pachmarhi - CEPT Portfolio

PACHMARHI
Discovering a Colonial Habitat
Winter School 2014 , CEPT University Puneet Mehrotra, Sachin Soni, Saptarshi Mitra
‘As far as the eye can see, lie range upon range of forest
covered hills, tumbled in wild confusion.’
James Forsyth on Pachmarhi
Jay Parmar
CONTENTS
Understanding Colonial Habitats - an overview
Introduction to Pachmarhi
Exercise 1
Following the Footsteps:
Daily Life in a Colonial Hill Town
Exercise 2
Measure Drawings on Site :
Colonial types in Pachmarhi
Overview of Structure
Exercise 2
Measure Drawings on Site :
Colonial types in Pachmarhi
Detailed Drawings and Collages
Acknowledgements/ List of Participants
Aksh Chauhan
Understanding Colonial Habitats
- an overview
The objective of this winter school is to equip students
to explore various ways of interpreting the past and the
present of built habitats and interweave them to create
coherent narratives.
Using the existing colonial built heritage of Pachmarhi
as a key reference, this course aims to re-imagine and
recreate life in a colonial hill-town.
In the first part of the course, students are introduced
to life in British colonial towns through input lectures,
literature and movies.
The second part is a direct and hands-on approach of
understanding the built habitat through rigorous mapping
and documentation of the existing colonial buildings in
Pachmarhi. Students study various aspects of the built
environment by observing, recording, and measure
drawing these buildings in prescribed ways.
Assimilating the learnings from diverse introductory
sources and direct experiences of the place, the third part
of the course focuses on visualizing the life in colonial
Pachmarhi by recreating fragments of built environment
through different exercises.
During the course of winter school, specific inputs
on the methods of observation, documentation and
representation along with other examples will be
presented and discussed, both on the site and later in
the studio.
http://www.antiquaprintgallery.com/india-ranikhet-the-new-hill-station-on-raneee-khet-north-west-provinces-1875-144684-p.
asp
1
Pachmarhi
Nestled amidst the Satpura ranges of central India is Pachmarhi
- one of the most scenic hill stations of India. Referred to
as the ‘Queen of the Satpuras’, Pachmarhi is located in the
Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh at an altitude of 1067
metres.
topography of Pachmarhi and surrounds
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/nf-44-05.jpg
3
The ‘saucer shaped plateau’ of Pachmarhi surrounded by the Satpura mountains
satellite image of Pachmarhi and surrounds
Google Earth Pro - Image date 20.12.2013
5
Saptarshi Mitra
Dense forest covers the land around, broken only by the deep
brown of some of the most ancient rocks known to mankind.
The name Pachmarhi is believed to be derived from the Hindi
words Panch (“five”) and Marhi (“caves”). According to a legend,
these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of Mahabharatha
era during their fourteen years of exile.
Pachmarhi was rediscovered in 1857 by Captain James Forsyth of
the British Army. The captain and his soldiers were on the way to
Jhansi when they found themselves on the plateau of Pachmarhi.
The forest around the town is home to many rare varieties of
plants. UNESCO added Pachmarhi park to its list of Biosphere
Reserves in May 2009.
The plateau is dominated by a landscape of fields permeated in
places by clusters of trees.
At various points in this landscape, mountain streams tumble down
the steep slopes and give rise to cascading waterfalls.
Jay Parmar
Vihar Sangani
Jay Parmar
Saumil Mehta
‘We suddenly emerged .. on to an open glade, covered with short green grass,
and studded with magnificent trees, which I found was the commencement
of the plateau of Punchmurree .. Immense trees of the dark green Harra, the
arboreous Jamun and the common Mango dotted the plain in fine clumps; and
altogether , the aspect of the plateau was much more that of a fine English
park than any scene I had come across before in India.’
James Forsyth’s first impression on Pachmarhi
Saptarshi Mitra
The British found the climate and natural surroundings
of Pachmarhi ideal for setting up a sanatorium for their
troops stationed in the erstwhile ‘central provinces’
and it soon developed into a hill station. Pachmarhi also
served as the summer capital for the Central Provinces.
Consequently the town is replete with buildings of the
colonial era, consisting of sprawling bungalows, clubs,
churches, and most importantly a cantonment.
The town as of today is not very large, and most of its area is under the
administration of the Pachmarhi Cantonment Board, serving the Indian Army.
The population of Pachmarhi is about 10,000, most of whom are connected
with the Army installations in the area.
A few colonial bungalows and houses outside the jurisdiction of the army
cantonment are either under the state public works department or have
been converted into hotels, heritage retreats and museums run by the state
tourism and forest departments.
Photographs by Saptarshi Mitra
Exercise 1
Following the Footsteps :
Daily life in a Colonial hill town
The students were introduced to life in a colonial hill town through
two selected movies; A Passage to India and Massey Sahib.
