The Traditional Kashmiri House, The Saga of Engineering
The Traditional Kashmiri House, The Saga of Engineering
Peerzada Mohsin Shafi (Member American Society of Civil Engineers, USA)
Buildings constructed in a traditional way by the people become an integral part of the local cultural heritage. These buildings often reflect the strength of the community to house itself independent of any outside intervention. They are a manifestation of architectural systems optimized over time for a particular context with regard to climate, soil or the threat of natural disasters. Constructed from local materials with local skills and a deep understanding of local social and economic constraints, traditional architecture is in many aspects sustainable architecture. Traditional architecture in many places continues to evolve, and Kashmiri rural architecture is no exception. A number of building systems in various parts of Kashmir have developed over time to accommodate local natural and cultural factors, including the impact of earthquakes. These systems are not only part of the cultural heritage of Kashmir but also add to its beautiful landscape. Historically, the buildings have depended completely upon stone, mud, bricks and wood for roofing as well as walling. Until very recently, non-local materials did not represent a valid option for local constructions. They were expensive, and their use added logistical complications to the construction process. However, in recent times new materials have made their way into the valleys of Kashmir on account of their favorable economics as Well as people’s aspiration to modernity. Until the 1970s the most common building systems in Kashmir were brick or stone walls. Some of them timber framed, with timber and mud roofs. But as durable wood like Deodar became very expensive, corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets came to replace wood planks and shingles. In areas where it is easy to transport these sheets, the change has been so far-reaching that CGI sheeting now constitutes the most common form of roofing in the region. Even in areas where just twenty years ago houses were mainly built with flat mud roofs, CGI sheets have become the predominant roofing material. Apart from this, the reinforced concrete (RC) slab is gradually replacing the timber floor and load bearing masonry walls are replacing the timber framing. Again, changing economic forces as well as people’s aspirations to a more contemporary lifestyle are encouraging such changes. Architecture constantly adapts to suit the changing context so that it can best meet the common person’s needs. There is, however, a risk that new materials and construction methods imported from outside may be introduced at a speed that does not allow for the traditional way of testing novelties over time and adapting them to the local situation.
A typical Kashmiri house today is a large two storey structure with walls that are not plastered from outside and a shining CGI roof that is pitched, with one or more projections. In the ground storey it has approximately four rooms including a kitchen and a front verandah, with a central corridor stretching from the main entrance in front to a large bathroom cum-toilet in the rear. The stairs lead from the front end of the corridor to the upper storey. The upper storey has a similar arrangement of rooms and passage as found on the ground floor, and also has stairs that lead to the attic. The number of storeys depends on the resources at the disposal of the owner. Unlike in other parts of the country, where rooms are gradually added as and when the need arises, here the basic structure is built in one go. But the upper storeys are enclosed and finished at a later date. The ground-storey rooms are used as a sitting area, bedrooms, and kitchen. The upper storey rooms may be used as for storage as well as bedrooms. On account of the joint-family system with several families living under one roof, there is often more than one kitchen in the house. The attic area is invariably used for storage, since the people are predominantly agriculturists. In the case of single-storey houses, the attic space is often divided with lightweight internal walls to create more utilizable spaces.
However in case of the traditional buildings in the Valley of Kashmir can be divided into two basic systems of construction. The first system, Taq system consists of load-bearing masonry walls with horizontal timbers embedded in them. These timbers are tied together like horizontal ladders that are laid into the walls at each floor level and at the window lintel level. They serve to hold the masonry walls together and tie them to the floors. The second system, Dhajji Dewari construction, consists of a braced timber frame with masonry infill. Not much is known about when Taq or Dhajji Dewari came into vogue, but the notion of using timber members as braces within weak masonry walls can be found in many cultures through history. In Kashmir, historical sources can be found which remark on the timber construction from as early as 1148 by Kalhana in his Rajtarangani (“Chronicle of Kings”) who said the “Mansions of the city reached the clouds and were mostly built of wood,” and again in 1398 by Timur, who wrote in his autobiography that “the buildings of the city are very large and all of wood” and they are “very strong and will stand for 500 or 700 years”. In the 16th century, Muhammad Haidar Dughlat in his Tarikh-i-Rashidi (“A History of the Moghuls in Central Asia”) remarked, “In the town are many lofty buildings constructed of fresh cut pine. Most of these are at least five storeys high causing viewers to bite the fingers of astonishment with the teeth of admiration” . While these accounts only comment on the use of wood, rather than masonry integrated with wood or confined in a wooden frame, before the advent of modern saws and nails some form of masonry most likely would have been used to enclose the structures. Thus, these accounts may be describing the ancient precursors of either Taq or Dhajji Dewari construction. Different variations of Taq, with its masonry walls with horizontal timber lacing, may have been in common usage throughout the Kashmir valley. In the ancient language of carpet weavers, the Old Farsi word ‘Dhajji’ was used to describe patchwork quilts. Because of its visual similarity the same term was applied to a traditional building technique of the Kashmir mountains. Dhajji construction is made of highly subdivided light timber frames with masonry infills. The frames of each wall consist not only of vertical studs, but also often of cross-members that subdivide the masonry infill into smaller panels, impart strength and prevent the masonry from collapsing out of the frame.
Today Researches done all over the world on the buildings and their construction reveal that Kashmiri’s traditional methods of constructing houses were ultimate when it comes to engineering characteristics like ductility and seismic resistance. Even researchers have compared seismic dampers used in buildings with Taq and Dhajj Dewari System and it has got revealed Kashmiris were having solution of things which the world is looking for in today’s period? Now question arises here if Kashmiris had already what modern world is looking for then we need to retrospect ourselves that aren’t in march towards modernity’ Kashmir is losing its traditional houses, giving way to environment-unfriendly brick and mortar structures without any provision for even the high danger seismic zone the valley sits on. Also while, replacing old techniques with new and modern one may be true for most cities in flux. However, what adds weight to Kashmir’s nostalgia is the fact that current trends seem to be totally out of sync with the climatic and geological requirements. Shouldn’t our Architects and Engineers come with a solution that must be an amalgam of both our traditional and modern techniques of construction???
