DRAFT ONE | DATE: 05.02.

2019
Illustations:
First Year
Batch of 2017-2018 aided

Editorial:
Neha Panchal
Maitreyi Phansalkar
Nikita Sharma
Sanket Kamdar

Tanaya Nadkarni
Priyal Vaisaiwala
Ankit Gaikwad
Pradnya Bairagi

Publication:
Academy of Architecture’s Research cell
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction

2. Masterplan and evolution of six villages

3. History of the palanquin procession

4. Relationship with the nature

5. Daily actitvites within Raghurajpur

6. Pattachitra paintings

7. Gotipua dance

8. Masterplan of Raghurajpur

9. Sections and elevations of Raghurajpur

10. Examples of housing typoligy

11. Everyday acivities mapped in a house

12. Verandah and front yard typologies

13. Relationship of the shop to the house

14. Student projects

 INTRODUCTION
Advancing technology has virtually shrunk the world instantly dispensing information about a place
thousands of kilometers away. As much as architecture is visual, it is visceral and needs to be
sensed and understood in its embodiment. The pedagogical approach at Academy of Architecture
focuses on documentation and mapping during the course to enable the students to learn firsthand
through observations; perceiving environments through movements, experiences, inquiries along
with developing research skills. The study tour intends to inculcate within the students sensitivity
towards their surroundings and appreciating how people live, understanding their culture through
daily rituals and built forms.

The first year documentation trip stretches beyond pure physical documentation & mapping of
spaces and instead centers towards the individual and their environment, placing oneself in a
new setting and critically engaging with presumptions about identities, habitat, cultural and social
structures. The Heritage Arts and Crafts village of Raghurajpur, situated near Puri, with a settlement
of about 140 houses provides the students an opportunity to study and inquire into its systems and
daily life.

The homes of the artisan village display incremental growth through lateral division followed
by linear extension, leading to labyrinth-like spaces. The village is known for portraying Hindu
mythological stories of Lord Jagannath, Krishna and other deities through intricate paintings,
pattachitra and through a traditional dance form, gotipua performed by young boys. While
Raghurajpur presents itself as the pioneering artisan village and has received recognition from the
Government of India and INTACH, the study reveals the presence of a symbiotic system at play
with five other neighbouring villages that are inter-dependent for their existence. Interaction of the
students with the villages of the precinct, its peoples & systems and brainstorming sessions at the
end of every day with the team of professors throws up questions regarding,
• the relevance of folk art,
• its expressions in the current times,
• artisan’s freedom of expression,
• role of gender in performing the art,
• introduction of technology,
• marketing of art,
• need for a democratic platform to practice the art devoid of privileges

The exhaustive study culminates into an exhibition of drawings that illustrates the observations,
documentation and analysis done at site. The research translates into a semester long Architectural
Design Studio project that attempts to address the various questions that emerged during the study
tour.
Location, occupation
and traits of six villages
including Raghurajpur.
 2006 2010 2017
Evolution of the villages.

Raghurajpur
Khaspusa
Nayakpatna Talasei, Nayakpatana, Khaspusa,
Basudeipur
Basudeipur, Janakadeipur and Raghurajpur
lie within the same boundaries of culture,
Jahakadeipur
nature, governance and politics but are
Talasai
characterized by differing occupations and
resources. This creates interdependency,
making them function like a single unit. While
Hinduism is predominantly followed, the six
villages worship six different deities: Lord
Raghuram, Lord Krishna, Lord Jagganath,
Lord Narsimha, Goddess Varahidevi and
Lord Shiva. Every year, the villages get
together for a month long festivity which
commences with a palanquin’s procession
from each village going to the main temple.
Amenities and common spaces like primary
school, temples, markets etc are cohesively
used,though each of the villages have
different panchayats. Puri being the parent
Palanquin (Palki) procession’s city, villagers often oscillate for work,
route; from native six villages to opportunities, business and many other
the main temple. reasons.
A section across various natural resources and activities

Fishing along the river Betel nut farming

Bathing and washing of clothes and utensils along the Dhobi Ghat
lakes

Villages in Orissa are blessed with natural resources and through local techniques and traditions,
they have managed to make it an inseparable part of their everyday. From bathing to worship
to washing clothes to farming, these villages bank heavily of existing resources. Soil and ground
shifting method for betel nut farming, creating bunds to preserve water, making water channels in
farms, channelizing the ground table etc are few of the measures taken by the village.
Drying betel nuts in the porch Bicycle being taken up the ramp Religious rituals being performed the
(verandah) which is built in between the steps. plinth of the temple.