The intent of the exercise was to form a preliminary understanding
of the colonial hill town by imagining a character and following his/
her daily life.
The students were also asked to choose one particular colonial
construct that the character prominently interacts with, and form a
coherent narrative of colonial life with the help of additional visual
materials
http://img15.nnm.me/2/f/f/b/d/cafc27f9fba6a0f51f2f8ef7bba.jpg
A Passage To India (1984)
Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India
between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and
an English educator.
Director : David Lean
Writer : E.M.Forster
Cast : Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft
Massey Sahib (1985)
In a small, tribal district town of Central India in 1929, Francis Massey is
the ‘English Type Babu’ at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Massey
believes that because he is Christian and can speak English, he is a
cut above other Indians and not very different from the white sahibs
he serves. For a man of lowly birth, Massey has risen to a dizzying
height. On the other hand, he acknowledges no realistic limits to his
own free spirit. Whenever the real world fails him, he improvises boldly, imaginatively.
Director : Pradip Krishen
Writer : Pradip Krishen
Cast : Raghuvir Jadav, Barry John, Arundhati Roy
9
Student Work
Sample 1
Character : Saila from Massey Sahib
The group selected the Bungalow compound as a colonial type, and investigated
the relationships between the different entities in the compound ( the bungalow,
the servant quarters, access, etc.)
The group also looked at the spaces as in use by the servants and the European
owners.
Aarsi Ghelani, Jay Parmar, Shalin Bhatt, Vaibhavi Patel,
Character : Mrs. Moore from A Passage to India
Sample 2
The group selected the Club and its surrounds as a colonial type, and investigated
the spatial nuances of the different functional spaces the (Lobby, reception, game
room, dining, library etc.)
The group also looked at the gradient of privacy, formality and light through the
plan and photographs.
Dhruv Patel, Pramit Shah, Tulsi Vadalia, Samarpan Bhagora
11
Exercise 2
Measure Drawings on Site :
Colonial types in Pachmarhi
overview of structure
Christ Church
Tehsil Office
Post Office
Old Hotel and Club
Dhupgarh Forest Lodge
Rosky / Satpura Retreat
Rock End Manor
Diwan House / SP Office
Tower House / SP Bungalow
CLUB
HOTEL
The selection of buildings for documentation was guided by the need to look at the main institutional typologies of a colonial hill town. These nine cases in
a way represent the key religious, administrative, social and residential categories in the building types which shaped the character of the hill town. These
buildings help in reconstructing the life in a hill town during British rule.
Old Hotel and Club
Christ Church
Post Office
Rock End Manor
Tehsil Office
Diwan House/
SP Office
Tower House/
SP Bungalow
To Dhupgarh (10km)
Forest Lodge
Map of Colonial Pachmarhi
showing the selected sites for
measure drawing.
Rosky/
Satpura Retreat
Images from Google Earth Pro - dated 04.12.2014
13
Srinivas Narayan
Christ Church
Srinivas Narayan
The protestant Church of Christ, also known as Christ
Church, was built in 1875 on Gothic lines, and is one of the
earliest colonial buildings of Pachmarhi. It is a red sandstone
structure with the nave spanned by a series of well crafted
wooden trusses and the altar surmounted by a hemispherical
ribbed dome. Twelve stained glass windows, imported from
Europe, adorn the walls as well as the altar of the Church.
It is sited on a gentle mound dotted with large trees, which
give the site a distinctly serene character.
sketch showing the church on the mound
Akshita Shah
Bhoomi Parmar
Hitarth Panchal
Srinivas Narayan
15
Photographic Documentation
The exterior of the church showing
the openings and overall form, and
highlighting the siting amongst the
landscape.
Interior photographs of the church
showing the mixed styles, of the
gothic ribbed domes and the intricate
wooden sloping roofs.
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
17
REFLECTED
CEILING PLAN
PLAN
SECTION AA
SECTION BB
19
ELEVATION B
SECTION CC
WINDOW 1
WINDOW 2
ELEVATION A
21
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of the church as
it must have been during the colonial period
The focus is on the relatively dark internal
space of the church , and its use.
23
Photographic Documentation
The exterior facade composed of
gable roof projections juxtaposed
with verandahs, and the inner
courtyard.
Tehsil Office
Vishwakumari Tusharbhai
Located amongst a groove of old trees, the Tehsil office
was one of the early and key administrative buildings of
Pachmarhi.
It consists of three projected portions with high ceilings which
housed the main offices. These offices are interconnected
with small rooms for clerks on the inside and verandahs
towards the front. High gable ends of projected rooms and
low stone arches of verandahs give a commanding presence
portraying its institutional significance.
Aditya Patel
Nidhi Pipaliya
Parth Patel
Vishwakumari Tusharbhai
25
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
SECTION BB
SECTION CC
PLAN
27
ELEVATION
SECTION AA
29
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of the tehsil as it must have
been during the colonial period. The focus is on the
internal space of the Tehsil office detailed in plan and
section, and the journey the collector makes every day.
