CULTURAL HERITAGE ASPECTS
Historic Monuments affected. Sabarmati Ashram safe.
(the Tribune, 30-01-01)
'Former ruler of Kutch sees 'history' lying in ruins'
(Times of India, 7-02-01)
'They built new ahmedabad on quick sand. While
buildings in old Ahmedabad stood intact, new city's highrises collapsed' (Indian Express,
9-02-01)
'History takes a beating' (Times of India, 21-02-01)
Sam Panthaky documents damage to archaeological sites in Patan during the
january 26 earthquake.
Corbusier buildings survived quake. (Times of India,
25-02-01)
'Banni's dwellers were secure in bhungas as Bhuj
crumbled' (Times of India, 21-02-01)
…. As hundreds of buildings collapsed all over Kutch, nature's lessons kept
the Banni people alive, secure in their bhungas, built in a unique fashion.
Their forefathers came here centuries ago from Sind and as they fought nature to
survive the rugged terrain and a hostile climate, came the earthquakes. They designed the
special bhungas to keep themselves safe. And, as another earthquake devastates Kutch, the
Banni people are innovating again.
"it was perhaps the Allah Bund earthquake of 1819 that first led our ancestors
to think of this unique style of housing."…..
"The houses did sway and we could feel the floor getting torn out of the
earth. But, not a single bhunga fell in Banni," he adds. Gulbeg explains that bhungas
are made in a 'golai' (round) form and "a circular wall will never collapse inwards
and there would be no loss of life even if the bhunga crumbled".
A bhunga is cylindrical, shaped like a tumbled, its top supporting a strong beam
that holds up the conical shaped roof. While the edges of the roof rest on the wall, a log
placed perpendicular to the beam holds it from falling
"Every house is built according to a fixed measurement. The walls are six feet high
with a foundation of one metre. No bhunga with a six-foot-high wall has even developed a
crack. These days, many have raised the height of the wall to nine feet to accommodate a
fan and these are the bhungas that have developed cracks", says Gulbeg.
….However Banni dwellers are not just resting on their ancestors' ingenuity
and are bringing in a number of innovations to further fortify their bhungas for
earthquakes of greater magnitude.
"We are now planning to incorporate two metal rings within walls of the
bhungas. These rings will be introduced when the walls are being built-one on the outer
side and the other in the inner side of the wall," says Gulbeg.
"there is another plan to provide extra support to the main beam. We will be erecting
two props outside the bhunga to hold up the two sides of the beam protruding out. This
extra support will ensure that the roof doesn't collapse," adds Gulbeg.
While the state government grapples with the problem of erecting safe houses in the
course of its rehabilitation drive, Banni rests on the foresight of its ancestors and
plans for a sarer tomorrow.
Could better upkeep have saved Gujarat's heritage?
(times of India, 25-02-01)
Was faulty renovation the reason why a magnificient
old monument in Bhuj was reduced to rubble. In 1997, 'water-tighting' of the dome's roof
was carried out to prevent water seepage. While doing this, say some conservation
architects, the ASI might have added undue load on the dome by departing from the original
ribbed pattern.
'Sacred Limbdi consigns heritage to history' (Times of
India ? )
The earthquake of January 26 may soon claim another
victim in the small town of Limbdi - its rich architectural heritage.
…..in the next couple of weeks, however nothing may remain. However, it is not
the aftershocks which are bringing the facades down. Without the advice of a structural
engineer or even an architect - the people of the town and its nagarpalika have decided
these structures are dangerous and may collapse any moment.
- Cultural heritage has been badly affected due to
this earthquake. However, one thing which has come to light is that many traditional
(vernacular) structures have performed very well, in contrast to the concrete structures.
Here the buildings in old Ahmedabad and also traditional Banni dwellings are in focus. The
innovative capacity of Banni dwellers to further improve their habitat are also worth
noticing.
- However another important observation is that poor
maintenance has been the main cause for so much damage to traditional structures and not
the structures themselves can be squarely blamed for this.
- Also somehow the innovative nature to evolve
traditional technology has also somewhere stopped due to wrong perceptions, which are
causing people to bring down heritage structures in the historic town of
Limbdi.
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