ
LANI’ used to take place in past, which has almost disappeared in the
present days. In past man used to have second wife, if the first dies and also
many times they used to have two wives.


CHAPTER - 3

b) CEREMONIES:

CHATHI:

In their families a child born and on the 6th day, the CHATTHI ceremony
is conducted on a low stool (BAJOTH) along with lighted deep, pen and ink-
pot. Pen and ink signifies that the child is entitled to education. Some say
that pen and ink are kept, as there is belief that on this day "vidhata" comes
and writes the fortune of the child on the basis of his past’s good and bad
deeds. A statue of horse rider with a sword in his hand is also placed on the
bajoth. Horse rider with sword symbolizes that the child is from the Kshtriya
family.

MARRIAGE:

When the young male Kshtriya is getting married, he is holding a sword
in his right hand. Sword is Kshtriya’s weapon that is one of the identity
symbols within Hindu social fabric as a warrior, protector and administrator of
the community and society. There is no "DAHEJ" system in this community.
Chunri, hero, sankda, choiyu, and a pair of dress are the minimum gift one
should give to girl at time of marriage. From the available information’s, it is
known that they were the first to start ‘SAMUH LAGNA’ system in India. In
1972 they organized first SAMUH LAGNA in village called Raipur in Madhya
Pradesh.


CHAPTER - 3

DEATH:

Any female, if dies without having any child, then the parents of the
dead (female) gets all the jewellery that were made in her in–law's house,
when they visits for the rituals. If the female dies having a child, parents ask
for the jewellery that were made by them from the in-law's family, which they
claim to return after the child gets mature enough. Sometimes parents ask
for nothing if the female leaves the boy child behind, whereas many times
other even breaks the relations with in-law's family. If the dead person is girl,
than the expanses occurred on the ceremony of 11th and 12th day are to be
paid by her parent's side.

NAVRATRI:

On the 8th and 9th day of NAVRATRI, there is family get together. All
the people from that family around the world meet on these days and have
havan's and puja's and have Samuah Prasad. In this ceremony people of other
community are not allowed. Prasad consist of different types of eatables
depending on the ‘Gotra’ type.

PADIAS:

All the families have historical records of some outstanding persons
who died defending their villages and are remembered as SHURAPURAS and
have their PADIAS either in the public Chowk of villages or far out at


CHAPTER - 3

periphery of the villages, where today proper structures have been
developed around them and have become place of worship.

GOTRAS AND KULDEVIES:

As other Kshtriya communities, each family of communities have their
GOTRA named after one of seven rishis such as GAUTTAM, KAUSHIK,
KASHYAP, BHARDWAJ, VSHIST, VISHVAMITRA and other. They also have
KULDEVIS such as CHAMUNDA, KHODIAYR, BRAHMANI, BHAWANI, MOMAI,
BAHUCHARA and others attached to the families whom they worship and
these symbolizes Kshtriya character.
FIG: 16 Kuldevi – FIG: 17 Kuldevi –
Chavalma Chauhan – Brahmani Chauhan – ASADHI BIJ:
Reha. Reha.

As ‘Asadhi bij’ is the New Year for kutchi people, there is a
community celebration. People get together on this day at specific place and
have lunch together.

MUNDAN:

This ceremony of child has to be taken place at their native place
where they have their ‘kuldevi’. After the ceremony all family members are
invited for ‘PRASAD’. Prasad consists of different number of eatable items
depending on the Gotras of the person.


CHAPTER - 3

SHASTRA PUJAN:

As Kshatriya’s are warrior by nature, they pay a due respect to their
weapon, and hence they incorporate weapon in many of their activities e.g. in
marriage. On the day of ‘VIJYA DASHMI’, they carry out ‘SHASTRA PUJAN’
i.e. worship of weapons.

c) CASTE SYSTEM:

The community is further divided into various sub groups such as
1) Maru, 2) ladva, 3) Khodiyar, 4) Makvana, 5) Vegad, 6) Unevar, 7) Kacha,
8) Solanki, 9) Parmar, 10) Bhalsoda, 11) Jethva, 12) Rathod, 13) Varu, 14)
Chavada, 15) Savariya, 16) Vadher, 17) Vadav, 18) Gohil, 19) Dhokiya, 20)
Tank, 21) Chauhan, 22) Bhardva, 23) Bhatti, 24) Kukadiya, 25) Vagehla,
which are residing into kutch.

d) RELIGIOUS BELIEFS:

Basically Hindus, they follow lord Ram or lord Krishna. Some of them
also follow Swaminarayan sect. Every house has a specific place for worship.


