Traditional Homes of India: West Bengal

Vernacular architecture means the informal architecture of a place or area. The building materials that are used are local materials and designed to meet the needs of the local people. These structures reflect the diversity of India's climate, locally available building materials, and the intricate variations in local social customs and craftsmanship.

DID YOU KNOW…It has been estimated that worldwide close to 90% of all building is vernacular, meaning that it is for daily use for ordinary, local people and built by local craftsmen.

Vernacular Architecture of West Bengal

West Bengal geographically is a long narrow state running from the Himalayas in the north to the delta region of the Ganges at Bay of Bengal. The area is divided into three major geographical divisions –hills, plains and the coastal

area.

Northern Bengal, which is the hilly area comprises of houses that are built with material that are suitable to those conditions. Materials like tin, roof tiles, lime, wood, slate, etc. are used to build houses in this region. These houses have a sloping roof and usually built on stilts.

In the central region of Bengal, the climate is tropical and houses are built of mud, clay, bamboo, thatch, khad (straw from dried paddy or wheat), etc. ‘Aat chala houses’ common in this area with eight sloping roofs in two tiers.

Finally in South and South West Bengal the monsoons are very heavy and the summer months are also prolonged which has led to houses being traditionally being built of earth, bamboo and thatch. The general style of making houses in this region is plastered clay walls on a bamboo framework. The roofs are covered with a roof thatch of more durable grass

Types of Rural Houses

Chousala – a four roomed house on all four directions with an open courtyard in the middle. These houses are commonly seen in towns and cities too.

Britighar – this is house where all its rooms are fenced within one boundary.

Atchala - it is a house with eight roofs, four over the main building and four over the verandas attached on each side.

Postaghar – this a simply a house constructed on an elevated platform.

Dishala Bandh Ghar – this is a very unique style where two large rooms are there on a separate platform having a open space between them.

Sushthita Ghar – this is a house surrounded by verandahs on all four

sides.

British Bungalows

The traditional Bengali house provided the model for a British bungalow. The ‘bangla’ in Bengal was a hut with a sloped roof. The frame was constructed of bamboo, with wooden posts and beams used sometimes by the wealthy. The thatched roof extended beyond the walls to provide extra shelter and one side being extended more to form a small verandah. The Europeans adopted this style with an

elongated roof. The British furthermore extended the traditional verandah to encircle the house. The corners of the verandah were partitioned off to make separate rooms for bathing, etc. this basic plan later on became more developed and complex.

The rural form ‘bangla’ also influenced the Mughal and Rajput architecture. These simple forms were glorified in marble, sandstone and other available materials by the Mughals and Rajputs.

Referenceshttp://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/676/traditional-house-in-jagacha-in-west-bengalhttp://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/soumik.sim-183474-VERNACULAR-ARCHITECTURE-WEST-BANGAL-CONTENTS-BENGAL-GLANCE-GEOGRAPHY-ZONAL-CLASSIFICATION-ACCORDING-CLIMATIC-CONDITIONS-arch-Education-ppt-powerpoint/

ACTIVITY

1. What do you understand by the term vernacular? Is it relevant only in terms of architecture? Give reasons for your answer.

2. Make a sketch of a rural house in Bengal. You can use colour pencils to highlight your sketch.

3. What is the influence of Bengal architecture in other regions of India?