Recording the endangered wooden havelis of Gujarat

Gujarati havelis are traditional wooden townhouses that highlight the rich cultural heritage and lifestyles of Gujarat’s past. These grand structures are characterized by their elaborate decorative motifs, intricate carvings, and ornate façades, which developed out of an amalgamation of Hindu, Jain, Islamic, Mughal and European design traditions. Richly carved doors, windows, verandas, balconies and façades can be found in their hundreds, embellishing homes and temples in the cluttered streets and winding alleys of Gujarat’s many towns and villages.

In the past, the havelis were the residence of affluent merchants, traders, and esteemed families, and symbolized their social standing and prosperity in the community. As well as constituting cultural heritage, the structures are an excellent example of how local construction techniques responded to the availability and management of scarce resources, as wood is not abundant in certain regions of Gujarat and each region developed its own system of design. Thus, many different architectural styles make up the traditional havelis of the region, with some presenting large mansions with central courtyards of up to four stories, while others are more modest with no courtyard and only two stories. 

3D laser scanning a havelis © CHCCEPT, 2023

The average age of the properties is about 100-150 years old, although some are much older, and several are still used as residences today. Sadly, many of these traditional buildings are in disrepair or are being demolished. As more modern building methods have taken over these regions, the skills that are needed to repair or restore these structures have become scarce. As a result, the maintenance of some structures has resulted in the use of unsuitable materials and treatments that damage the structures further. Gujarat is also in an earthquake prone area and regular small tremors are slowly but steadily causing the townhouses to collapse. Realistically, in the long run only a few wooden houses that will receive funds for conservation will end up remaining.

Over the last year and under the leadership of Professor Jigna Desai, a team from the Centre for Heritage Conservation (CHC) at CEPT University have been documenting haveli’s across Gujarat with a grant from the Endangered Wooden Architecture Programme. The project aims to systematically record representative typologies and variations in construction techniques, as well as the construction systems, ideologies of ornamentation and community histories. Initial reconnaissance surveys were conducted across five regions of Gujarat to map, identify and then select the structures that have been fully recorded for the project. A total of 794 buildings were initially identified representing not only residential buildings but other typologies such as temples, upashray (places where Jain monks stay), schools, mosques and vadi (community halls). From this extensive list a minimum of 60 structures have been selected for detailed survey and analyses. Archival research and oral histories have also been used to support these surveys as well as increasing awareness in the local communities and beyond.

The short video below was created by the CHC team to showcase the methods used to undertake this ambitious project. 

The Endangered Wooden Architecture Programme (EWAP), Oxford Brookes University, is funded by Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge.