Houses, churches and colonial styles

Houses in India are as varied as the land. But richer families, in towns and villages alike, often shared one design: a central courtyard, open to the sky, with the rooms arranged around it, on one floor or several.

Archaeologists have found this design in some of the larger Harappan houses, about 4,500 years ago.

The havelis (big mansions) of Rajasthan's Shekhawati region have such courtyards and walls covered in painted frescoes. They belonged to nobles and rich merchants.

Many havelis are now hotels or museums: they are hard to look after and too big for today's families.

The Chettinadu houses of Tamil Nadu belonged to merchants who traded rice, spices and gems with Southeast Asia.

Their materials came from around the world: teak wood from Burma and marble from Italy. Craftsmen from all over India worked on them.

Their courtyard was used for rituals and family gatherings, and for drying pāpads and chillies in the sun.

Christian communities have lived in India for many centuries. By tradition, the first churches were on the Kerala coast.

Some later churches copied European styles. St. Philomena's Cathedral in Mysuru is in the Gothic style (a European style with pointed arches). The Maharaja of Mysore laid its foundation stone.

Other churches took in local styles:

• the St. Thomas Orthodox church at Mulanthuruthy has a stambha (flag post) borrowed from temple architecture;
• the Kalloopara church has the sloping tiled roof of Kerala houses, made for heavy rain, with oil lamps and a wooden roof inside.

Under the British Raj, a new style grew up: Indo-Saracenic architecture. It mixes Islamic, Hindu and Gothic features. Examples:

• the Madras High Court (1892), with Islamic arches and Hindu temple-style pillars;
• the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, with its dome and chhatrīs;
• the Mysuru Palace, which we met earlier.

The chapter ends with a warning. Many lesser-known monuments are neglected, and the government alone cannot save thousands of very old buildings.

It reminds us of a Fundamental Duty in our Constitution: "to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture". Looking after our buildings is everyone's job.