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An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of

Himachal Pradesh
T. Akshya Kumar
Swtantra Kumar
Singh and Arshad*

The state of Himachal Pradesh has been blessed with various types of traditional
architecture, which has stood till today in various types of shapes and forms. It signifies much
faceted realism of the people living here. In the traditional architecture buildings were
premeditated to attain human comfort the by using locally available building material and
construction technology which were more approachable to their climatic and geographic
conditions.
Geographical Setting
Himachal Pradesh covers an area of 55,673 sq.km with an average elevation of 2,319 mts.
Total population of the state is 68, 58, 509 is the 20th most populated state in India with a
density of 123 km. Most of the districts are lies of the foothills of the great Dhauldhar Range of
Trans-Himalayan Mountain system. Drainage consists of both Glaciers and Streams. The Rivers
Ravi, Beas and Sutlej being the most important ones drain through the valleys of the state. Most
of the settlements are concentrated in these valleys. 66.52% constitutes of Forest and Woodlands
vegetation consists of tropical dry broadleaf to Alpine vegetation consisting of Cedar and Pine,
except for Spiti valley which consists of Thorny Scrub forests (Fig.1).
The Himachal due to its strategic location faces all variations of Climate from Permafrost to
the Sub Tropical Hot and Humid Climatic Patterns. Lower districts such as Una, Bilaspur,
Sirmaur and Solan are hot and Humid with average precipitation. Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur,
Kullu and Shimla are moderate in climate and receive more precipitation. Whereas, the districts
like Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti are cold and most parts are under very low
precipitation. Dharmashala and adjacent mountains receives the highest rainfall in the area
whereas Spiti valley receives the almost negligible rainfall and is declared as cold desert.
Snowfall is common in the Alpine tracts.

* Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Red Fort Complex, Delhi- 110006
102 Study of Material Remains in Indian Prospective

Vernacular Architecture
The architecture in which the major creative force is the local needs, construction materials,
which reflects a long local tradition is called Vernacular architecture. Vernacular architecture
shows slow evolution over time and reflects environmental, Historical Cultural, Technological
and Economic context in which it exists.
The vernacular architecture of hamlets in Himachal Pradesh also varies from region to
region, depending upon the climatic factors and the availability of local materials. A factor
affecting the settlement of the hamlets has always been the slope of the settlement area, and
ridge and the valley. Flat land provides the maximum settlement. Small hamlets located in
remote areas, still continue with their old age vernacular building traditions.
Houses in Himachal Pradesh
House is a space inhabited by people and their stories. The character of a Himachal
vernacular house is the story unit which is basically a cuboid. The smallest houses are two or
three layers stacked in two or three levels (ground, first and second floor).The size of the house
increases by placing cuboids side by side and then extending up three levels. Each house is
determined by capacity. The capacity is not only the size of the family but also the family’s
socio–economic status. In each level of the houses and during each year, spaces are used in a
pattern that makes it a cohesive unit. In warm sunny days, activities take outside the house on
balconies and plinths while during the colder times, the activities are performed within the
warmth of wood and stone walls (Fig.2). The people have an inclination towards blue colour
and often paint their houses with blue pigments. In a traditional Himachali house the floors are
smeared with a green powdered pigment (Fig.3). Each room has three progressive vignettes: the
first is empty; the third has people and small objects animating the space. The women folk
fashion their own chulhas. These chulhas are defining aesthetic and practical elements of the
kitchen. These are generally placed in the corner and allow the smoke to escape through the
vents in the roof. People often gather around for interaction around the chulha.
Construction Technique
In Himachal Pradesh on the basis of climatic condition and available raw materials usually
three types of traditional building constructions were followed by the local peoples. Those are:
Wood and Stone Construction
In the Vernacular architecture of the Himalayan region wood is extensively used, as the
forests of the deodar wood and other mixed forests were easily available. The vast number of
hill temples, are of deodar wood generally. The walls of some of these structures are raised on
the horizontal wooden frame work called Cheols. In the well-built structure, the wood is very
carefully arranged, the beams with thickness around 30 cms in depth extending over the whole
length of wall -a beam on the outside and another beam on the inside, the space in between is
filled with stones. This technique is locally known as Katha- Kuni technique.
Kath-khuni, construction is requires neither highly skilled builders nor specialized tools,
and can occur in stages as materials, labour and weather allow. The infill rubble traps air within
the walls, retaining heat during cold winters and cooling interior spaces during the summer.
Kath-khuni is also resilient to seismic forces, since wood and stone walls not only resist the
racking forces of the earthquake, but are also configured to resist sliding or overturning. The
An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of Himachal Pradesh 103

