Banni is located in the centre of Kutch which formas the north-western region ofGujrat in western India. This crescent shaped region of Kutch takes its name from the word ‘Kutchua’ – meaning tortoise – for its resemblance to it due to the geographical characteristics and topographical features. Banni is a long tract o flat land running 105 kilometers east-west. Admeasuring 2144 square kilometers in area, it forms a single ecological unit. The flatness of land and somewhat impervious soil causes induction even when the rain is meager. This blocks all movement routes. Sometime ago, the ruler of Kutch had stopped cultivation of rice in this area in order to encourage cattle breeding, keeping the land reserved for pastures as the quality of grass was very good.However low rainfall in the area causes scarcity conditions. The climate is fairly warm in the summers with pleasant nights. Winter is moderate. Banni is a very sparsely populated region having 46 small hamlets. For ages, most of the people in the traditional occupation and there has been little change in their lifestyle. About ninety percent of the population is Muslim having a strong notion of privacy for the women. Though not practising the “purdah” (veil) system, the women would not come out in front of strangers or older men of the same community. The other community is the lower caste hindus who do not have this kind of privacy practices. Generally a hamlet is one sub-caste of Jat Muslims. Larger hamlets may have more sub-castes, but then the clusters are also more in the hamlet.

Four hamlets are selected for the detailed study. Two of these are east and two west of the Bhuj-Khavada road, the only tarred road in Banni. Besides this road there are no roads connecting the hamlets, but Banni being a very flat and generally dry land, there are unpaved paths connecting the hamlets. They are fairly good for driving during the dry season. There are some camel roots also. For outside people a local guide is necessary otherwise one could lose way due to vast characterless land.

An analysis of clusters from the four hamlets shows that round hut used as a dwelling space placed on a platform is the most generic element in the banni hamlets. This round hut is locally called ‘Bhunga’. Along with this is a rectangular hut, often smaller and less important and is called ‘Choki’. There are size variations in ‘Chokis’, the larger ones being used for living space and smaller ones for cooking space. Still smaller units, about five feet height, not so definite in shape without a roof are often attached to a Bhunga and are used as a wash, bath or a storage space. Use of bath and washing area is not intense due to scarcity of water. Since sun dried clay blocks are the major components of construction, the round shape has found greater success due to its response to compressive forces. This has resulted in greater use of Bhunga as the major dwelling space. The plan shows dwelling unit with all the three elements organized on a single platform.

A. HAMLET

On a cursory glance the plan of Dhordo (fig. 5) shows two distinct clusters. A large one on the and a small one ‘G’ on the south- western corner. The small cluster is fairly apart from the main one and is occupied by the lower caste community. However, in its functioning the major cluster can be divided into three to four units depending upon the nature of relationship between the people living in these groups. Cluster ‘A’ including the headman’s house ‘H’ is the oldest cluster. ‘B’,’C’ and ‘D’ developed later including ‘E’ which is not so distinct as a cluster . In many other hamlets, like in Ludia and Bhirandiara, the cluster selected from each is complete and fairly distinct from other clusters. Centrally located and most elaborate house belongs to the head of the hamlet. He is richer and more exposed to the outside world than others. He is able to speak more languages including a few words of English. The southern portion of the house has a large rectangular room along with the sitting out platform. The space ‘S’ in front of this platform is the arrival point and meeting place of the hamlet. Any visitor to the hamlet is first brought to this place. He can only enter the cluster if he is related to the occupant, otherwise he can go up to the platform and the room mentioned above. The space ‘S’ is the most public space and is reached by a path from the south. A wall about two and a half meter high makes the western path private from this space. The meeting room on he north and the backs of the Bhungas on the east sufficiently seclude this area from view of the other spaces and houses. The mosque ‘M’ opens up towards this space expressing the public nature of the institution of Mosque. ‘F’ shows the cattle yards.

