KIRAN KUMAR SREEDHARAN | VIIIth SEMESTER | IVth YEAR | 2008 - 2013HAVELIS OF RAJASTHAN Marwari's erected buildings in their homeland. usually one with historical and architectural significance. The havelis were status symbols for the Marwaris as well as homes for their extended families. The largest havelis could have up to three or four courtyards and were two to three stories high. meaning "an enclosed place". Lucknow and Delhi in India andLahore. FAMOUS HAVELIS OF INDIA The term Haveli was first applied in Rajasthan by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat. Between 1830 and 1930. The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings which were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture. deserve special mention. and the inner one. they are typically carved from yellow sandstone. Most of the havelis are empty nowadays or are maintained by a watchman (typically an old man). The typical havelis in Shekhawati consisted of two courtyards — an outer one for the men which serves as an extended threshold. The havelis were to be closed from all sides with one large main gate. The old cities of in Agra. Rajasthan together in different patterns each more lavish than the next were commissioned to put on show the owner's status and wealth. These buildings were called havelis. Shekhawati and Marwar. situated in Jaisalmer. Figure 1 Entrance arch of a haveli Later on these temple architectures and frescoes were imitated while building huge individual mansions and now the word is popularly recognized with the mansions themselves. and Nathmal-Ki Haveli. The towns and villages of Shekhawati are famous for the embellished frescoes on the walls of their grandiose havelis. . Multan. the domain of the women. goddesses. These were the elaborate homes of Jaisalmer's rich merchants. The havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting images of gods.HAVELIS OF RAJASTHAN Haveli is the term used for a private mansion in India and Pakistan. MUGHAL HAVELIS Many of the havelis of India and Pakistan were influenced by Islamic Persian.They are often characterized by wall paintings. The word haveli is derived from the Persian word hawli. frescoes. Hyderabad in Pakistan have many fine exam ples of Mughal-style havelis. providing security and comfort in seclusion from the outside world. In the northern part of India havelis for Lord Krishna are prevalent with huge mansion like constructions. These havelis are major attraction for tourists in Rajasthan. animals. jharokhas (balconies) and archways. to the point of becoming popular tourist attractions. Salim Singh Ki Haveli. Around Jaisalmer. of which the three most impressive are Patwon Ki Haveli. scenes from the British colonization. Central Asian and Indian architecture. The ostentatious carvings etched out in sandstone with infinite detail and then painstakingly pieced Figure 2 Haveli at Mandawa. The havelis in and around Jaisalmer Fort(also known as the Golden Fort). They share similar features with other mansions derived from Islamic Architecture such as the traditional mansions in Morocco called Riads. and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna. Rajasthan. Peshawar. They usually contain a courtyard often with a fountain in the centre. on the southeast by Dhundhar. Today. due to the caravan routes that crossed the area to reach the ports of Gujarat. and Madras. However. India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs. It is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis. Bombay. they erected buildings in their homeland. Although the building itself is made from yellow sandstone. It encompasses the administrative districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar. The Shekhawati region has produced large number of Marwaris who are dominant factor in the economy of India. houses are managed by Marwaris. some parts of Churu and Nagaur districts are also considered in the Shekawati region. Patwon Ji Ki is renowned for its ornate wall paintings. The descendants of these rich merchants have permanently settled down in the towns their ancestors migrated to. The havelis are noted for . ARCHITECTURE In Shekhawati frescoes were initially introduced by Shekhawat Rajputs in their Forts and Palaces and the towns in the Shekhawati region are known for their painted havelis. the Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings. From the administrative and geographical point of view Shekhawati is limited to Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts only. About 80 percent of big industrial Figure 4 Shekhawati painted houses. Shekhawati. as it was the very first erected in Jaisalmer. are Marwaris. India's richest industrialists of the century. The Marwaris from Marwar was the influential business community in the Shekhawati region. HAVELIS OF SHEKHAWATI Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan. and they prospered until the beginning of the 19th century. traders adapted this style for their buildings. on the east by Mewat. on the south by Ajmer. such as theBirlas and Dalmia. many left their families behind and migrated to Calcutta. Between 1830 and 1930. During the British occupation. then a rich trader of jewellery and fine brocades. As