interconnection of the walls, the floors and the roof make the building a single, solid, structural
unit (Fig.4 a & b). This type of technique mostly followed in the Kullu and Shimla region.
Mud Construction technique
Mud construction or Rammed earth construction is predominant in the cold- desert region
like Lahul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, which is rain shadow zone and wood is patchily
available. The finest example of mud construction in the Cold dessert region of Himachal
Pradesh is the world famous Tabo Buddhist Monastery in Lahul-Spiti district (Fig.5). Tabo
monastery is popular for its two main causes, one as it was one the oldest continuing Buddhist
monastery of India and second is as like Ajanta the interior walls of the Gompa are consist
several beautiful mural paintings since from 10th Century A.D., therefore it is popularly known
as the “Ajanta of Himalaya”.
The mode of construction used in this monastery is rammed earth block for walls
beaten earth for flooring and flat roof consisting earth layer over 6-7 layers of Bitula barks
which are placed over wooden planks supported by wooden joists . There is 0.10 m layer of
sand in between two layers of Bitula barks. This technique has been evolved due to absence
of any other material available for roofing.
The mud mortar is prepared from soil or clay whose main constituents are silica and
alumina and is free from 'vegetable roots, stone gravel, kankar, coarse, harmful and florescent
salts. It's broken up in powder and mixed with clean water and matured for at least two days
and after lapse of 12 hours the mortar is trodden using feet and spades, making homogenous
Mass of working consistency. To increase the tensile strength fibrous material like straw or rice
husk or animal hair or cow dung is added. The roof is built over wooden frame resting on the
mud walls. flat roofs are formed of wooden beams with birch—bark (Bhojpatra), which is
perfectly waterproof, laid in one or two layers over wooden planks and covered with
beaten earth; this is smoothed into a flat roof on which fruits and grains are laid out to
dry.
Dry Stone Construction
Dry stone construction is common in Kangra region where slate is in abundance. However
this type of construction is also common in Kinnaur (Fig.6) district where good quality stone
can be quarried. Different sized stones are placed over each other and compacted without the
mortar. Through stones are used at regular intervals. A stronger bond is achieved by
interlocking the stone rather than adding smaller stones in gaps. Interior surface may be mud
plastered. The stone masonry structural walls take main lateral and gravity load. The walls
uniformly distribute the load in both orthogonal directions.
Temple Architecture
Himachal Pradesh, amid the Himalayan mountain range, is a land of the Gods, Hindu
temples, of many types. From the rock hewn ancient forms brought from the plains of India, are
found in this spectacular land of the Himalayas. The temple is where the past intersects with the
present through belief, historical time. It is an explanatory workshop of the greatest craftspeople
and artists as well as sincere efforts of the ordinary local people. The wooden temple here refers
to the type of temple where wood is used as the primary material of construction for the
structure. Stone is used only in temple’s foundations and roofs as slabs and slate stone shingles
similar to the independent granaries.
104 Study of Material Remains in Indian Prospective

Types
As like house construction style the construction technique of the temples is also varies
from each other depending upon the availability of raw materials as well as suitable climatic
conditions. On the basis of various region, shape and construction of roof style the temples of
Himachal- Pradesh can divide into six forms. Among them most common style of architecture
are:
Pent Roof Style
In the Pent roof style of temple the four equal sides or the roof rise to a single point and
appear as a mountaintop. The peak of the worship space for the Gods. On the four corners of
these curvilinear pent roofs. The wooden members of this type of temple are found with carved
edges. The square or rectangular wood and stone temples with pent roof are the most ancient
in Himachal Pradesh. In size these structures differ considerably, while they all have only one
common feature, that is the finely cut large and excellent stones, that constitute their base. Most
remarkable among these temples are Lakshana Devi temple at Brahmaur, Shakti Devi at
Chhatrari in Chamba.
Pyramidal Roof
The Pyramidal style of roof temples are built on square plinths. In which, all the four lower
eaves of the temple roof are of equal length and the roof goes on narrowing towards centre
forming pyramid like roof in the centre. One of the examples of the pyramid style roof temple is
Dundi Devi temple at Dabhas in Shimla district.
Nagara Style
Generally, the temple belongs to the country from the Himalaya to the Vindhya are comes
under Nagara style of architecture. Technically the typical curvilinear sikhara type temples are
called as Nagara group of temple architecture. The Nagara temples in Himachal Pradesh
broadly follow the overall form and design of the typical Indo-Aryan stone temples. Some
minor modifications were made in the form of these temples of the plains to adapt them to the
climatic conditions of the hill areas like; some of the temple having a circular umbrella shape
canopy on the sikhara portion and Pyramidal type roof over the porch (Fig.7) and most of the
Nagara style of temple in Himachal Pradesh has two amlaka sila one above another at the
Mastaka portion as at Bejnath Temple (Fig.8). The series of monolithic temples of Masroor in
Kangra district are the earliest specimen of the Nagara design (Fig. 9).
Pagoda or Gabled Roof Style
In Pagoda or Gabled roof style of architecture are comprise rectangular stone and wood
structures with successive roofs, placed one over the other making them in some cases look like
multi-storey edifices (Fig.10). These temples are believed to have Chinese or Tibetan influence
in their architecture. The arrangements in the interior of these temples, including the wood
carvings resemble those preserved in the pent roof temples. The temples at Hidimba Devi at
Manali (Fig. 10), Prashar temple in Mandi district and Tripura Sundri Devi temple, Kullu come
under this category.
An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of Himachal Pradesh 105

