Vernacular Achitecture of Roopsi Village, Rajasthan

ROOPSI VILLAGE JAISALMER, RAJASTHAN

B. ARCH. SEM - VI AAYOJAN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, JAIPUR

SUBMITTED TOPROF. MANJARI RAI SUBMITTED BYJAHNVI N SHARMA

ROOPSI VILLAGE

CONTENTS : - ABSTRACT - RAJASTHAN - ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN - FEATURES OF ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN - JAISALMER - ROOSI VILLAGE - FACTORS AFFECTING ROOPSI - CASTE CLASSIFICATION IN ROOPSI - HOUSES IN ROOPSI - A HOUSE IN ROOPSI - CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS - CLIMATE RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES USED - CONCLUSION

ABSTRACT THE LITERAL MEANING OF THE WORD ‘VERNACULAR’ IS ‘NATIVE TO A PLACE’ AND VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE MEANS ‘ARCHITECTURE NATIVE TO PLACE’.

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE CAN BE DEFINED AS A TYPE OF LOCAL OR REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION, USING TRADITIONAL MATERIALS AND RESOURCES FROM THE AREA WHERE THE BUILDING IS LOCATED. CONSEQUENTLY, THIS ARCHITECTURE IS CLOSELY RELATED TO ITS CONTEXT AND IS AWARE OF THE SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF ITS SURROUNDINGS, BEING STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY THEM. FOR THIS REASON, THEY ARE UNIQUE TO DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE WORLD, BECOMING EVEN A MEANS OF REAFFIRMING AN IDENTITY. IT IS BUILT TO MEET SPECIFIC NEEDS, ACCOMMODATE THE VALUES, ECONOMY, AND LIFESTYLES OF A SPECIFIC CULTURE. THIS MONOGRAPH IS ALL ABOUT THE VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF A SMALL ISOLATED VILLAGE OF RAJASTHAN, ROOPSI, ORIGINATING FROM JAISALMER DISTRICT OF RAJASTHAN ITSELF. THIS REPORT REVIEWS ALL OF THE FACTORS ACFFECTING THE ARCHITECTURE IN ROOPSI LIKE CLIMATE, TRADITIONS, RELIGIONS, CASTES, OCCUPATION, SETTLEMENT PATTERN, AND ARCHITECTURAL PATTERN.

RAJASTHAN - LAND OF MAHARAJAS RAJASTHAN IS INDEED THE MOST COLOURFUL STATE IN INDIA. RAJASTHAN HAVING MOSTLY HOT-DRY CLIMATE ZONE & PARTLY COMPOSITE CLIMATE ZONE NEEDS TO HAVE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TOWARDS PLANNING & DESIGNING OF AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE & ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS. CLIMATE IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LIFE PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WITH HOT AND DRY CLIMATE SUCH AS RAJASTHAN, WHERE PEOPLE FACE VARIETY OF PROBLEMS RELATED TO CLIMATE ESPECIALLY IN HOUSING. TRADITIONAL BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF RAJASTHAN IS CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE FOR BOTH THE CLIMATE AS WELL AS FOR SOCIAL CONDITIONS. THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF INTERNATIONAL STYLE WHICH HAS DOMINATED THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS GENERALLY CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT WAS INTRODUCED WITHOUT CONSIDERATION FOR THE LOCAL CLIMATE OR FOR THE CULTURAL NEED OF THE POPULATION. TRADITIONAL BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN RAJASTHAN HAVE EVOLVED IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE, REDUCING THE EFFECT OF HOSTILE DESERT CLIMATE CONDITIONS.

ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN

THE ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN IS AN OUTSTANDING ARRANGEMENT OF COLONIAL, ISLAMIC AND HINDU ARCHITECTURE. RAJASTHAN STAYS AS ONE AMONG THE MAJOR TOURIST SPOT IN INDIA CARRYING A LAVISH ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE. RAJASTHAN ARCHITECTURE AROUSES FROM RAJPUT SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, A PERFECT MIXTURE OF HINDU AND MUGHAL STRUCTURAL PATTERN. THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN HOSTS FEW OF SPLENDID PALACES AND FORTS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. ORNAMENTED HAVELIS, ELABORATELY CARVED TEMPLES AND ALSO MAGNIFICENT FORTS ARE SECTION OF THE RAJASTHAN’S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE. THE ARTISTIC BUILDERS OF RAJPUT DESIGNED MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL STYLES WHICH ARE LOCATED IN CITIES LIKE JAISALMER, UDAIPUR, JAIPUR AND JODHPUR. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS IN RAJASTHAN INCLUDE JANTAR MANTAR, DILWARA TEMPLES, LAKE PALACE HOTEL, CITY PALACES, CHITTORGARH FORT AND JAISALMER HAVELIS.

ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN - FEATURES

JAISALMER - THE GOLDEN CITY

A CITY IN THE INDIAN STATE OF RAJASTHAN, LOCATED 575 KILOMETRES WEST OF THE STATE CAPITAL JAIPUR. THE TOWN STANDS ON A RIDGE OF YELLOWISH SANDSTONE, CROWNED BY A FORT, WHICH CONTAINS THE PALACE AND SEVERAL OMATE JAIN TEMPLES. MANY OF THE HOUSES AND TEMPLES ARE FINELY SCULPTURED. IT LIES IN THE HEART OF THE THAR DESERT (THE GREAT INDIAN DESERT) AND HAS A POPULATION OF ABOUT 78,000. JAISALMER, BEING AN ARID DESERT REGION, IS PRONE TO EXTREMES IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURE. JAISALMER IS A COMPACT NETWORK OF SHORT STREETS. IN NEGOTIATING THE TERRAIN, THE STREETS HAVE BECOME QUITE INTERESTING. WITH FAIRLY HIGH BUILDINGS AND THE STREETS RARELY MORE THAN FOUR METERS WIDE AND THE LATTER ARE ALMOST ALWAYS IN COOL SHADE. THERE IS SOME DIFFERENCE IN THE STREET PATTERN OF THE UPPER AND LOWER CITY THOUGH THE GENERAL AMBIENCE IS SIMILAR. THE RADIAL PATTERN FOUND ABOVE IS CONTRASTED BY THE GRID IRON PATTERN IN THE CITY BELOW, THOUGH THE STREETS DO NOT RUN IN EXACT STRAIGHT LINES NOR DO THEY MEET AT RIGHT ANGLES.JAISALMER STREETS ARE MORE THAN MERE PATHS THEY ARE PUBLIC SPACES TOO. ALTHOUGH THEY HARBOUR ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE COMPARABLE TO CLUSTER SPACES, THE STREET AS A SPACE HAS A DIFFERENT CHARACTER. NOT ONLY IS THE COMPOSITION MORE LINEAR, IT IS ALSO LIMITED IN TERMS OF ACTIVITIES. NARROW WINDING STREETS WITH DENSELY BUILT CONSTRUCTION ON BOTH SIDES.

RAJASTHAN

JAISALMER

ROOPSI VILLAGE, JAISALMER

ROOPSI

FACTORS AFFECTING ROOPSI

CASTE CLASSIFICATION IN ROOPSI

HOUSES IN ROOPSI THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF HOUSES IN JAISALMER DEPENDING UPON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE INHABITANTS. THE SIMPLEST TOWN HOUSE CONSISTS OF A SINGLE ROOM, A VERANDAH AND A COURTYARD. LARGER HOUSES OF THIS TYPE HAVE ANOTHER VERANDAH OVER THE ENTRANCE AND SOME HOUSES HAVE AN ADDITIONAL ROOM ON ONE SIDE OF THE COURTYARD. THREE SINGLE STOREY STRUCTURES ARE OWNED BY THE POOREST PEOPLE AND HAVE BEEN BUILT IN THE PERIPHERAL AREAS OF THE TOWN. THE SECOND TYPE OF HOUSE BELONGS TO THE MIDDLE INCOME PEOPLE. A TWO OR THREE-STOREY STRUCTURE, THIS HOUSE TYPE CAN BE CONSIDERED THE TYPICAL HOUSE OF JAISALMER. IT IS SIMILAR TO THE FIRST HOUSE TYPE IN PLAN, WITH THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT ADDITIONAL ROOMS AND SMALL ENCLOSED TERRACES ARE LOCATED AT THE UPPER FLOORS. THE FRONT PART OF THE FIRST FLOOR HAS A BALCONY PROJECTING ONTO THE STREET. IT CAN BE SEEN THAT IN OLDEN TIMES IN JAISALMER THE HOUSES USED TO BE SIMPLE STRUCTURES MADE OF MUD. AMONG WHICH ARE THE EXAMPLES LIKE THE BHUNGA HOUSES,ROOPSI HOUSES, DHULMERA HOUSES AND THE JALWARI HOUSES

