Architecture is product of its environment.
Secular architecture in particular evolves to suite the needs of the people.
Homes, cities, forts, palaces, schools, universities, hospitals, man made
reservoirs, step wells, resting place for travellers etc. are prime examples of
secular architecture. Monuments such
as ceremonial gateways, carved edicts, victory pillars and towers are also
examples of secular architecture.
Such monuments are globally popular – such as Nelson’s column (to celebrate
victory over the French), Eifel tower (to mark a major event),
Secular architecture was built with local material – wood, stone, bricks, clay, dung, bamboo, thatch, tiles etc.
Huts of the poor people and farmers
living in the countryside were usually made with mud and plastered with dung. They had thatched roof made from
local material, such as palm fronds, coconut leaves or dry straw.
Animals would have been tethered in sheds nearby, there would have been a small
garden to grow herbs, vegetables and fruits.
Cooking would have happened in the open courtyard or at one end of the
In hot countries around the world, cooking indoors is hot and stuffy, so it is still preferable to cook outside.
Houses of the middle class and towns
folk were usually made from bricks or stones.
Downstairs would be simple on the outside, with few doors and windows to
keep their privacy and keep out thieves.
If the house was in the countryside, there would be a
Such houses had rooms with specific purpose – sitting room, kitchen (during rainy and wintery season), store room, bedrooms, meditation room etc. There would usually be a room set aside for ladies that were either ill, menstruating or pregnant. Women were not allowed to cook etc while in either of these conditions !
Usually brick and stone house were multi-storied. Country houses would have had 2 – 3 floors and town houses would have had 3 – 4 floors max. Building higher than that was complicated, expensive and painful for people – there were no lifts !!! Cellars were built to store food in areas where flooding was not an issue.
Upper floors were usually reserved for sleeping. They helped catch the breeze and kept people cool during the summer evenings. It was also above the noise and dust of the lower floors. Town houses would have had indoor toilets, country houses may or may not have had such a facility. Having toilets indoors was considered “impure” and people were very careful about hygiene. Only if you had running water, sewers or deep pits was it possible to have indoor toilets.
In hot countries around the world, such courtyard houses are popular –
Example of house in different parts of
House in the Himalayas. Note, animals live below the main living space of the house. | |
In the hotter plains, houses have a thatched roof to keep out the sun and rain. Mud and dung plaster keeps the interior cool in the summer and warm in the winter. | |
This courtyard house catches the breeze and lets the courtyard be the air-condition unit for the house. |
Palaces had multiple courtyards, halls with areas clearly marked for private or public use. Palaces grew “organically” as per the needs of the state or kings and their family. Additional rooms, courtyard or gardens would be added as and when required. Often palaces were elaborate to show off the wealth and power of the state. Palaces were very busy places and were full of people all the time. Servants, officials, bureaucrats, aristocrats, courtiers, soldiers and guards shared the palace with the royal family. Royal family was often “extended family” and went far beyond the nuclear family of king, his wives and their children. Kings had multiple wives and often each wife had her own suite of rooms or even an entire courtyard to herself.
Palaces were a microcosm to themselves and people lived very public - private lives. With innumerable family members, servants, spies and guard, it was virtually impossible to keep secretes in palaces !! Paintings and sculpture from this period show how busy palace life really was.
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