CHAPTER - 3

B. OCCUPATION:

After migrating from Rajasthan, community was in need of new
occupation for livelihood for which they opted for construction. For the need
of food and milk they did rain-fed farming for ¼ duration around year. Some
also reached upto international trading and mining occupation.

Due to skillfulness and enterprising nature of community, they acquired
the special preference by Britishers in the construction of railway industries
and hence became the pioneers of railway construction in India. Due to
occupation of construction many people of this community have spread all
over India in places such Orrisa, Bihar, and Bengal in east, Karnataka and
Tamilnadu in south and else where. Being in contact with Britishers and
working with them, community earned very well and was considered as one of
the rich communities.

Today people of this community have spread all over India and
engaged in various other fields for better job prospects. But yet many
families are still engaged in construction work and few are yet attached with
farming activities.


CHAPTER - 3

3.3 COMMUNITY BEHAVIOUR:

People of this community have always believed in community progress
along with individual growth. Believing so, in 18 of their exclusive villages,
they have invited other communities in order to fulfill their social and
occupational needs and allow them to reside with them and grow together
with mutual sharing of skill and knowledge. Mobilizing their own resources,
they have constructed several village facility structures such as pond,
temple, school, bird feeder, guest house etc in all the villages. Moreover on
‘Bhim Agiyaras’ all villagers contribute in process of cleaning of pond
according to their own strength. Also one finds a social fencing all around the
pond. Pond is always kept clean and protected from entry of animals.


CHAPTER - 3

3.4 HOUSE:

A typical Gurjar Kshtriya house is identified by its hierarchy of spaces,
use of rich materials and high sense of details and construction techniques.
Apart from a typical space use pattern discriminating between private and
semi – private domain, it generally follows patterns of row houses, sharing
two walls with the adjoining units. In a Gurjar Kshtriya dwelling the typical
space organization is described below:

At ground level, the house starts right outside, on the street, where
one interact first at ‘OTLAS’ which forms a very important junction for social
interaction. Moving further one enters the house through street with raised
plinth of 1 or 2 steps from the street level. Through the main entrance, one
enters the anteroom known as ‘DELI’, which is semi – covered place used for
informal sitting. Beside it, there is another room known as ‘BETHAK’ which
is generally used for sitting of male members of family and limiting the entry
of outsiders. Next is open to sky courtyard known as ‘CHOWK’, which
generally house all the services of house. It consists of underground tank,
drain line of dwelling, a special semi – covered space known as
‘AKELDHARIO’ for cows and storage of their fodder. Many a times,
courtyard also consists of well. The space immediately after the court is semi
– covered space called ‘CHAALI’. This is followed by a room known as
‘OSARI’, which finally lead to last room of the house known as ‘ORDO’, which
is sanctum of Gurjar Kshtriya family’s life.
FIG: 18 Typical layout of dwelling


CHAPTER - 3

Generally staircase is located in the courtyard, which
helps to lead to first floor space over Deli and Bethak space.
Staircase leading to first floor over Osari and Ordo is
generally housed in the Osari itself. Several times dwelling
have double highted space, which helps to create a loft above
which is known as ‘MEDO’, which helps for storage purpose.

This type of layout of 1 Osari + 2 Ordo is called
‘1JOTO’, with loft over head is basic layout and afforded by
average income group owner.

FIG: 19-20 Showing various spaces in dwelling.


CHAPTER – 4
4.1 Identifying case studies.
4.2 Case studies.
4.3 Analysis of case studies.
4.4 Conclusion.

CHAPTER - 4

4.1 IDENTIFIYING THE CASE STUDIES:

Five houses are selected from 3 regions for detail study. Selections
of case studies are based on:

• Variation in sizes – area and volume
• Economic conditions
• Spatial organization
• Material exploration


CHAPTER - 4

4.2 CASE STUDIES:


CHAPTER - 4

CASE STUDY - I:
OWNER: Kishorbhai Maru

VILLAGE: Devaliya – Anjar (Kutch)

NO. OF FAMILY MEMBERS: 3

AGE OF BUILDING: approx. 100 years

USE: Residential

OCCUPATION:
Past - Farming and coal mining
Present - Repairing of electronics
goods and farming

FLOORS: Two

FIG: 21 FIG: 22 Main entrance of the house.


