Understanding the Transformation in The Shekhawati House-Forms A study of Fatehpur, Rajasthan

Abstract

All human societies have always had a fundamental need for food, shelter, and protection. Members of a society meet these needs through physical environmental modification, mediated by culture. The study of traditional houses is a synthesis of many different social processes. It is the cultural vocabulary of that era that determines how a house is built. Over time, this accumulated knowledge forms a certain pattern of building, which changes over time with the agreement of society, but sometimes loosens its roots. In today’s urban environments, people are losing their sense of belonging. Economic, communication, technological, and material advancements appear to be eroding the influence of established cultural forces. Thus, prior to building in a contemporary setting, it is critical to understand the origins and reasons for the transformations of these house forms to the present day. The goal isn’t to recreate the past, but to learn as much as possible from what happened in the past and then use that knowledge to build wisely in the present, taking into account upcoming changes while keeping the core of the culture. This research aims at studying the house forms of Fatehpur town, which provides a thorough understanding of the transformations in the house forms over a period of 200 years due to changing socio-cultural, economic, and political forces. The study begins with understanding a home and the various factors that contribute to its creation and physical manifestation. After this, a framework of analysis has been derived based on the readings. Followed by gaining knowledge about the Fatehpur, Shekhawati region along with their history and evolution. 14 The further approach is focused on the case studies, which are the house-forms of Shekhawati. After a primary visit to the buildings, by the means of documentation, photographs, drawings, and diagrams, the house forms are analyzed using the parameters. The six case studies are then comparatively analyzed, deriving the constants and variables throughout timeline of 200 years. To keep the identity of a house form in an area, constants must be maintained while variables are accounted for. Variables should be given secondary importance since they increase the value of a constant, but constants should be given priority because they constitute the basis for their development.