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CHAPTER 7

HOUSE TYPES OF INDIA

Tribal House Types

According to classical texts, India is the home

of several strata of tribal population. Mention of many

tribes such as Asura, Turvasas, Yadus, Kirvis (later

known as Panchala), Bhartas (later known as Kurus) reveal

that tribes in India were originally of many racial groups.

Similar corroborative evidences are found in the texts

written by the great historians, anthropologists and

archaeologists.

Recent researches conducted by many scholars on

the tribes of India still living in the remote areas,

reveal that they are the only survivals of some old cul­

tures in India. They still retain some of the elements

of younger stone age. According to Gordon (1958) , even

today, some of these tribes lead a very primitive way of

life (Dube, 1977). These pre-historic groups suffer from

economic backwardness. They live in a variety of primi­

tive type of houses.1

1. The primitive houses refer to those produced by socie­

ties defined as primitive by anthropologists. It also
refers to certain technologists as well as aspects of
tribal social organization in India.
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The nature of primitive house depends on the

type of tribe and the geographical environment of the

area. Over the centuries, little change has taken place

to alter the shape, size and form of original tribal

houses. It is more so in the remote and isolated areas

of the country. Their age-old backwardness due to isola­

tion of their culture from rest of the world is responsi­

ble for the survival of their old forms of houses. Even

today, various types of tribal houses are found in many

parts of the country. Special mention of this category

are the districts of Palamau, Ranchi, and Hazaribagh

where a large number of stone implements are being used.

Birhors of Chotanagpur are of such type. They lead a

nomadic to semi-nomadic life (Prasad, 1978). The dwelling

of a Birhor does not even deserve to be called as a house

(Fig. 25)- It is a domal structure made of twigs, branches

of leaves and grasses. Birhor house has a circular ground

plan having 6 to 8 metre high apex. A lining of twigs

and grasses is added to the domal frame. The dome from

its foundation to the apex is thatched with leaves which

are placed over-lapping one over another. By doing so

the roof becomes leak proof. The entrace is a small oval

3 metre. It is cut just above the ground
hole measuring 1-j

into domal wall which is closed at night with a mat of

twigs and leaves. Like this there are many other primitive
I

tribal houses in India.

Food gathering is main occupation of the Andamanis,

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Malapandrams of Travancore and Cochin hills (Kerala),

and Kadars of Anamalai hills. The Paliyans and Chenchus

are also food gathering tribes. Anamalai hills, Paliyans

and Chenchus are food gatherers. Malpandrams live in

jungles and depend entirely on edible tubers and roots

gathered from the forests. These wandering tribes who

move from one place to another are so primitive that they

do not produce anything even for subsistence. Their

dwellings are sheds that are arranged in a row. Three

poles two and half metres high are fixed in such a manner

that they converge on the top. The area on which they

are formed is triangular in shape. The space between the

poles is fixed and covered with layer of palmyra which

are tied on the side and the top. These leaves are tied

to the frame to protect the house from rain, wind and

temperature.

The Kadars of Cochin are essentially nomads and

while wondering in the forests, they make rough leanto

shed covered with leaves. They keep a small fire burning

throughout the night to keep the wild animals off. Their

main occupation is fishing, hunting, wax-making and

collection of honey and cardamons (Negi, 1977).

The Chenchus of Nallaimallais and Andhra Pradesh

live along the sides of the Krishna river. Their dwellings

are circular with conical roofs. The circular houses are

found in the coastal Telugu speaking area (Ray, 1965). The
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Paliyans in Palni hills are even more backward both socia­

lly and economically. They live in natural caves and cre­

vices in rocks. If these caves and crevices leak they

erect a rough shed on poles. The roofs are slopping

which are made of trasses.

There are pastoral tribes which are confined to

the northern mountains comprising of Jammu and Kashmir,

Uttar Pradesh (only hilly parts), and Himachal Pradesh. The

Bhotias use portable habitations on their way in their

migration during summer to cis-Tibetan region or in winter

to Bhabar. These are, in fact, light tents locally known

as 'Tarkeb' pitched by means of poles improvised on the

spot. Such type of tents can accommodate a family of five.

Some herdsmen take their sheep from cis-Tibetan zone to

the pastures on hill slopes located at 2000 to 4000 metres

(Pant, 1935). According to Kaystha, these tribes constitute

the nomadic people inhabiting the slopes and spurs of the

Dauladhar range in the north of the Himalaya Beas Basin.

The Gaddis are another tribe- that migrate with their flock

to the lower valleys. Since 90 per cent of its area is

unfit for cultivation, transhumance is a very well estab­

lished practice these areas. Severe winters and lack of

fodder compel them to migrate to lower valleys. The houses

of the Gaddis are made of wood, stone, slate, thatch

whichever is most conveniently available. The most pre­

dominant building materials are wood and stone (Kayastha,

1957) .
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The agricultural tribes are more progressive

than the other two tribes mentioned above namely, the

(1) food gatherers and (2) the pastoral tribes. They

make different kind of houses and their type depends on

the natural environment and the type of materials avail­

able. A large number of Indian tribes fall in this cate­

gory. These are Gonds, Bhils, Santals, Juangs, Mizo,

Nagas, Abors etc. Most of them practice shifting culti­

vation. The Tharus of the Terai and the Kamars of Madhya

Pradesh also fall in this cateogry. Tribes like Mauria,

Bison, Horn-Maria, Dorla etc. are grouped as Gonds. The

Gonds are comparatively more advanced and civilized abori­

ginals of India. They live in Satpura plateau, Baster

and other parts of Nagpur plateau and Narmada valley in

South India. The Gond villages are normally near the

water courses. The village site is chosen by the village

priest after performing religious rituals. In any Gond

village, the houses are built in two rows, leaving a wide

street in between. The main building materials used are

bamboo, sal poles, thatch of chhind, and dwarf palm leaves,

which grow in bushy form in the area. The Gonds in some

areas grow crops on terraces of the plateau.

Historically speaking, Gonds were the rulers of

the land occupied by them. Now the Gonds do not want to

construct their houses near the cross roads as they want

to remain aloof. Besides agriculture, the Gonds practice

hunting. The burial ground is always in the east of the

A house with bamboo torza roof (Assam) A Bodo house (Assam)

A Garo House in the Hills (Assam) A house ha'f-walled with bricks (Assam)
 187

village. The Gonds make youth houses known as gotul.

The Bhils are another type of tribes belonging

to this category. They are found in Madhya Pradesh,

Khandesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and some districts of Uttar

Pradesh, such as Etawa, Jhansi. According to Col. Tod,

the earliest people of Marwar were Bhils and Hamilton

states that Bhils were strong in south of Malwa. According

to Vankatachar, the Bhils acquired their tribal nomen­

clature in India earlier than the Aryans and the Dravidians

The Bhils are warlike and violent people and consume

locally made liquor made from Bassla Latifolia (Mahua)

trees. The Bhils make houses by making wooden frames and

planks (Fig. 23).

Types of Tribal Houses

The Munda houses are found in Hazaribagh, Palamau,

Ranchi and Singhbhum. The Munda houses are made of mud

walls, and tile roofs (Prasad, 1978). Their houses are

commodious. An average house consists of two blocks, but

well to do have four blocks meant for different uses, such

as eating, sleeping, animal sheds, and a part of it is

used for worship of the departed ancestors. Thus they

make more than one structure for their residence.

The Santal houses are widely distributed in

Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Bhagalpur and Monghyr. Like the Hos,

the Santals are good builders. They are single line

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builders. Their villages are neat looking and are free

from water logging. Two types of houses are made - each

distinct from the other. The first one is a nine pole

structure and is of old type confined to the forested

parts. Nine poles in the rows of three are vertically

erected and are topped with a thatched roof slanting on

both sides. The second type of house' has two poles and

has roof without gables. The Santal houses are greatly

influenced by Bengal type of houses. The Santhals houses

are divided into two to three compartments dpending upon

their needs and uses. The Santhals are highly concentra­

ted in Chota Nagpur plateau and Santhal Parganas where

they now practice agriculture. In recent years, many of

the Santhals have been engaged in the tea-gardens of^

Assam, and as industrial labourers in West Bengal. Although

they have had a great deal of contact with outsiders they

have retained their customs. Some of them are now well-

educated and indistinguishable from others.

