kutchh architecture and culture

1. PRESENTED BY :
Madhulika Sanyal
Samriddhi Pandey
Salman hasan
Navneet maharana
Mohammad saarim
KUTCHH

2. KUTCHH CUISINE
KUTCHI KHICHDI
KUTCHI KADI
KUTCHI ROTLA
 The people of Kutch believe
in simple living and high
thinking. The staple food is
Rotlas made of Bajri
(millet) which the local relish
with Butter milk or 'Chhas',
Butter and Jaggery or
'Gud'.'Khichhdi' made of rice
and dal (pulses) is liked by
everyone.

3. KUTCHI COSTUMES
 Kutchi Costumes have heavy mirror work and embroidery
work which forms an integral part of Kutchi Handicrafts
irrespective of the community or ethnic group to which they
belong to.
 In the rural areas women wear Chaniya choli during the
whole year, Chaniya choli's are of many designs and
fashion.
 Most men in Kutch wear loose trousers, a long-sleeved
under-jacket, a short coat,. a plain or silk-bordered cloth.
Normally men prefer white clothes except the Muslims who
prefer colored clothes.

4. PEOPLEOF KUTCH
LANGUAGE
 The languages spoken predominantly in
Kutch is Kutchi and to a lesser extent Sindhi
and Gujarati.
RELIGION
 As per the 2001 census, the district’s
population was 1,526,331 of which most
around are Hindus. The remainder of the
population adhere to mostly Jainism and
Islam.
 There are many castes in a typical Kutchi
community, such as Rahima (Arbab), Nohriya,
Gharana, Lohar Wadha, Hingora,Sanghar,
Jat, Langas who are talented musicians,
Rathor, Khatri, Bhatti, Hingorja, Khalifa, Hala,
Memon, Geerahi, etc
 Many of these have migrated from
Sindh,Afghanistan,etc.
 Many nomadic,semi-nomadic and artisan
KUTCHI HINDUS KUTCHI MUSLIMS

5. EMBROIDERY OF KUTCH
 Kutch is a famous destination for
shopping of handicrafts work.
 It is a an important landmark for
people wishing to study and
know more about kutchi
embroidery.
 Kutch embroidery is dense with
motifs and is one of the most
beautiful forms of textile art. A
variation with mirrors sewn into
the embroidery is one of the

6. SILVERY JEWELLERY OF KUTCH
The silver jewellery of Kutch has become an identity
for individuals as well as tribal groups wherein
specific patterns and locations of wearing the
ornament become important.
The silver ornaments of Kutch are a reflection of
design purity, where they not only shine for beauty
but they shine to make a difference to the bodies
that they adorn.

7. Kutchh, Architectural Character
• The Bhonga is a traditional construction type in the
Kutch district of the Gujarat state in India, which has a
very high earthquake risk.
• A Bhonga consists of a single cylindrically shaped
room.
• The Bhonga has a conical roof supported by
cylindrical walls. Bhonga construction has existed for
several hundred years.
• This type of house is quite durable and appropriate
for prevalent desert conditions.
• Due to its robustness against natural hazards as well
as its pleasant aesthetics, this housing is also known
as "Architecture without Architects.“
In the 40 small villages
that comprise Banni
District, the built-up areas
are the round bhunga and
the rectangular choki,
connected by a raised
platform.

8. Kutchh, Architectural Character
• These buildings are typically found in flat terrain.
• They do not share common walls with adjacent
buildings.
• When separated from adjacent buildings, the typical
distance from a neighboring building is 3.0 meters.
• Bhonga is circular in plan, with cylindrically shaped
walls and topped with conical roof.
• The inner diameter of the Bhonga is typically between
3m to 6m.
• A Bhonga generally has only three openings one door
and two small windows.
The house unit is typically defined by the platform -
otla - that is always raised above the ground, from a few
centimeters up to one meter. The otla defines the
domain of the home and the place for outdoor activities.
On this platform rest various structures composing the
household: one or more bhungas (generally up to
three), circular houses with diameter ranging between 3
and 6 meters, covered by a conical thatched roof.