A HOUSE IN ROOPSI THE ENTRANCE IS FROM THE WEST AND THERE IS EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF FLOOR AREA IN THE X AXIS AND Y AXIS DIRECTION. SQUARE IN SHAPE. IT HAS ROOMS PLACED AROUND AN OPEN COURT ON SIDE AND ON THE OTHER SIDE A HIGH COMPOUND WALL STONE “CHAJJAS” ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE WALL KEEPS THE WALL SHADED FROM THE SUN. THE RATIO OF BUILT-UP TO OPEN SPACES IS ALMOST EQUAL WHICH SIGNIFIES THE EXTENSIVE USE OF OPEN SPACES. THESE OPEN SPACES HAVE MUD PLASTERED SURFACES. THE ROOMS ARE SPANNED WITH STONE SLABS AND THERE ARE STONE COLUMNS IN ROOMS HAVING LONGER SPAN. ROOM 1 HAS LONGER AXIS TOWARDS EAST WEST FACADE ALLOWING THE NATURAL LIGHT TO ENTER FROM THE NORTH. THE ORIENTATION OF ROOM 1 HELPS IN MINIMIZING THE HEAT GAIN INSIDE. ROOM 2 HAS LONGER AXIS TOWARDS THE NORTH SOUTH FACADE, WIND ENTERS THROUGH THE ENTRANCE AND WEST FACADE IS HEATED UP THE MOST. THERE IS BUFFER SPACE (OPEN COURT) IN FRONT OF ROOM 2 OPENING WHICH ARE VERY FEW IN NUMBER ARE VERY SMALL IN SIZE TO KEEP THE SUN AWAY THE WALLS OF THE ROOM ARE MADE UP OF SOLID STONE WALL WITH MUD PLASTER ABSORBING THE MAXIMUM HEAT USE OF SHADING DEVICE TO COVER OPENING FROM THE SUN ( WALLS AND DOOR)

A HOUSE IN ROOPSI

GIVEN BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF A RURAL HOUSEHOLD IN ROOPSI VILLAGE, IT CONSIST OF A FRONT YARD FOR INTERACTION AND HOUSING THE CATTLLE IN NIGHT ALONG WITH A FODDER STORAGE SPACE. THE HOUSE IS MADE UP OF STONE MASONRY WITH MUD PLASTER ON TOP OF IT ALONG WITH CLIMATE RESPONSIVE "THATCH ROOF".

CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES

CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES USED

AM

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES USED

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES USED

BY THIS MONOGRAPH WE GOT TO KNOW THAT VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IS A BUILDING STYLE DESIGNED AROUND LOCAL NEEDS, CUSTOMS, AND AVAILABLE MATERIALS. SOME EXPERTS MAINTAIN THAT VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IS CHARACTERIZED BY BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTED BY PEOPLE WITHOUT FORMAL STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE. HOWEVER, LOCAL BUILDERS OFTEN HAVE GENERATIONS OF REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE PASSED DOWN THROUGH A SERIES OF APPRENTICESHIPS. WHILE MODERN-DAY CONSTRUCTION IS OFTEN FOCUSED ON AESTHETIC CONCERNS AND DESIGNED FOR COMFORT AND LUXURY, VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE TENDS TO BE MORE PRAGMATIC, FOCUSING ON THE FUNCTIONAL LIVEABILITY OF A HOME.

B. ARCH. SEM - VI AAYOJAN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, JAIPUR

SUBMITTED TOPROF. MANJARI RAI SUBMITTED BYJAHNVI N SHARMA