' The Juangs of Chota-Nagpur plateau are found in

small numbers. Their houses are made of woode and grass

thatched structures measuring 3 metre in length and 2 metre

in breadth. Every wooden house has two compartments meant

for different purposes. Most of the Juangs are food

gathering people, yet some of them practice agriculture by

burning the jungles. Sal, teak and kendu tree are very

common and hence wood cutting, collection of silk cocoons,

lac etc. are important occupations of these people. The

 189

use of wood is plentiful in the construction of their

houses (Mitra, 1961).

The tribes of north eastern India build their

houses by using the materials taken from their surround­

ings. Most of the population of this region is of Indo-

Mongoloid origin. Therefore, the houses of tribes in

this part of the country differ not only in terms of the

building materials used, but also in other details. In

other words, it is the ethnic variety of people that attri­

butes variety in the house types of this area. The Nagas

are the largest tribe of this part of India. The hill

sides are covered with a succession of terraces of rice

fields. The Nagas practice shifting agriculture known as

Jhuming. The Naga economy is based on bamboo resources

which are utilized in the construction of houses. The Mizo,

Naga and Abors in the north eastern region practice shifting

agriculture. Their houses are made of bamboo which have

rectangular ground plan. The Mizo houses are approximately

8x4 metre, and have front varandah. An open air varandah

at the back attached to the building is the sitting place.

The front varandah is the place where agricultural imple­

ments and firewoods are kept. In between these tWo veran­

dahs is a spacious room used as kitchen, store and place

to sleep. On the walls there are few shelves, and baskets

where the fowls retire and hens lay eggs (Mitra, 1961).
Most of the houses are constructed on slopes supported by

means of raised poles of different lengths. The wooden

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planks support the bamboo matting walls. The bamboo matt­

ing is fastened to the outer posts. The roof rests on

split bamboo frames and fork like posts. Several layers

of straw are laid on this frame.of bamboo. The doors

and windows are cut out on the matted or pleated bamboo

walls. The doors and windows are made of the same materials
as are the walls.

The Khamtis in Assam are agricultural tribes who

are located in plains. The Khamti villages have kitchen

gardens. Their houses are made of bamboo/wood bounded by

creeper vines, wire or cane. No metal is normally used

in a Khamti house. The houses are square and are raised

at a height of 2-3 metre from the ground. The post on

which the house rests is of bamboo or wood. The walls are

made of palmyra leaves or plaited bamboo and have four

pagoda type roofs one above the other generally made of

wood and sometimes of bamboo. Their doors are generally

made of planks of wood.

The Garo houses measure nearly 8 metres in length

and nearly 12 metres in width. They are raised to a height

according to the slope and inequality of the ground. The

house is supported by substantial posts of sal timber,
crudly carved with grostisque figures and is placed with

broad and upward posts to support the beams ( Mitra, 1951).

From the above discussion, it is evident that

tribal houses in India differ from each other. These

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differences are due to the differences in their ethnic

characteristics. According to Parsad (1978) , the Mundas,

Santal, Hos and Bhumij are pre-Dravidian groups, belonging

to Austro-Asiatic stalls and also to Proto-Mediterranean

group of people. The Oraons belong to Dravidian group.

Their ethnic solidarity and rigidity to mutual intolerance

have led to segregation and hence to sectoral growth of

various tribals. The differences in houses are according

to their economic conditions and literacy rate. Most of

them make their livelihood by engaging themselves in pri­

mary economic activities which are traditional. The Table 6

\

gives an idea about the occupational pattern of the tribes

in India

Table 6 : Occupational Pattern of Tribal Group 1971

Occupation Patterns Percentage to

total

Cultivators 68.2

Mining, Quarrying 3.4

•

Agricultural Labourers 19.7

Household Industry and Manufacturing 3.2

on Small Scale

Construction, Trade on Small Scale

and Commerce 5.5

Source : Registrar General and Census Commissioner

India Population Studies, 1972, p. 64.
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Irregular shape and amorphous village types are

closely related to the tribal life in India. In most of

the cases, tribal villages are associated with forested

areas. The linear settlements are, however, found in

alluvial uplands and sides of Rajmahal hills.

Non-tribal Houses

On an average, the houses of non-tribals in India

are better built with more space and give a superior look.

