Artisans of Dharmaj: History of timber architecture through the lens of the makers

My project is titled ‘History of Timber Architecture and Study of its Collapse: Case

of Dharmaj’. The aim has been to reproduce a historic narrative of the Architectural

Style that majorly employed timber, not only as a sturdy structural framework, but also

intricately carved woodwork meant as facade ornamentation. This genre of architecture

thrived famously in Gujarat which makes this artform an unique tangible heritage. The

intangible aspect of it is equally precious. It is the knowledge and expertise passed on

from generations of native craftsmen who essentially created and sustained this artform.

The objective of the research has been to probe deeper into the history to comprehend

the various aspects of the phenomenon of this style of architecture. In order to

understand its origin story and how it spread and became the phenomenon that it did, it

is important to look into it from various standpoints. The perspectives that have been

used to recreate and reassemble a historic trajectory are the canonical history from

archives and recognised scholarships, the narratives of the carpenters consisting of their

oral histories about the past of their families who were involved in the profession and

the accounts of owners of these timber houses about their lived experiences in them.

All these points of views have been taken into account to write a historic narrative that

remains true to the real story.

The initial point of inquiry which was the starting point of the initiation of this

dissertation was the question of how such a revolutionary architectural genre collapsed

in its very land of origin. The dissertation mainly attempts to answer this question as

appropriately as possible.

Throughout the course of the study, several aspects have been scrutinised. This helped

in concluding the research with a statement of significance of the heritage of the timber

architecture of Gujarat. The conclusion, though reached examining the context of

Dharmaj, is consistent with the broader context of the region. Statements of significance

assigned by scholars and academicians have their own stance. With the help of this

dissertation, a statement of significance of the heritage has been generated which takes

into account the outlooks of the carpenters and occupants of the timber houses. This

provides a non-elitist approach to the question of significance, and it comes from the

people whose lives are the most intimately intertwined with this heritage.