In small hamlets with a few dwellings, often round in shape, it will be difficult to think in terms of streets. Generally, a cluster in these hamlets in one extended family or close kinship with all household related to one another. There are still certain subtle divisions defining private, semiprivate and public domains. Of course, the interior space of a Bhunga or a Choki is the most private space. The raised platform in front or in between these enclosed spaces is the private open space. Even people from within the hamlet would not move on these platforms unless going to the house for some specific purposes. Outside people have no excess to the platform, not even to the semiprivate spaces in between the platform. Another significant thing is that there are separate enclosed spaces for women in the families who can afford more than one Bhunga or Choki. But, unlike some of the African villages similar forms, there are no separate spaces for different wives as polygamy is uncommon, though permissible in Islam and ninety percent of the people are Muslim. Another significant difference from some of the African villages is that there is no concept of public storage of food grains, eliminating public granaries. However, private granaries are made and they do not have some similarities in appearance with the African granaries. This is essentially due to the use of clay for making them.

CLUSTER FROM FOUR HAMLETS

Within a cluter, for reasons of privacy the Bhungas or Chokis do not face their door, the main opening in the unit, towards Bhungas or Chokis belonging to the others. There are specific reasons for exceptions to this like in two Bhugas north of the Mosque ‘M’ in Dhordo. These Bhungas prefer to face other Bhungas rather than to face the more public domain of the Mosque.

DHORDO (FIG. 8.9)

Dhordo, located ninety two kms northwest of Bhuj consists of two distinct clusters with the generic elements identifies earlier. The cluster selected belongs to the Jat community of herdsmen and is the earliest construction in the hamlet. There are some other clusters around this, though not as distinct, grown over a period of time out of the same family. The headman’s house on the edge of the cluster is closed on the east where nothing existed earlier and is open on the west to the other houses. The meeting room is on the south connected with the public space separate from the rest of the community by a wall about two and a half meter high. The plan here is somewhat linear with some dwelling of a single Bhunga and a Platform. The space between the platforms is used for movement. Building in dark tone is the Mosque. The population of Dhordo, as estimated in 1971 is 116.

BHIRANDIARA (FIG 10, 11)

Bhirandiara, located 45 kms north of Bhuj, is one of the largest hamlets in Banni with five to six clusters having distinct identity and with distances over hundred meters between one another. The cluster selected is a very typical one belonging to a group of herdsmen. Here, most of the platforms are interconnected and the hamlet is fairly complete. However, the individual dwellings are separate by mud wall about one and half meter high. All the families are closely related to one another. In Bhirandiara the dwelling are larger than most ones in Dhordo. Here the people are slightly better off probably because of easy excess to towns on the south due to the ‘pucca’ roads yet, most of the forms are indigenous with typical mud construction. The cattle enclosure is a little away. This cluster has grown around a pond which is till the south of the cluster. The population of Bhirandiara was estimated at 906 in 1971.

GOREWALI (Fig 12, 13)

Gorewali, locate 92 kms northwest of Bhuj, is enclosed proximity of Dhordo and is medium size hamlet with three to four clusters. Plan organization appears to be ramdom, though the generic elements are similar to the other hamlets. Besides responding to internal forces, socio-cultural in nature and the external forces, climatic and ecological, these structures have well responded to seismic disturbances. The house in the lower middle is on a slightly elevated ground and has no platform. The four Chokis on a platform on the lower right hand corner shows an unusually organization of a house, perhaps for economic reasons, each enclosure is small in area and cheaper to construct. The population of Gorewali as on 1971 is 116.

LUDIA (Fig 14, 15)

Ludia, located 40 kms north of Bhuj, is a middle size village on the north eastern edge of Banni. There are only two, but fairly large clusters in this hamlet. One belongs to the herdsman and the other to the lower cast Hindus. The cluster selected belongs to later and is one of the most beautiful, perhaps the only one with colored renderings on the outer surfaces, probably due to the occupation of the inhabitants being in the crafts in woodworks. The temple constructed in brick is shown in the dark. For most people, Hindus or Muslims religious building have special significance and are constructed differently, generally with stone walls instead of mud. There is a tremendous restraint in the architecture of these hamlets, yet displaying dynamism and innovation. The generic elements here too demonstrate the same consistency of form and content as expressed in other hamlets. Population of Ludia was 645 in1971.

