Haveli
Four-fifths of the urban population in India's northwestern state of Gujarat inhabit traditional houses which are more than 100 years old. Theirs is a democratic architecture--the haveli , or large, residential mansion, is a grand version of the common wooden-framed dwelling which has its own simple dignity. Boasting profuse, intricate carvings, magnificent woodwork, painted patterns and murals, and majestic ceilings, Gujarat's old houses and palaces--rural or urban, Hindu or Muslim--rival the best vernacular architecture anywhere. Featuring 75 color plates and 85 duotone photographs, this delightful survey by an Indian scholar relates Gujarati domestic architecture to the daily lives, beliefs and customs of the people.
|
|
V S PRAMAR (1928-2004) Retired as Professor and Head of the Department, School of Architecture, University of Baroda, was an architect by profession, having studied at the Technical University, Munich. He joined the M S University of Baroda as a teacher specializing in the History of Architecture, both Indian and European, and retired as Head of the Department in 1986. He did his Ph. D. on the 'Wooden Architecture of Gujarat, and a copy of the thesis has been acquired by the Museum of Mankind, British Museum, London. His research resulted in a first book entitled 'Haveli -- Wooden Houses and Mansions of Gujarat', a more general work, and now this exclusive study on Wood Carvings. The author has also published Design 'Fundamentals in Architecture', as also numerous scholarly articles in, for example, Artibus Asiae (New York); Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre (Italy); British Museum Occasional Papers (London); contributions to Indian Sociology (Delhi); MARG (Bombay); Journal of the Oriental Institute (Baroda); Architecture + Design (Delhi); etc. He was for some years a regular contributor to the Times of India, Bombay, and also one of their book reviewers on Indology. He was an invitee to the Festival of India in Britain in 1982. |
Titres
Français
