Traditional Dwelling At Kanpur, India

ABOUT KANPUR

• Lying on the right bank of river Ganga, Kanpur is the biggest city of the state Uttar Pradesh.
• It lies 80.3 degrees east longitude and 26.5 degrees North Latitude.

CLIMATE

• The city has composite type of climate.
• The summers are hot and dry ,heavy rains during monsoon and it is cold and foggy during the winter.
• Avg. Summer temp. : 35-40 degree celsius
• Avg. Winter temp. : 5-10 degree celsius
• ANNUAL RAINFALL : ABOUT 105mm

TOPOGRAPHY

• The city lies in the great plains of India and the terrain is plain and not rocky.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

• The house is built using cement and bricks. THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE ARE THICK AND ARE ABOUT  50cm THICK.
• All the walls are plastered using cement. The doors and door frames are all wooden.
• Most of the things used are those which are locally available.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE HOUSE

• The house is built on a raised platform.
• It prevents rain water from coming inside the house during rainy season.
• The upper storey is connected from both inside and outside.
• This is done keeping in mind that if the upper portion is rented then the tenants do not disturb the privacy of people living in the ground floor.
• The house has no open spaces on the ground floor.
• The only open spaces are the terrace on the first and second floor.
• The front façade has beautiful ornamentation only on the ground floor.
• The upper floor are plain and simple.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

• The house has been designed keeping “Vaastu” in mind. It is evident from the following points:
• The entrance of the house is from east.
• The drawing room is placed on the north of the house.
• The bedrooms are on the west side.
• The kitchen and pooja are adjacent to each other.
• The “Tulsi” is placed on the main gate and is worshipped daily.

ZONING

• Public areas
  • Barotha
  • Chabutra
  • Baithak
• Semi private areas
  • Verandah
  • Aangan
  • Pooja
  • Chauka
• Private areas
  • Bedrooms

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOUSE

• Public areas
  • Chabutra
    • It is the gallery in front of the house.It is used for sitting in sun during winters.
  • Barotha
    • It is a transition spacewhich leads to various places of the house.
    • It also serves as the place to take off shoes as they are not allowed inside the house.
  • Baithak
    • It is the drawing room.
    • Placed in the north of the house this room has a number of windows on the northern side.
    • It has sufficient light throughout the day.
• Semi Private Areas
  • Verandah
    • It is also a transition area. Used as dining area and for family gatherings.
  • Aangan
    • The courtyard has rooms on three of it’s sides.
    • It serves various purposes like washing utensils, drying of cloths, “masalas”, food grains, for religious ceremonies and also playing cricket.
  • Kothri
    • It is the area to store various objects.
  • Pooja
• Private areas
  • Bada Kamra
    • This room is occupied by the eldest member of the family.
    • It serves as the bedroom, T.V. Room, meditation room and exercise room.
    • It has large openings on the eastern side to allow morning sun to come in.
  • Bedrooms
    • There is one bedroom on the ground floor and the rest three on the first floor.