31
Post Office
Formerly known as the Post and Telegraph office during
British times, this is a simple and elegant building located
near the Teshil office.
It consists of essentially one large room with a high ceiling
surrounded by a well proportioned verandah with dormers.
Although small in size, this post office building can be seen
as being representative of the classic room-verandah
typology of colonial buildings.
the post office as it sits amidst vegetation
sketches on this and facing page by Shalin Bhatt
Jay Parmar
Mauli Patel
Shalin Bhatt
Viral Mehta
33
Photographic Documentation
The exterior of the post office
highlighting the siting amongst the
landscape, the way that the roof
comes down and creates a low height
verandah, resulting in a prominent roof
rising out of the trees around it.
The play of light and shadow in the
verandah.
35
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
SECTION AA
SECTION BB
ELEVATION A
ELEVATION B
37
Old Hotel and Club
Originally known as Mrs Booker’s Hotel, the Old Hotel
consists of two linear blocks with rooms for lodging as well
as a dining hall along with two kitchen units in the back yard.
The rooms have high ceilings with a continuous verandah
towards the front garden with large trees and powder room
units at the back. The long verandah of Old Hotel with its
dormers and the lounge of adjacent Club evokes a distinct
and vivid colonial imagery, especially when viewed from
parade ground in the east.
Aishwarya Sundaram
Dhruv Patel
Kush Shah
Vrushti Kothi
39
Photographic Documentation
The exterior of the Old Hotel and its
continuous verandah coupled with the
driveway and the porch is a coming
together of distinct colonial elements.
Detail of the continuous verandah and
the chimneys of the
fireplaces in each
room.
Measure Drawings
CLUB
HOTEL
HOTEL
41
BACK ELEVATION
FRONT ELEVATION
OLD HOTEL PLAN
43
ELEVATION FROM CLUB GROUND
CROSS SECTION THROUGH HOTEL
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of the hotel and the
attached club, as a typical characteristic institutional
colonial setup.
45
Dhupgarh Forest Lodge
Dhoopgarh peak is the highest mountain range of the
Satpuras. Located 10kms from Pachmarhi town it forms a
ridge measuring 500mts from north to south. Both ends
of the ridge provide one of the most spectacular vantage
points for viewing the Satpura hills.
The forest lodge is located in a small clearing between the
two points and was built to station the forest officers. It
is a simple stone masonry and timber structure with three
rooms and verandah on three sides except west. There is
also a separate kitchen and servant quarters on the eastern
side of the main forest lodge building.
sketches by Shalin Bhatt
Jay Parmar
Mauli Patel
Shalin Bhatt
Viral Mehta
47
Photographic Documentation
The forest lodge, a single storey
stone structure, with carefully
proportioned roofs creating a
delicate verandah that wraps around
the inner spaces.
A timber roof and timber railings
along with the stone gives a rough
feel to the place, and a stone chimney
rises out of the roof and creates a
landmark.
Measure Drawings
Shalin Bhatt
SITE PLAN
49
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
ELEVATION A
ELEVATION B
SECTION BB
SECTION AA
51
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of the lodge as
in use as a hunting lodge.
The focus is on people, furniture, and its
setting in the natural context.
53
Photographic Documentation
The timber roof and railings along
the verandah filters light and creates
a semi-open space suited to various
activities, and from the verandah
is framed a view of the satpuras
amongst the lush greens of the
pachmarhi fauna.
Rosky / Satpura Retreat
Roski cottage, presently known as Satpura Retreat, was one
of the three identical cottages built by Reverend Livesay,
the founder of Catholic Church of Pachmarhi.
This cottage is nestled between dense trees on a relatively
isolated and higher mound which offers spectacular views of
the Chauragarh peak. A significant feature of Roski cottage
is two semi-hexagonal rooms opening up to the north facing
garden through a low and wide verandah forming a very
fascinating front facade.
the front facade comprised of the hexagonal rooms and the low verandah
Aarsi Ghelani
Kinara Patel
Rushabh Suchdev
Vihar Sangani
55
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
PLAN
57
SECTION BB
SECTION AA
59
SIDE ELEVATION
FRONT ELEVATION
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of the retreat
as a place of relaxation and being in close
proximity with nature.
61
rock end manor from driveway
Rock End Manor
Yash Mehta
Sited on a high rocky outcrop amidst the rolling grasslands
in the centre of Pachmarhi, the Rock-end Manor offers
spectacular views of town and its surroundings.