the ultimate symbol of their opulence. All five houses were constructed in the first 60 years of the 19th century. and is the biggest and the most ostentatious. the main trading and industrial houses of India have their roots in Shekhawati. The first one in the row is also the most popular one and is also known as Kothari's Patwa Haveli. These were completed in the span of 50 years. It is bounded on the northwest by Jangladesh region. This region has been recognised as the "open art gallery of Rajasthan" having the largest concentration of frescos in the world. the main gateway is brown. The first among these was commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa.The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is the most important and the largest haveli. which were gaining importance as main trade centers where they had great financial success. on the northeast by Haryana. on the southwest by Marwar regions. gateways and archways. Figure 3 Patwon Ki Haveli. as evidence of their success. Most of the buildings of the Shekhawati region were constructed from 18th century to the early 20th century. intricate yellow sandstone-carved jharokhas (balconies). Patwa was a rich man and a renowned trader of his time and he could afford and thus order the construction of separate stories for each of his 5 sons. But from 1820 onwards. Their major contribution to the Shekhawati region is in the field of education. rough and light colored paving shall be used. The winds temperature is hot in summers while very cold in winters. Perimeter/Area ratio shall be less. RH is terribly lowcategorising the climate as Hot Dry. goddesses. Figure 7 Effect of Surface area to volume ratio Flat or Domical roof forms. animals.their frescos depicting mythological and historical themes. The only times when winds are preferred inside the building are summer nights and monsoon days. Figure 5 Laxmangarh fort of Sikar SANDSTORMS . The frescos include images of gods. Least exposure to east and west orientation. Marwaris have also played a leading role in Indian Independence Movement. introvert buildings (in case the heat production of buildings is low as in traditional buildings). RAINFALL . WIND . profusely painted on the havelis in this region. HUMIDITY . Reduction of exposed surfaces and shading of all the exposed surfaces. CLIMATE TEMPERATURE .Apart from monsoon season. life history of Lords Rama and Krishna.Throughout the year dominant wind comes from NW quadrant and late in the monsoon SW winds are experienced.Annual rainfall is 600mm falling largely in the months of July-October. Minimal surface area to volume ratio thus resulting in taller buildings with shared wall surfaces.Maximum temperature in summers rises up to 45°C while night temperatures fall to 20°C. They provided financial help in running the freedom movement. thus common walls between houses. Appropriate shading to openings using thick wooden shutters or materials with low thermal capacity. Ground surface should preferably be green and soft. PASSIVE COOLING DESIGN STRATEGY Compact settlement plan. Marwaris have played an important role in the development of Shekhawati region. Plantation of deciduous trees near or inside the building. hard surfaces. . but in case of Figure 6 Narrow north south streets cutting off the sun.Dust storms and sandstorms are very common both during day and night. SOLAR RADIATION .the solar radiation in intense around 700-800 Kcal/Sqm with sky being clear almost throughout the year. Narrow north-south streets with tall buildings on both sides to cut off sun. winter days are temperate around 8°C while night temperatures reduce to just above freezing. Shaded courtyards to facilitate ventilation and lower daytime temperatures inside. Insulation layer not directly exposed to the sun. Heavy thermal mass of structure. Light colours on exterior. It reduces the area of exposed surfaces . lowering of temperatures by convective cooling and natural lighting. This meant a larger air mass resulting in lower Figure 10 Inner room showing heavy construction . It also helps in lowering the ambient air temperature surrounding the building envelope by shading.5 – 1. Bottle neck openings or Jalis to enhance ventilation and reduce temperatures. Following are the passive features identified in Shekhawati Havelis COMPACT SETTLEMENT PLAN The heat production from the buildings is very low thus a compact planning helps in reducing heat gain. Rajasthan COURTYARD PLANNING Internal courtyard with high building mass all around it leads to induced ventilation. Dundlod. NARROW STREETS WITH TALL BUILDINGS AROUND It helps in shading the streets thus allowing less of direct sunlight during daytime and makes the movement easy for people.8 m high. Smooth reflective surface on roof to reduce direct heat gain. Fenestration shall be oriented north Shading devices such as louvers or Jharookhas to shade openings from sun. Figure 8 Ground Floor Plan and First Floor Plan of a Small Haveli.5 m while the other spaces like the ones made as viewing gallery for women which were to be used temporarily and occasionally. It also allows mutual shading by buildings. This helps in keeping the inside cool during daytime when it is most inconvenient