9. Kutchh, Architectural Character
A typical bhunga has a door and three or four small
and low windows symmetrically arranged around the
door. In front of the door and against the wall, lies a
low platform, called pedlo, on which traditional
furniture are placed: chaosar kothalo or panjaro,
manje, and sanjeero.
Often the wall is decorated with small mirrors -
amblha13- . These mirrors that decorate the walls
inside the bhunga also serve to multiply the light. The
design on the walls hence appears to be similar to
refined embroidery on traditional textiles and
garments.
The analogy between clay reliefs or paintings on the
walls and furniture and embroidery on traditional
clothes is stunning and it is interesting how
communities distinguish themselves through different
decorative patterns, used both in clothing and in wall
ornamentations.
Next to the bhunga, but never set against it,
there is usually a small rectangular
building, called chowki, which presents
small variations: the largest chowki are
used as living spaces, and smaller as
kitchens. Smaller units, about one and a
half meter high, not very well shaped and
devoid of roof are sometimes set against
the bhunga. These units are used as
functional spaces for storage or bathrooms

10. Kutchh, Architectural Character
The components required for the construction of walls and
foundations are: crop
a) Clayey soil and rice husk for earth blocks. Rice husk is a fibrous
material, which shatters into small pieces: the disaggregated grains
increase the material’s cohesion and blocks’ strength.
b) Cement mortar used for foundations
c) Earth sourced from Banni, cow dung
and local earth for plaster. The earth
sourced from Banni is used just for
plaster. This special earth is sourced from
Rudramata, 15 km from Bhuj, and its cost
is just the transportation cost.
The advantage of using cow dung is
that it contains many fibrous
particles, such as rice husk, which
increase the material’s cohesion

11. Kutchh, Architectural Character
Earth and rubble stones for filling the platform -otla
Production stages of mud blocks are as follows:
1. A trench 30 cm deep and 45 cm wide is dug. Blocks for
foundations are laid using a local mud plus cement
mortar. The process of laying the blocks is locally called
chanter. Preparation of the trench Sun dried earth blocks
wall.
2. Walls are raised on foundations, using cow dung plus
local mud mortar, mixed with water to make the
compound workable.
3. Lintels and doors and window frames are inserted
where necessary.
4. A platform-otla-is then built using rubble stone and
earth, up to a height of about 45 cm. This is completed
by a thin layer of mud, called lipan, which is applied also
on the walls of the bhunga to protect them at the base.
Building of Building of a sun dried earth blocks wall.
Photo Hunnar Shaala Women applying lipan. Photo
Hunnar Shaala Preparation of plaster