GENERIC HOUSE

The generic house is composed of the platform and of single cell constructions for interiror activities, specially the circular ‘Bhunga’. There may be one, two or three Bhungas juxtaposed in close spatial relationship. One or two rectangular ‘Chokis’ may also be there, one of which is used for cooking. There are smaller elements without definite shape used for washing and bath and at times for storage of fuel etc. platform is the main connecting element for different ‘Bhungas’ and ‘Chokis’ which are never interconnected directly with one another. The platform is visually open to the community but is rarely crossed over by others of the community, unless one wished to visit the family for some specific purpose. The platform is a very expressive element generated by need for private open space. It has claimed from one family and the family alone uses it for outdoor activities. It does not have visual privacy which is really not sought from other members of the community since they are closely related. However, the platform defines the property claims of the family in mutually understood manner. There are no ownership claims or record in this area. The entire land belongs to the government and these people are allowed to build without any legal constraints. The growth of a house can take place on the nearest land made available by the community itself. An additional Bhunga or Choki would be constructed in close proximity and the platform extended to include the new construction within the remain of the house. Also, the platform is generated by the need to stay above rainwater which submerges large areas of Banni for days together. This is due to the extremely flat and somewhat impervious character of the land. The platform also acts as a guard against snakes which would not climb it. The house is from Dhordo.

The plan (Fig 20) shows a larger house selected from Ludia hamlet and is marked ‘A’ on the plan of the cluster. It comprises of three Bhugas, one Choki used as kitchen and two veranda like structures. The Bhunga on the west and the adjoining veranda are used by men while the other two Bhunga, Choki and in between veranda are used by women and children. The generic Bhunga is like the one described earlier. However, it is more elaborately decorated on the wall surface, both inside and outside. This is due to the family’s involvement in crafts and woodwork. They belong to lowest category in the caste hierarchy of Hindus. The interior wall surface is finished with white clay with in low relief with geometrical pattern including small storage units which become part of the wall mural. The granaries are also finished in white clay. Used of pieces of mirror in the murals add to the quality or otherwise somewhat dark spaces. Bedspreads and mattresses used for sleeping are piled up in the middle of the granaries; the cover shows some typical patterns.

The entire construction of a Bhunga and Choki walls and platforms is in mud. There are two ways in which these walls could be constructed. Places which are low-lying and where the water stays for many days, the Bhunga walls are constructed with sticks of wood covered with clay, a kind of adobe construction. Otherwise, they are generally constructed with sun dried clay block put to gather clay mortar. They are finished with mud plaster in both types. The walls are usually two and a half meter high above which is placed a conical crown of thatch roof. The roof is constructed on a wooden beam places diametrically on wooden posts which are at times embedded in the walls; but quite often exposed outside. From the middle of this beam rises a prop to which a series of wooden are tied which rise from the wall all along the circumference forming an apex at the top. At times the central beam and the prop are not used, particularly when the walls are with wooden sticks. In that case the wooden sticks rise from the wall and are tied to each other at the apex. Roof is finished with dry grass. Climatically, Bhunga is one of the most appropriate spaces for the heat of Banni. Even in intense summer, it is quite cool. This is essentially due to the non-conductive nature of material for heat. The circular form is the best choice to work with clay to exploit it for its compressive strength. It has proved more successful over a period of time as the rooms with straight walls and corners wear out faster and the walls develop cracks. Under seismic conditions also, it is found safer. The diameter of Bhunga varies from three to six meters. Small mud shelters are also constructed for the poultry. Cattle enclosures take peripheral positions. However, in this cluster of Ludia, the community is harijan and involved in service type of activities. They do not own cattle.