Colonial

The Dutch, the Portuguese, the French and the English came to India at different times from around 15th century, first as traders and then gradually colonized India at different times. However the Portuguese stayed the longest and the English ruled over the largest territories of India on the land and in the sea. Many new building types were introduced, some of them being unique. The railway stations, collectorates, courts, palaces, educational buildings and the bungalows brought about a sense of new urbanity. The lavishness of the palaces and the alien nature of the new or inserted urban settlements in Gujarat and Saurashtra are well known, however some other buildings remain unnoticed. The Kothar (granary) in Bhavnagar, the Music College in Baroda, the Water Tank in Banaras and the Solarium of Jamnagar are four distinct buildings of great value. In defining the architectural heritage of Gujarat, these early modern buildings claim their rightful place. The Solarium designed by a French engineer is not only unique, but also the only example left in the world. Even today it is an operable building. Though its use has been replaced by modern techniques to cure diseases; its architecture is of prime value. Worth noticing is the care and the discipline with which all these buildings were constructed.

Banaras Water Tank (1880)

Banaras Water Tank (1880)

Plan, section and analytical axonometric drawings of the water tank in Bhadaini. Measured Drawn by the authors’ office - ARCHICRAFTS.

Colonial

Colonial

1 Portuguese Church, Santa Cruz, Goa. 2 A view of the southwest backyard of Music College (c 1910), Baroda, by architect R.F.Chisholm. 3 Interior of Senate Hall, R.F. Chisholm, Chennai. 4 A lift in Chhota Udaipur Palace. 5 A chandelier in a bungalow of 1880. 6 Doors in the entrance lobby of the Town Hall of Mumbai(1804), now Asiatic library.

Music College, c. 1910, Baroda

Music College, c. 1910, Baroda

1 South façade with wooden columns and floor in the corridor. Columns with brackets and rest of the carpentry along with composite floor is a well developed system by architect R.F. Chisholm to show a new building language in Gujarati architecture of the time. Clockwise: 2 The wooden balcony and the columns with long brackets embellish the façade to forge a new vocabulary. 3 The roof at the stairwell with three-dimensional trusses. 4 The roof of the 'play box' with double turrets in wood is perhaps a unique example of its kind in Gujarat.

Kothar (Granary), Bhavnagar, 1880

Kothar (Granary), Bhavnagar, 1880

1 A stone building with a central spine that has the grain storage on the ground floor. It can be approached by carts that go in and out to deposit or to take out the grain. At the upper floor is the hatch door to drop the grain that would be lifted from the top floor. Clockwise: 2 A fork that lifts the grain bales and moves almost 360 degrees to deposit the grain in the hatch. 3 A cast iron and steel staircase leading up to the top floor which is the archives office. 4 Detail of the fork’s moving and rotation mechanism.

Banaras Water Tank, 1880

Banaras Water Tank, 1880

1 Interior of the pumping station at Bhadaini, Banaras. 2 Exterior of the same.3 The water tank in the same complex. These buildings were built in 1880 and are remarkable for their quality of architecture and construction.

Ross Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Ross Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A full-fledged cantonment like camp built by the Britishers in 1858. Ross Island was the erstwhile capital of Port Blair during the British regime. It is located a few kilometers away from Port Blair. Old buildings like the state Ballroom, the Chief Commissioner's House, the Government House, Church, the old ‘Andamanese Home’, Hospital, Bakery, Press, Swimming Pool and Troop Barracks can be found here, with most buildings covered in overgrown ficus roots.

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat (1936)

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat (1936)

1 A view of the solarium. Clockwise: 2 Ground floor platform with the lift and the staircase. 3 The ground floor platform held by rotors in the upper floor. 4,5 The pivot on which the entire assembly rests and the rotating chair with filters for UV rays. 6 The machine room with the chain that rotates the lower level disc that rests on the pivot.

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat, (1936)

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat, (1936)

Revolving turret plan of the solarium, its typical floor plan as well as the underground machine room plan.

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Solarium, Jamnagar, Gujarat

Painting by an unknown artist depicting a highly technological object, the solarium while comparing it with the idea of the Sun God with seven horses and seven colours flanked by a mysterious light.

Bungalow types

Bungalow types

Clockwise: 1 A colonial bungalow at Kanpur, c.1850. 2 An abandoned colonial bungalow at the Kolar Gold Field settlement, Karnataka. 3 A colonial bungalow at Kanpur, c.1850. 4 A colonial bungalow in Bangalore. 5 Ceiling of a porch in front of a bungalow in Bangalore. 6 Peripheral verandah of a bungalow in Mirzapur in an estate owned by a British citizen. 7 A monkey top bungalow in Bangalore. 8 A bungalow in Kolar cantonment area.