Originally built in 1905 to house the British Governor’s
entourage, the building has unique combination of semicircular and hexagonal geometrical forms in response to the
strong topographical conditions of site. The semi-circular
wing, with a layer of long verandah overlooking the stepped
gardens, provides a majestic formal quality to Rock-end
Manor when approached from a distance.
rock end manor from distance
Harini Patel
Jahnavi Chavda
Pramit Shah
Yash Mehta
63
Photographic Documentation
The semi-circular wing with the
continuous porous verandah coupled
with the vantage siting result in
spectacular framed views of the
pachmarhi grasslands.
Finely detailed open sit-outs at
various levels further accentuates
this experience.
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
65
PLAN
SECTION BB
WEST ELEVATION
SECTION AA
EAST ELEVATION
67
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of an english
tea party in the open sit-out spaces of the
manor with a focus on the spatial transition
between the open tea space and the semi
open verandah.
69
the front of the sp office
Diwan House / SP Office
Diwan house, currently housing the office of Superintendent
of Police, was also known as Herold House.
Built during 1930s, it originally would have been a colonial
bungalow. Located on a gently sloping site with a large
Pakhad tree, this building seems like a departure from earlier
colonial bungalow type. It has an unusual plan with a large
semi-hexagonal room and fairly steep roofs. In addition, the
building also has a corner entrance verandah at a higher level
and a smaller verandah on the other side at a lower level.
Samarpan Bhagora
Disha Shah
Gitesh Gupta
Jinal Goswami
Samarpan Bhagora
71
Photographic Documentation
The unusual appearance of the SP
office made up of different sloping
roofs and verandahs at two levels.
The steep roof angles and part of
the large Pakhad tree adjacent to the
site.
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
73
PORCH DETAIL
SITE SECTION
PLAN
SECTION AA
SECTION BB
NORTH ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
75
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of an english
office space as it must have been used.
The giant Pakhad tree is also of particular
significance.
77
the bungalow from the pandava caves
Tower House / SP Bungalow
Vaibhavi Patel
Popularly known as Tower house, this building derives its
local name from two prominent hexagonal towers on either
side of the entrance verandah.
It is located on a gently sloping site with stepped garden
facing the Pandav caves. This bungalow has a symmetrical
plan with a central chimney servicing the four main rooms.
Interestingly, this building seems to have retained most
of its original features as it has not undergone any major
alterations except some parts of roofing.
Tulsi Vadalia
Aksh Chauhan
Tulsi Vadalia
Saumil Mehta
Vaibhavi Patel
79
Photographic Documentation
The hexagonal rooms and the
verandah wrapping around it resultS
in an unusual facade with a strong
geometry. The house also has a porch
made in the typical colonial style.
The house has a strong front and
back, as seen when approaching from
different directions.
Measure Drawings
SITE PLAN
81
PLAN
83
SECTION BB
SECTION AA
ELEVATION
Re-creating the Colonial Experience
Re-creating the experience of an english
residence, and the transition of space from
the closed living room, to the verandah
space and finally the porch.
85
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following people
for their generous support and cooperation
in making this study possible.
- Pradip Khatri
( Deputy Conservator of Forests, Satpura
Biosphere reserve)
- Ajay Sharma
(Senior manager, Satpura Retreat, MPTDC)
- N.K.Srivastava
(Manager, Rock End Manor, MPTDC)
- M.L.Solanki
(Superintendent of Police, Police Training
School, Pachmarhi)
- D.N.Singh
(Tehsilder, Pachmarhi Tehsil Office)
- Mr. Prajapati
(Assistant Engineer, PWD)
The staff at Hotel Panchvati, MPTDC.
List of Students
Christ Church
Akshita Shah
Bhoomi Parmar
Hitarth Panchal
Srinivas Narayan
Tehsil Office
Aditya Patel
Nidhi Pipaliya
Parth Patel
Vishwakumari Tusharbhai
Post Office and Dhupgarh Lodge
Jay Parmar
Mauli Patel
Shalin Bhatt
Viral Mehta
Old Hotel and Club
Aishwarya Sundaram
Dhruv Patel
Kush Shah
Vrushti Kothi
Rosky / Satpura Retreat
Aarsi Ghelani
Kinara Patel
Rushabh Suchdev
Vihar Sangani
Rock End Manor
Harini Patel
Jahnavi Chavda
Pramit Shah
Yash Mehta
Tower House / SP Bungalow
Aksh Chauhan
Tulsi Vadalia
Saumil Mehta
Vaibhavi Patel
Diwan House / SP Office
The Document is the compilation of
three weeks of work and a field visit to
Pachmarhi by students of CEPT University,
Ahmedabad.
The course is a part of the Winter School
Courses offered by the University in 2014.
portraits on facing page by Puneet Mehrotra
Disha Shah
Gitesh Gupta
Jinal Goswami
Samarpan Bhagora
Guided by
Puneet Mehrotra
Sachin Soni
Saptarshi Mitra
Cover image Saptarshi Mitra
W14FA006
Winter School 2014
CEPT University