Rajasthan – Architecture amidst Havelis

Rajasthan, the land of cultural traditions reflects ancient Indian ways of life through their art, architecture, music, and dance. The architecture of this beautiful land is influenced mainly by its’ climate, culture, tradition, and its’ history. Art and architecture in Rajasthan began ages ago during the 6^th century when royal families of the kings who ruled this place inhabited this land. Rajasthan was initially called Marudesh when it first originated and most of their unique works still exist today. There were and are a lot of similarities between Rajasthan and its’ neighboring state Gujarat (which was initially called Gurjaratra), in terms of culture, society, ethnicity, art, and political aspects.

                                            

One major factor that can be noticed in the structures of Rajasthan is the amount of detail given to it both in terms of craftsmanship and materials used. Not one small space is left blank or undone, every corner is made use of and still doesn’t look overcrowded but looks elegant. The climate of Rajasthan has a huge impact on architecture too which makes it a climate responsive design. Almost every structure in every part of Rajasthan is constructed using sandstones having warm tones like red and yellow. It is a well-known fact that the climate of Rajasthan is extremely hot and dry therefore, this material helps maintain the internal temperature of the structure by keeping the indoors cool during the daytime and warm during the night.

Forts, palaces, and other houses in Rajasthan can be seen with a lot of detailing, artwork, carvings, and small-sized windows. The detailing and artwork which is persistent for many centuries depict their culture, and the small-sized windows had two functions. These windows were most common in royal family houses or palaces and are called Jharokhas, they were used by the women of royal families to look at the happenings outside their palace. The function of these windows later evolved and was also used for cold air inlets as smaller windows have greater pressure and push in cold air during the daytime. It was ensured that maximum ventilation was received naturally.

Rajasthan architecture had a few unique elements that stood out from other styles and could be noticed in almost every structure. These elements include Jharokha, Chhatri (canopy), Haveli (traditional townhouse), Stepwell (descending a set of steps into water), Johad (percolation pond), and Jaali (perforated stone or latticed screen). They used the same elements for every settlement like houses, palaces, wells, villages, and even religious structures (temples, mosques, and tombs). Rajasthan architecture can be spotted with a lot of Mughal architectural elements as well.

Traditional houses and palaces in Rajasthan have a courtyard incorporated and they also followed the principles of Vastu Shastras while designing. Security and privacy both were kept in mind while designing and constructing. Palaces were provided with separate areas for both men and women from time to time for their activities to ensure adequate privacy. The majority of materials used in their structures were baked brick, sandstone, marble, granite, wood, and stucco, all of which influenced enormously in terms of climate. Rajasthan has a rich tradition and they have always been very active in socializing and showed interest in different activities like painting, sculpture making, jewelry making, textiles, and other crafts which reflect in the architecture too. Basically, Rajasthan has a very unique town planning and system with its’ people who can make you feel at home.