CHAPTER - 4

STRUCTURE AND MATERIAL:

House is a load bearing structure with random rubble stone
masonry. Walls are 45 cms thick with mud plaster finish. Floors are
also mud finished known as ‘LIPPAN’. The residents themselves do
Lippan 2-3 times per year – holi, satam, diwali, on the floors and once
a year on walls. Intermediate floors are made up of stone slabs with
Lippan finishing and are supported on wooden planks and beams. In
Chaali, iron I-sections, supported on wooden columns, are used for
high strength, which acknowledges their knowledge of railway line
construction. 2 – Way sloping roof resting on wooden beams is
covered with Mangalore tile in front units of house and with country
FIG: 23 Mud flooring. FIG: 24 Floor supported on tiles on the rear unit of building.
wooden planks & beams.

DISTRIBUTION OF SPACE:

House consists of two units, with common courtyard for all
domestic and other activities. As one family has shifted to Madhapar,
one unit remains close, and house is solely occupied by 3 family
members themselves. The occupants of the house were in occupation
of coal mining and hence were economically rich in nature. As a result,
proportions of spaces are relatively large and have minor changes in
the basic layout fulfilling the requirements. Starting with the street,
one enters the house passing through the social interacting Otlas,
where any passerby can sit and rest. House consists of very elaborate
facade details, with fine stonework and details of the opening. Moving
FIG: 25 - 26 Use of I – section for strength, supported on inside, one enters the anteroom known as Deli where elders sit and
wooden column.


CHAPTER - 4

while their time, beside which there is Bethak consisting of 3 rooms
and 1 semi – covered Chaali. Deli also consists of the staircase
leading to first floor above which consists of 4 rooms.

Next is open to sky courtyard, which encompass the services of
dwelling, such as water services – inlet and outlet, storage and drying
of fodder in summer. It consists of huge Akeldhario for cattle to stay
and storage of their fodder. To provide further comfort to livestock
wooden louvers are used for shade. Emphasizing on the point of
privacy, it also consists of different W.C of guests in the courtyard
itself. Moving ahead one passes semi covered Chaali, with W.C. at the
end, and enters the large Osari, with Paniara and Rasodu at the end.
FIG: 27 - 28 Deli with its transition window and wooden
staircase leading to first floor. Finally, one reaches the dark and cool Ordo, which is the sanctum of
the house.

Upper floor can be reached with the staircase located in the
osari and has same layout as the ground floor.

FIG: 29 Viewing courtyard FIG: 30 Akeldhario with wooden
from Chaali. louvers for shading.


CHAPTER - 4

SPECIAL FEATURES & OBSERVATIONS:

As compared to other case studies, the occupants are
economical rich, which is reflected in variation in basic layout of house.
The bethak space, which is generally of single room, here consists of
3 rooms and a semi covered Chaali. In addition, the Rasodo is located
in line of Osari creating an extra room behind it. Moreover, Rasodo is
of double height having loft above, which is used for storage of
organic fuel used in kitchen. Courtyard consists of Danki, which is used
to draw water from the well below.

A very fine quality of painting is found on the ceiling of first
floor depicting the initials of the residents. With construction as
occupational background, a very proper sense of construction is found
in the dwelling unit with very fine details. Windows are of different
layers depending on its location and requirement. Even sill has very
fine detail for drain of water, leaving wooden frame intact from
decaying.

FIG: 33 Window with wooden FIG: 34 Window used for
louvers and panel. storage.


CHAPTER - 4

Very intricate carving is found on the wooden members such as
eave boards, column capitals, window frames, railing and cupboards
etc. Parapet wall are made of single stone piece with carving details.

FIG: 35 Stone carving over deli.

FIG: 36 - 37 Carving on window lintel, eaves, and column.

FIG: 38 Wooden railing detail.


CHAPTER - 4

CASE STUDY - II:
OWNER: Muktaben Liladhar Chauhan.

VILLAGE: Reha – Bhuj (Kutch).

NO. OF FAMILY MEMBERS: 5.