Conclusion
It is conclude that, the Vernacular architecture of Himachal Pradesh is the outcome of its
typical climatic conditions, landscapes, availability of raw materials and other natural sources.
This traditional/vernacular style of architecture holds deep interest and respect as it represents
and reveals the many faceted realities of the people living here. The indigenous style of
architecture as well snow clad mountain peaks of Himachal Pradesh creates an eco-friendly
atmosphere which is not only attracts the people of India but also it creates a tourist attraction
out site the country. Any change in these designs should aim for human comfort and aesthetical
needs and these sustainable designs help to save culture at the lowest possible ecological cost.
The traditional construction method and process provides thermally comfortable shelter to the
occupants by giving due considerations to local climatic conditions. Now the places which got
connected by motor able roads, certain new techniques have been evolved by using local
materials for the construction of the buildings suiting to local climatic conditions.

References
1. Attri R., 2000, Introduction to Himachal Pradesh, Sarla Publication, Shimla, pp.38-41.
2. Francis D.K. Ching, 2008, Building Construction Illustrated, Wiley; 4 Edition
3. Jreat M., 2006, Geography of Himachal Pradesh, Indus Publishing Co, New Delhi, pp.1-7.
4. Klimburg-Salter, Debrrah E., 2005, “TABO MONASTERY- Art and History with an Interview of
Geshe Sonam Wangdu by Peter Stefan and a Tibetan Summary”, Vienna, Australia, pp.33-37.
5. Ridhima Mahajan, 2010,”Critical Appraisal of Traditional Construction Techniques in Himachal
Pradesh”. M.Arch. Dissertation. Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India.
6. Sarkar A. and Sandeep S., 2011,”Vernacular Architecture - Climate Responsive Features in the
Traditional Shelter Design in High Altitude - an approach towards sustainable design in hilly region.
Architecture Time Space & People”: Council of Architecture, India, pp.16-25.
7. Sharma S. and Puneet S., 2013, “Traditional and Vernacular buildings are Ecological Sensitive, Climate
Responsive Designs- Study of Himachal Pradesh”, International Journal of Chemical, Environmental &
Biological Sciences (IJCEBS) Volume 1, pp.605-609.
106 Study of Material Remains in Indian Prospective

Fig. 1: Geography of Himachal Pradesh (Courtesy; NIDM, H.P)

Fig. 2: Sketches showing seasonal occupation of Space by inhabitants inside a typical

Himachali HHouse (Courtesy; Google)
An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of Himachal Pradesh 107

Fig. 3: Enterer view of typical Himachali house (Courtesy; Rahul Bakshi )

A B
Fig. 4: Typical kathkhuni style of construction A, B (Courtesy; Rahul Bakshi)
108 Study of Material Remains in Indian Prospective

Fig. 5: Mud construction technology at Tabo monastery H.P

Fig. 6: Dry Stone Construction at Kinnaur, H.P (Courtesy: Google)

An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of Himachal Pradesh 109

Fig. 7: Nagara style of temple at Chamba, H.P (Courtesy: Google)

Fig.. 8: Nagara style of temple Bejnath, H.P

110 Study of Material Remains in Indian Prospective

Fig. 9: Rock cut temple Masror, H.P

Fig. 10: Pagoda or Gabled roof style of temple

temple,, H.P (Courtesy: Google)
An Out Line of Vernacular Architecture of Himachal Pradesh 111

Fig. 11: Hidimba temple Manali, H.P