Traditional Buildings of India Book

Throughout India, buildings are constructed by traditional methods and without architects. From family houses to village temples, from grain stores to fine mansions, the Indian builder works according to ancient and sometimes religious practice, with whatever materials are at hand, to suit local conditions and extremes of climate. The range of vernacular building types--mud-plastered, reed-thatched, timber-framed--is as varied as India's geography itself, from the Himalayas in the North and the barren deserts of the West, to the sweltering bamboo groves and rice fields of the South. Some houses, built to withstand earthquakes, will last for generations; others will be washed away by the annual monsoon, only to spring up again to face the coming year. Ilay Cooper, who has traveled extensively in India since 1965, surveys the vernacular buildings of each region with an expert knowledge of materials and techniques, as well as of history and tradition. Barry Dawson's photographs bring us into intimate contact with the rural towns and villages of India where ninety percent of the population live and work. Ilay Cooper has done extensive work for the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, and Barry Dawson is Lecturer in Photography at Bradford College. They are the coauthors of Arts and Crafts of India. Read More