12. Kutchh, Architectural Character
The mixture for the plaster layer, locally called gobar
lipan, is made with cow dung and local mud. Water is
added to improve its workability. A first layer is
applied on the outer surface of the wall, and
smoothed using hands. It takes about a day to
complete it, and then another layer is applied on the
inner surface. These inner and outer layers are
alternated, up to seven layers applied on both
surfaces of the wall. The last layer of Lipan is done
using earth sourced from Banni and cow dung34 . 34
Vastu Shilpa Foundation for Studies and research in
Environmental Design, Earthen Architecture of
Kutchh : practices of building with the land, August
2001. 25
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13. Kutchh, Architectural Character
The components required for roof’s construction are:
a) One horizontal beam – adi - of diameter 15 to 18 cm.
b) A base for the vertical kingpost - patli - size 5x7x25
c) A central kingpost ranging from 180 to 270 cm, diameter 10
cm.
d) A cone - Mann - at the top of the kingpost, diameter 40 cm,
45 cm high.
e) Babool wood rafters forming the backbone of the roof – vali
-, having a diameter between 6 and 8.75 cm, 365 cm long.
Between 20 and 24 of those are distributed on the wall’s
circumference. Eventually another wood, called Nilgiri,.
f) Culms of split bamboo which constitute the secondary
warping - khapatis - diameter 2 .5 cm, length 365 cm. 23
bundles with approximately 20 elements per bundle are
required. Nabool wood was traditionally used, but because of
lack of nabool, bamboo is the current option. Rope - kathi -,
1.25 cm thick. 30 kg of rope are required.
: h) Straw - kheep - for roofing. 500 bundles are
required. The branches of this dense plant are very
resistant and have few leaves: Their linear nature
helps them to shed the rain.
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14. Kutchh, Architectural Character
Points of the beam on the wall, so that the wall bears a more
uniform load. For the design of wall decorations, the walls of the
bhunga are covered with a paste made of donkey dung, earth and
Fevicol (a glue). Decorative patterns are incorporated onto this
surface. For colors, minerals are extracted from a dam near
Khavda. These offer a range of five colors: ochre, red, brown,
white and dark gray. The minerals are milled, mixed with water
and used to paint the walls of the bhungas. Inside, the mural relief
decorations are accompanied by functional elements such as
niches and shelves. The size of a bhunga may vary depending on
limitations imposed by the size of the available wooden structural
components, but generally the diameter ranges from 3 to 6 mt.
The shape of the buildings also varies: rectangular buildings like
chowkis display same materials and construction techniques,
along with a pitched roof. The source of materials may also vary.
If the earth sourced from Banni is suitable for mortar, more often
local earth is used as a readily available and appropriate material.
Instead of cement mortar, a mixture of cow dung and earth is also
appropriate for foundations. Mangalore tiles are sometimes used
as roofing components instead of thatch. Although insulating
performance is not the same, small openings for ventilation can
be left between tiles, while taking care to prevent water
seepage. Use of Mangalore tiles for roofing at Dhumado, a
traditional hamlet, unusual for the region as here the earthen
dwellings are rectangular, rather then cylindrical.
•Roof construction ranges from the
simple to the very ornate.
•Banni, Kutch
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15. Kutchh, Architectural Character
Modification to Building Recent Bhungas
constructions have used wide variety of construction
materials. These include the stone or burnt brick
masonry either in mud mortar or in cement mortar.
Traditional roof consists of light-weight conical roof,
while some recent constructions have used heavy
Mangalore tiles on roofs. Some recent constructions
have used circular strip footing below the wall, while
traditional construction simply extended the walls
below ground level.
Though essentially unchanged, a few homes have
tiled roofs instead of thatch. Platform drains off water
which gathers because of the impervious soil, even
though the rainfall is meager.
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16. Kutchh, Architectural Character
• Due to circular shape of wall in plan, inertial forces developed in wall are resisted through shell
action providing excellent resistance to lateral forces.
• In addition, the thick walls required for thermal insulation have high in-plane stiffness which
provides excellent performance under lateral loads.
• The roofing materials are generally very light weight, and develops low inertia forces.
• Since the roof is constructed from extremely ductile materials such as bamboo and straw, the
performance of. these roofs is usually very robust.
• Even in situations where the roof collapses, its low weight ensures that the extent of injuries to
occupants is very low.
• In several Bhongas, the roof joist is not
directly supported on the cylindrical walls, but
is supported by two wooden vertical posts
outside the Bhonga, which further improves
seismic resistance of the inertia force
generated in the roof.
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17. Kutchh, Architectural Character
In some instances, reinforcing bands at lintel level and collar level have been used to provide
additional strength.
• These bands are constructed from bamboo or from RCC. These increase the lateral load-
carrying strength greatly and increase the seismic resistance of the Bhungas.
• These constructions are carried out by local village masons.
• The locally available soft stone can easily be cut or chiseled into rectangular blocks, which are
used for wall masonry.
• The local soil is used for mud mortar and to make adobe blocks. Locally available timber and
bamboo are used for roof.
• The entire construction process, which is carried out by the mason with very few unskilled
laborers, can be completed within 30 days.
• The construction of this type of housing takes place in a single phase.
• Typically, the building is originally designed for its final constructed size.
• Bhungas are never "designed" in the modern context. However, Bhonga architecture is a very
unique aspect of traditional desert architecture of Kutch region in which the size, location and
orientation of the Bhonga are planned for very good structural and functional results.
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18. Kutchh, Architectural Character
The vertical load-resisting system is others (described below).
The conical roof of a Bhonga is supported at its crest by a
vertical central wooden post, which rests on a wooden joist.
The base of the roof and the wooden joist are generally
directly supported on Bhonga walls. Sometimes, the roof load
on wooden joist is transferred to diametrically placed timber
posts (vertical members) adjacent to the cylindrical wall. This
reduces the roof-load on the walls. The Bhonga wall is usually
extended below ground up to the required foundation depth,
and separate foundation is not traditionally constructed. In
newer constructions, proper strip footing is also used. Lateral
Load-Resisting System The lateral load-resisting system is
others (described below). Due to circular shape of wall in plan,
inertial forces developed in wall are resisted through shell
action providing

19. Kutchh, Architectural Character

20. Art and Craft

21. Gujarat— The Land of Mesmerizing Art & Crafts

22. If a trip to Gujarat is next on your bucket list, you would be
amazed to know that you are in for a flush of cultural boom,
with a vividness of arts and craft fused together to make this
Indian state pretty much worth the visit.
Famed to be the most vibrant state in the country, the
suburbs of Gujarat are perfect anecdote of the rich Indian
art and culture. Whether it is the vibrant mix of colors
intertwined together in a beautiful pattern or elegant
needlework, Gujarat is a paradise for art lovers that dazzle
your eyes with its own style of craft.
To Know more, play through the slides...

23. NEEDLEWORK

24. • Toran (embroidered doorways decoration with hanging flaps)
•Pachhitpatis (embroidered frieze),
• Chaklas (embroidered square pieces)
• Abhala (mirror inset embroidery)
Elegant, beautifully crafted with dark and contrasting threads;
you will definitely fall in love with these amazing pieces of art!
Some of the many needlework crafts include:

25. Patola Sarees

26. In 2013 when Kirror Kher donned the ramp in
Gaurang Shah’s collect of Patola saree, she stunned
the audience.
The Gujarati Patola Sarees feature:
• Colorful geometrical pattern
• Striking and bold color theme
• Finest hand woven fabrics
• Zari and Bandhani

27. Jewelry

28. Women’s love for jewelry isn’t hidden from anybody and
Gujarat is known for its cult and classic jewelry designs
worldwide.
The prime metals used in making Gujarati jewelry include
but not limited to:
These metals are crafted into beautiful marvel of art
studded with eye dazzling stone works are worth buying.
• Gold
• Silver
• Iron
• Brass

29. Home Furnishing

30. • The traditional floor spread Namadas and Dhurries woven with
camel, goat hair , wool and cotton
• Woven quilts
• Kalamkari table covers, tablemats and table linen with block
printing

31. Clay Items

32. Pottery is the oldest craft technique of Gujarat and it seems that
Gujarat has mastered this traditional art form.
Some of the clay arts include:
• Terracotta toys
• Mud wall painting
• Utensils
• Plaques
It’s a real treat to see the raw clay molded into the beautiful art
craft.

33. Wood Craft

34. • The lacquered furniture of
Sankheda and Minakari furniture
from Rajkot is quite famous.
• The furniture and woodcrafts of Surat,
Kutchh and Saurashtra are equally popular.
• The precision and minute wooden carvings with hand
painted motifs and traditionally ornamented gives them
esthetic touch.

35. Painting

36. Angular features and bold colors are the specialty of
Gujarat Paintings. From traditional Kalamkari, Plethora
art form to modern painting, Gujarat is a connoisseur
for art work.

37. REFERENCES
1.Housing report-World Housing Encyclopedia
2.Wikipedia.org
3.www.artinue.com
4.www.youtube.com