Local hawkers and vendors selling Locals selling used plastic stuff Removal of decorations in the
good and eatables evening.

Electrician Farming Metalsmith Goldsmith Halwai Pandit

Caretaker Shopkeeper Artisan Homemaker Cook Teacher

A single road cuts through all the villages binding the area. Walking along this road one witnesses
various activities that constantly change with time. Most of the houses have verandahs and open
main doors that give an insight on the daily chores. Mornings Afternoon witnesses a calm milieu
where everyone can be seen doing various activities along the river, farms, verandahs, houses etc.
Evenings are marked by lighting diyas and everyone stepping out to pray.
 Origin of Pattachitra, from Jagannath mahapatra doing Jagannath mahapatra and his
sculptures and paintings in the first pattachitra on canvas disciples
Jagannath Puri temple

Men practicing Pattachitra Man teaching Pattachitra to Women starting to practice

the younger generation Pattachitra

Hengul

Indigo

Harital

Shell

Lamp dust

Canvas

Coconut shell

Betel nut

Tussur silk
Palm leaves
Pattachitra products

One of the most ancient and indigenous art form prevalent in the country today is Pattachitra. Its
story through various time-lines has curated its form. Patronised by a king to create internal paintings
for Jagannath Puri helped setting up a base in Orissa for the art form. Today, Raghurajpur and
nearby villages draw tourists, designers and art enthusiasts from all over the country and world.
Earlier devdasis performed mahari in After decline of mahari, a few boys Emergence of gotipua where boys
jagannath temple continued the dance form dressup as girls

Practicing of gotipua from a young Various poses in gotipua Various poses in gotipua
age till their adolescence

Various poses in gotipua Various poses in gotipua

Gotipua is a centuries old traditional Odisha dance form performed by young boys dressed up as
girls. The Odissi dance form is inspired from Gotipua. The rise of the boy dancers performing this
form of dance came into light after the decline of devadasis around the 16th century. The dances
are performed in ode to Lord Jagannatha and Lord Krishna. The dancers, dressed in bright silk
costumes wearing shiny jewellery perform acrobatic figures depicting the leela of Radha-Krishna.
The village of Raghurajpur is defined by a
central east-west axis formed by a series of
temples, art studios, community hall and a
dance school. The formative growth of the
village of Raghurajpur occurred along this
axis with a row of houses on its north and
south sides while the eastern edge of the
spine is sealed by additional houses along
the banks of the Dhaudia River, a tributary
of Bhargabi River in the North. This central
spine is charged with varying activities
through the day; ranging from domestic to
recreational, religious to ritualistic as each
house opens directly into the main street.
Each house is accessed through a veranda
which in various homes is followed by a
shop, a workshop or a living space. The
artisan village is a living-working composite
that exhibits the unique pattern of growth
that has affected its built forms today. Over
the years, the influence of growth within
the families has resulted in divisions of
the houses, such that each new portion
gets a street frontage, thereby resulting in
labyrinth-like homes. In the case of amicable
partition, the divided individual homes may
retain a common veranda with different
main door to each home or if the division
was not amicable, they would divide the
veranda into parts.
Each home has a street frontage and a back
yard that opens into a beetle nut or coconut
plantation. Toilets and bath are external
to each house and the State scheme has
provided additional toilets to every home,
which is also built in the backyard. The first
room of many homes has a space to park
the family’s bicycle or motorcycle as the
streets are very narrow and there is very little
parking area. Cattle shed, if any, is situated
in the back of the house.
Depending on the need of privacy, transition
from one space to another in these labyrinth-
like homes may happen directly from
room to room or through a corridor. Since
further lateral division in most homes is not
possible, the built forms are now growing
vertically to accommodate the needs of its
inhabitants.
Most houses in the village sit on a high plinth
to prevent flooding waters of the Dhaudia
River from entering the homes during the
very heavy monsoons. Temple plinths in
the central street act as spaces to meet and
greet people as well as a space for children
to play and dance.
There exists a tradition of painting the
external walls of the homes during festivals
or to mark the event of a wedding in the
family. In the event of a death in the family
the entire external wall is white washed as a
sign of mourning.
The region has countless man-made and
natural ponds which are used for fishing
and washing purposes. The water table
is relatively high and most of the village
obtains water for domestic purposes from
wells or nearby hand-pumps.
Growth of a family and its economic standing
is projected in the growth of the houses,
which first expand in a linear manner at the
ground level and then they grow vertically
as per the availability of funds.
Axonometric view of two typical houses
 WATERING
GOING TO
SWEEPING POOJA PLANTS AND
TOILETS
WASHING
DISHES