Besides the form of the village and the physical environ­

ment of the area, the ethnic factors have been greatly

influencing the rural dwellings of the non-tribal people.

The.houses of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jains can

be easily distinguished from each other. Even in the tribal

regions, non-tribal houses can be easily differentiated

from the rest of the lot, because they bear a distinctive

mark of their own culture in the design and frontage of

the house. These elements are closely related to their

own cultural groups. Since higher populations have more

complicated admixtures of racial elements, their houses

are more complex in.the shape, design and size. They bear

the stamp of the characteristic features of more than one

cultural hearth. The traces of their original elements

are visible in varying proportions and hence there is a

variety in rural house types.

In all its regional variations a.non-tribal rural

 193

house is an expression of the ways of Indian rural life.

Through the countless generations, Indian traditional

ways of life very firmly got rooted into Indian village

life. Consequently, a definite pattern of caste heritage

has evolved. Each caste has evolved its own type of house

and has got a specific form of house. Because people in

villages remain attached to their land over a long period

of time, the forms of their houses remain dominant in

their respective areas. In such cases, the architectural

form is clearly indicative of the local social conditions

and its traditions. Throughout the vast stretches of the

country Brahmins create their surroundings which are

nearly similar. Various spaces of houses are invested

with differing degrees of sanctitiy. Same is true in any

other non-tribal house. A kitchen or the place where the

hearth is located is always considered a holy place. The

strangers or people belonging to low caste are not permi­

tted to enter.

• The place where water is kept is similarly sacra­

mental. in households where religion plays a very signifi­

cant role in the daily life, tulsi plant is kept and their

Gods are worshipped briefly everyday in the mornings. If

the house possesses a shrine room, entry into this room

is denied to outsiders. In some areas even today people

from low-caste are not permitted to enter further than the

edge of the courtyard. Peepal tree is worshipped by many
Hindus, and its presence reveals the religion of the people.
FIG. 2 4
 194

Another important aspect of the non-tribal houses

in India is the presence of a courtyard which is locally

known as "chauk" or 'Angan'. Angan*is the plage (Fig.24) in

the house where most of the activities of the household

are performed. Spreading of clothes, grains and many other

activities of the family are performed in the courtyards.

In Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and parts of Gujarat and

Maharashtra, the presence of inner courtyard in a house

is indispensible. Only in the desert areas of Rajasthan

(Marwar, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur) that the courtyard

shrinks into the form of a small rectangular sun-well

inside the stone house. Similar kind of courtyard exists

in Bhuj in Kutch, Amritsar in Punjab and some neighbouring

parts of south-west (Mitra, ,1961) . In some areas of

Rajasthan the multistoried houses, have uncovered terraces

on each floor to compensate the need of a courtyard. The

perfect examples of this can be seen in Udaipur, Jodhpur,

Ajmer and Jaipur. Such type of houses belong only to the

r.ich people of the village. WHfere' the house is only a

single room, verandah in the front is open from all the

three sides. There is also a front courtyard. All the

l

household activities are shared between it and the open

courtyard. The roofs of such houses may be flat or edged

with two slopes. When the courtyard is outside the house,

the roof may be single sloped, two sloped or even twelve

sloped (Bara Chala) depending upon the economic condition

of the family (Mitra, 1961).

 195

The non-tribal houses are of different types.

The caste system in Indian villages is deeply penetrated

in the Hindu society and repulsion of the impure caste is

the core of the entire system. In recent age, the process

of urbanization has slightly affected the stratification

system to some extent in the suburban areas. The remote

villages are still more attached to the traditional system.

The locational pattern of rural houses has also not changed

much.

In an Indian village, the physical space is iden­

tified with status of the caste. This fact most of the

times creates several difficulties in re-development or

modifying the existing lay outs. According to Unni (1965) ,

the implementation of new ideas is tactfully avoided,

because it injures the caste based attitudes of those who

are in power.

In a new rural house, certain amount of continuity

of traditional features is maintained. The impact of socio-

economic progress on rural houses is not totally positive

because of the infavourable attitude of the elder genera­

tion. Therefore, the changes in many ways do not depict

radical modernization. The mental image of the occupants

is intricately woven up with the uses of its various parts.
Various parts of the house have values of a socially and

culturally shaped nature namely, religion, aesthetic and

property value of the occupants.