outside. were only 2. It is a small scale Haveli having only two courtyards that according to the yardsticks of Shekhawati is the minimum number of courtyards. PASSIVE COOLING FEATURES IDENTIFIED IN SHEKHAWATI HAVELIS For the study and analyses purpose one of the case studies is documented here. Figure 9 Compact settlement allowing for mutual shading Figure 11 Photograph from roof level showing compact courtyard planning CEILING HEIGHTS The habitable rooms were found to have ceiling height larger than 3. Shekhawati. HEAVY STRUCTURE Heavy building envelope stores larger amount of heat due to large heat capacities and creates a larger time lag. Materials having high thermal capacity and low conductivity for structure. it remained cooler than the outer hard one. To break the monotony of the flat white surfaces. These spaces are used during the daytime and in rains. a smooth surface was created. MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION The stone was used along with lime mortar. SHADED COLONNADES AND SEMI OPEN AREAS All buildings are planned with some areas being semi open. JALI SCREENS AND JHAROOKHAS Due to hot and dusty winds. In between the two was a transitory space with Figure 15 Longitudinal Section Through Both Courtyards deferred entry and a small opening . Figure 14 Photograph showing Jharookha DIFFERENCE IN THE PAVING OF INNER AND OUTER COURTYARD Inner courtyard was generally kept soft with some vegetation (generally Tulsi) in the centre while the outer courtyard was paved with stones. painting was done with variety of colours all obtained from natural stones or vegetables. Thus small openings are provided. which would also have allowed inter granular shading. . bathing etc were performed in the inner court and also since it was more shaded. On the top of it again a layer of lime mortar finished with reflective smooth material like broken pieces of porcelain pots of white wash to reflect most of the sunlight falling on it. Lime mortar allowed keeping lower temperatures inside the building. Such areas received fairly good light and natural ventilation induced by combination of courtyards and wind towers. During daytime the thick wooden shutters having low thermal capacity are closed. natural ventilation inside the building during day is not desirable. Above that a layer of inverted earthen pots to create an air layer for insulation. These openings are opened during nighttime to allow convective cooling.temperatures. Figure 12 Arrangement of semi open areas around courtyard SMALL OPENINGS WITH THICK SHUTTERS. Stone helped in creating time lag due to high thermal capacities. FLAT ROOFS WITH INSULATION LAYER The roofs are constructed flat with stone slabs jointed with lime mortar. Figure 13 Transverse Section Through Internal courtyard WIND TOWERS The staircase mumty was taken higher and each room was provided an opening from it to allow forced ventilation. This allowed convective cooling during night and induced ventilation during day. All the openings are shaded with projections covered all around with perforated stone screens known as Jharookhas. This allows cooling of air by venturi effect phenomenon. EXTERNAL SMOOTH SURFACE PAINTED IN LIGHT COLOURS Carving was not possible on the local stone available around Shekhawati. Thus instead of providing a rough surface.All activities of washing. Thus there were a variety of spaces (open. construction techniques and use of passive design features.Courtyards are the center of activities during the entire days. With the combined effect of all features. Courtyards are used during the nighttimes as the rooms inside become hotter than the outside temperatures.Movement of air in the Semi open spaces and the transition spaces more comfortable than the rooms. High ceiling and the nature of stone to heat slowly contribute to the thermal comfort during the daytime. During night. which were used. the inside of the building always provided a comfortable environment when the environment outside was uncomfortable (throughout the year). semi open and enclosed). Figure 17 From inner courtyard to the outer courtyard through transition space The same space could not provide the desired comfort in all seasons.This heated the air in the outer courtyard and the lighter air rose up. Rains . Summers . in different seasons and times of day.Semi-open spaces and enclosed rooms are used more during the daytime. . spatial organization. This induced draft of cooler air from the inner courtyard. following conclusion can be made – The Havelis respond most appropriately to the climate and society of the place in terms of material selection. Thus the transition space always received cool air draft and was generally called the Barsati and was the favourite place to sit during day and rainy season. Winters . Figure 16 Street façade showing elaborate painting on walls CONCLUSION After studying the Havelis of Shekhawati in detail. the enclosed rooms are preferred as they have higher temperature than the ambient air outside. org/wiki/Shekhawati Shekhawati: urbanism in the semi-desert of India A climatic study .REFRENCES http://en. Jain and Prof.wikipedia.wikipedia. Prof. Rita Ahuja – IIT Roorke.org/wiki/Haveli http://en.Avlokita Agrawal. R. .K.