Urban houseform of Nathdwara

INTRODUCTION
Nathdwara is a small town in the udaipur district of Rajasthan located about 48km norteast of the city of Udaipur. It is
located on an elevated plateau sloping gradually towards the north-eat and surrounded by a low range of hills and
forests on the southern, western and northen sides.

Nathdwara is one of the places which acquired importance in the

last three centuries. Its sanctity is the fact that it provided shelter
to the idol of Shrinathji from the ferocity of the iconoclastic
Muslims.
Nathdwara is a temple town where each and every aspect of life is
affected by the presence of temple. The town originated with the
construction of of temple of Shrinathji. The geographical location
of the town and lack of availability of raw materials in
surrounding areas did not provide much scope for setting up any
industry. The temple is the generator of all activities in the town.
Map showing location of Nathdwara

Map showing organization of the town of Nathdwara

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Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
ORIGIN:
Nathdwara has developed on a bowl-shaped plateau surrounded by a low
range of hills. The temple is located in the centre of the bowl, on a slight
mound, where the slopes of the surrounding hills appear to meet. The town
has developed around the temple, spreading over the gentle slopes of the
hills. It has taken the shape of the landform, focusing on the temple , thus
enhancing its importance.. It has developed in concentric layers, outwards
from the centre. Each layer maintains a strong relationship with the temple,
located in the centre. The hills surrounding the town namely, Bada Mangra
in the north and Chota Mangra stretching form west to the south-east, have
restricted any untoward growth of the town
The town initially consisted of a small number of houses which came up
around the temple of shrinathji. The initial residential development took
place in the western part of the town behind the temple , which later came to
be known as Mandir ka Pichwada. Map showing the first mohalla development behind the
temple: mandir ka pichwada
GROWTH:
The growth of the temple called for increased manpower to take care of it. This resulted in the migration of new castes into
nathdwara to serve the temple. To accommodate this population new residential development took place around the temple
called “mohallas”. These mohallas were isolated from each other but linked by a street which connected them to the centre
of the town.

The town grew in time in a radial manner with the temple as focus. The main routes of the town developed radially with the
temple as the centre. These routes connected various parts of the town and converged on “Chaupati”, the main square of the
town, located in centre, just outside the temple of Shrinathji.

Diagram showing pattern of growth of the town over the years

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
 STRUCTURE:
The basic structure of the town shows clear
distinction between religious, commercial and
residential zones. The innermost layer is composed
of various religious institutions and forms the
religious centre of the town. The second layer forms
the commercial and institutional zone of the town.
The outermost layer is residential.

Residential
Commercial

religious

Image of temple of shrinathji, Nathdwara

View of town of Nathdwara

Plan showing the whole neighbourhood of shrinathji mandir

1. Chaupati 6. Bada Bazaar chowk 11. Lodha Ghati 16. Gurjarpura 21. ,22.Dharamshala
2. Govind chowk 7. Joshipura 12. Moti Chowk 17. Hela wali gali 22. Dhramshala
3. Manek Chowk 8. Janani chowk 13. Motiyon ki Kheedak18. Vallabhpura 23. Krishna Kund
4. Lal Bazaar chowk 9. Wala wali gali 14. Tiwari Pyasa 19. Hathi ka than 24. Naya Bazar
5. Muncipality 10. Police line 15. Pinjaron ki Ghati 20. dharamshala 25. Tellpura Sarai

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
CLUSTER LEVEL:
The mohallas have become expression of the social contours in
physical form. Each mohalla is identified by the name of the caste
or the profession of the people occupying it( Gurjarpura occupied
by Gurjars, lodhagati by Lodhas, Chitrakaron ka mohalla occupied
by chitrakar or painter).
The primary street connects all the mohallas and goes on to meet
the centre of the town. At the point where it branches off into
secondary streets, going into mohallas, it widens to form open
spaces which become important nodes. They are activated by the
opening of a few houses, some shops or by the presence of a small
community shrine.

The secondary street branch off from the primary street. The
houses on both sides of this street associate by means of otlas and
steps. The street widens at points to form chowks which become
important nodes of interaction within the mohalla.

The tertiary streets branch off from the secondary street at the
nodes, which mainly serves as the service streets, collecting
drainage from houses. Plan of the street network

Plan of the Gurjarpura mohalla highlighting a house taken as an example for study

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
HOUSE LEVEL:
The compact houses of nathdwara have a strong notion of centre
which is the genarator of the plan. The central space in nathdwara
house is an open court which modulates the climate inside the
house, and functionally acts as a buffer. Besides functional
requirments, the concept of houseform is related to religion and
beliefs.
Each house at nathdwara is considered to be the residence of Shrinathji. It is painted with white color with occasional
splashes of color in congruence with the temple.. The similar treatment of the internal as well as external surfaces and use
of local building technology has made the houses similar in appearance

Resultant cluster
Resultant plan
RESPONSE TO CLIMATE RESPONSE TO MATERIAL

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
SPACES OF A NATHDWARA HOUSE:

1. Otla: Extension of the plinth on the street side and the associational 5 5 (kotha)
element of a house within the street.. It is differentiated from the street
by its elevation and terracotta colour.
2. Poli: It lies in the central bay between the court and the entrance door 4 3 2
immediteky after the otla. It opens into the courtyard through a three
arched element called tibari and generally has two rooms on either
side.
3. Chowk: It lies in the centre of the house and is the generator of the 5 5 (kotha)
plan. It also functions a climatic element. It is bound by rooms on two
sides and by semi-open tibaris on the other two sides. The staircase is
often located alongside the chowk. It is semiprivate in nature on the
ground floor while private on th eupper floors.
4. Tibari: Semi-open space on two sides of the chowk along the depth .It 5 (kotha)
5
acts as a buffer between the open chowk and the enclosed living room
behind it. It is used as a storage space an dalso as kitchen area.

5 (kotha)
5. Kotha and Kothdi: They are enclosed spaces of the house. The larger 4 6
one is called kotha and is used for living, sleeping etc. The importance
of the space is emphasised by painting it in a different colour from the
rest of the house. The smaller room is called Kothdi which is mainly the 5 5 (kotha)
storage space either for storing household goods
6. Gokhda: It is a projecting balcony from the kotha, ove rthe poli on the
first floor, exactly over the entrance door. It is the associational element
of a house with the outside. It emphasizes the axis of the house and
also defines the entry to the house.
7. Rasoda: It is not physically differentiated from other parts of the 5 5 (kotha)
house. The rasoda keeps shifting with change in season.In summer
cooking and eating takes place in the tibari during day time and on
the terrace during day time and on the terrace during the night. In 4 8
winter it takes place on the terrace during daytime and inside the
house at night.
8. Chhat: It is an important space considering the climate of Nathdwara. 5 5 (kotha)
It is widely used throughout the year for various activities. It has
become an elevated plane of social interaction at neighborhood level.
Due to topographical feature the levels of terraces keep varying, making
possible to overlook one terrace from another which makes social
interaction at this level possible.
9. Barsati: Room on chhat with mud walls and floor and a pitched roof. 9 8
Meant to house the women folk during the period of pregnancy and
menstruation.
8

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti
Analysis of the house

Source: A study of houseform of temple town of nathdwara:, published thesis ,CEPT ;Author: Keni, Moti