AGE OF BUILDING: approx. 75 years.

USE: Residential.

OCCUPATION:
Past - Farming
Present - Lab assistance in china
Clay factory and farming.
FIG: 39 Location plan of house
FLOORS: Single floor.

FIG: 40. FIG: 41 Main entrance to the house


CHAPTER - 4


House consists of double highted ground floor, with 45 cms.
thick load bearing wall made up random rubble stone masonry. Ground
floor has I.P.S flooring while the loft is supported on load bearing
walls with wooden beam as structural member, with bamboo strips and
Lippan as finishing material. 2 – Way sloping roof resting on wooden
beams is covered with Mangalore tile in front units of house and with
FIG: 43 Wooden loft with
country tiles on the rear unit of building.
FIG: 42 Wooden beams used in
Osari to support pitch roof. mud covering.


This is the most typical layout of house of the community.
Comparing to other case studies, occupants belong to average
income group. House is relatively small. Starting with the street
outside, Otlas become social interacting juncture. The façade behind is
quite blank and lacks any type of ornamentation or articulation. The Deli
space is replaced with service block and a small water tank. Bethak
besides consists of single room, which consists of loft due to its
double highted space. Moving further, Chowk accommodates the
services of the house such as underground water tank, drainage
channel of the house and place for cleaning cloths and washing
utensils. Akeldhario is now used for cooking and storage of fuel such
as wood and cow's dung. Tulsi kyaro is hanged on the wall. Chaali is
used for domestic purpose such as cutting vegetables, cleaning
FIG: 44 View of Akeldhario FIG: 45 Use of Chaali for
and Bethak from courtyard. domestic purpose.


CHAPTER - 4

grains, stitching cloths etc. Osari serves as dining space and lounge,
while inner Ordo is used for sleeping and storage.

SPECIAL FEATURES & OBSERVATIONS:

Belonging to average income group, house lacks the intricate
carving work of stone or wooden elements, such as Paniara. The
kitchen is recently modified to platform according to requirement, but
still the owner herself prefers cooking on ‘Chula’ for which she sits out
in Akeldhario and cooks her own food. Bethak is used as sleeping
space. The loft created is used as storage while it also act as buffer
insulating the space below and keeping it cool and prevent dust from
the roof. Good quality of construction knowledge is present, which
can be found construction of lofts and roofs.

FIG: 46 Owner preparing FIG: 47 Wooden loft.
food on Chula.


CHAPTER - 4

CASE STUDY - III:
OWNER: Lalji Mavji Chauhan.

VILLAGE: Reha – Bhuj (Kutch).

NO. OF FAMILY MEMBERS:

AGE OF BUILDING: approx. 93 years.

USE: Residential.

OCCUPATION:
Past - Contractor.
FIG: 48 Location plan of house
FLOORS: Two.

FIG: 49 Main entry to house. FIG: 50 Main entry to house. FIG: 51 External entry to Bethak.


CHAPTER - 4


House is divided in to two blocks; rear block is double storied
high where as front block is of two floors. House is vacant from last 7
years and presently is under renovation. House is of load bearing
structure with 45 cms. thick random rubble stone masonry. Rear block
has I.P.S flooring with sloping roof covered with country tiles, while
front block has tiles in flooring and has advance roofing system
covered with Mangalore tiles. First floor is supported on iron I-
sections.
FIG: 52 Osari with I.P.S FIG: 53 Bethak with tiles
flooring and wooden members flooring and metal sections
used for roofing system. supporting upper floor.

Following the basic layout with Otlas outside, the Deli space
inside is relatively large as compared to other case studies. It
consists of underground water tank. Adjacent Bethak space has two
entries, one from main street and other from the deli, maintaining full
privacy of other spaces. Chowk consists of Akeldhario, stone
staircase leading to upper floor over bethak and deli, a bathroom and
a small over ground water storage tank. The bathroom in the past
consists of well, which was shared by the adjacent dwelling,
maintaining complete privacy within. The unique characteristic is that
the rear block consists of two Rasodo at two end of Chaali.

The upper floor is single space, with advanced roofing system
FIG: 54 Chowk with staircase,
of wooden members and covered with Mangalore tiles. The Chaali acts
FIG: 55 Advance roofing
bathroom, and water tank. system on first floor.


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