6-9 AM

WASHING WASHING
WORKING COOKING
UTENSILS CLOTHES

9-12 AM

EATING
SLEEPING
LUNCH

12-4 PM

TAKING OFF
TALKING WORKING CLOTHES

4-7 PM

RELAXING EATING COOKING

7-10 PM

SLEEPING

10-6 PM
The spaces of a typical house in Raghurajpur get utilized in specific ways as per the time of the
day and the penetration of natural light within the homes. Most long houses, due to the common
shared walls have the presence of a light well or a courtyard located in the center of the home.
The front of the house is the most used space through the day, as it is used for working, living and
relaxing activities. Often if houses have joint families living together, they may have more than
one kitchen. The cooking and eating usually happens within the same space and the proximity to
a courtyard becomes imperative as washing is done in there. Toilets are constructed external to
the homes and are located in the backyard. The veranda of the houses is most active early in the
morning as well as early in the evenings.
SWEEPING LIGHTING DIYAS EVENING CHATTER SELLING ARTIFACTS

Built forms have evolved over the time and have

LONGITUDINAL
EVOLUTION
VERTICAL
EVOLUTION
responded to the growing needs of the families.
Few homes have retained the consolidated plot.
Over the years, the influence of growth within
GOV. TOILETS AT
THE BACK
CONNECT WITH
THE TOILET
the families has resulted in divisions of the
houses, such that each new portion gets a street
frontage, thereby resulting in long labyrinth-
DILAPIDATED CONVERT INTO like homes. In the case of amicable partition,
HOUSE COURTYARD
the divided individual homes may retain a
common verandah with a different main door
to each home or they divide the verandah into
LARGE PLOT INTO parts. The longitudinal growth is followed by a
SMALLER PLOTS
vertical growth of the built form.
In the case of homes that need repairs,
RCC EXPANSION
TO A MUD HOUSE
depending on the affordability, the owner
replaces the use of mud and stone with steel,
bricks and RCC. Often the extension of the
STAGGERED ROOF
EXPANSION
homes is built with these materials and is
constructed at a short distance from the original
structure, thereby forming a courtyard.
 Traditionally, homes in Raghurajpur are
FUNCTIONAL TOILET
places of production and worship. Activities
related with sanitation and cleaning are
considered impure and are located outside
the house. Bathrooms and toilets exist in the
backyard of every home, usually detached
to the structure. Also, depending on the
divisions in the home the number of toilets
in the backyard may increase.
TOILETS USED AS STORAGE SPACE
The government’s Swachh Bharat Gramin
Mission scheme has facilitated providing
toilets to every home in the village. This
has resulted in pink coloured toilet blocks
populated in the backyards of all homes,
some of which are in addition to the existing
toilets made by the villagers themselves.
These extra toilets provided by the scheme
are rendered non-functional because of
excess and in turn are used as storage
NON FUNCTIONAL TOILET
space.
 Shops at verandah

Shops in second room

Traditionally, homes in Raghurajpur are places of production and worship. Activities related with
sanitation and cleaning are considered impure and are located outside the house. Bathrooms and
toilets exist in the backyard of every home, usually detached to the structure. Also, depending on
the divisions in the home the number of toilets in the backyard may increase.
 First room as shop

Separate studio adjoined to the house

The government’s Swachh Bharat Gramin Mission scheme has facilitated providing toilets to every
home in the village. This has resulted in pink coloured toilet blocks populated in the backyards of
all homes, some of which are in addition to the existing toilets made by the villagers themselves.
These extra toilets provided by the scheme are rendered non-functional because of excess and in
turn are used as storage space.
Space Punctuations
8 Weeks Design Studio
“Another is the degree to which we feel ‘home’ in a place,
and that is not just a function of who we know in that place, but how well we
know it, what we experience in it, and the degree to which our memories and
narratives are associated with its natural and built environment.”
-John Parkinson

Course Outline:

The studio explores the potentials of architectural elements in space making. Space is perceived
through the physical manifestation of these elements as they define the nature of the envelope, its
expanse and dictate the behavior within.
The pre-cursor study of the settlement at Raghurajpur lends the project an understanding of the
existing culture, recognizing its synergy with its context. The study enables the students to contribute
in constructing the brief with the faculty team and respond to the program using various concepts
of inquiry such as, democracy, gender, empowerment, symbiosis, etc.

Process:

The study tour to Raghurajpur, Puri-Odisha facilitates students to map the culture, lifestyle and built
form of the heritage arts and crafts village. This study results in a comprehensive documentation
exercise of the cultural ecology at play at Raghurajpur.
The students work on the project in pairs.
The various forces acting or required in Raghurajpur are identified by the students through
brainstorming and discussions. These forces are further defined through the process of diagramming.
• Word – Diagramming
• Word – Diagramming with reference to context.
• Word + Context – 3d explorations.
• Juxtaposition of word explorations and program in spatial context.

The program is introduced in the 5th week, which focuses on creating a democratic and empowering
space - a common platform where a range of stakeholders can exchange ideas and collaborate. The
idea is to shift consumer perspectives and raise the cultural value placed on crafts. The intervention
comprises of:
• 2 Studios – 15 to 20 persons each
• Outreach lab & library – 10 to 15 persons, 4 to 6 workstations
• Art shop
• Toilets
• In addition to this, the student team needs to have 10% of the area for a relevant program
of their choice which emerges from their individual take on Raghurajpur.
Project number 1.
Student: Atharva Rotkar and Pradnya Bairagi
The utility and function of the space gave rise
to the choice of words: Symbiotic coexistence,
freedom of expression, exchange, public and
democratic. The intend of the design is to create
a user experience using the combination of these
words. The Art and Dance Studio is accentuated
from the words symbiotic coexistence and freedom
of expression. The take on the word implies that
a cooperative environment should be generated
through the aspects of design. the outreach lab is
associated with exchange and public. the outreach
incorporates a connection with the artisans of
Raghurajpur and allows for the exchange of values
and culture on a global scale. Democratic stands
for the art shops that allows the display and sale
of the artwork of the people working in the studio
as well as for the occasional users that have their
working grounds majorly established in their own
homes. a Market is curated to provide a platform for
the residents of the neighboring villages for setting
up their stalls and to create places of congregation.
The Market functions on the basis of simultaneous
existence where one entity is null without the other.
these words translated to diagrams expressed on a
single plane and later to three dimensional planes
which gave a hint of how the approach towards a
design integrating the public interests should be.
Once the 3D explorations were analysed the team
decided to adhere to the principles of space making
that would suit the locals best at its primary levels.
Project number 2.
Student: Vighnesh Penikal and Vedang Naik
The team’s focus is to incorporate the existing
culture while providing for an infill in the village.
a feature wall that enhances the pattachitra
is the binding factor in all the functions of the
design. the design is influenced by the words:
accessibility, Symbiotic Coexistence, Exchange,
Cooperation,Social. accessibility is accounted since
there is a constant interaction between the visitors
and the local artisans that provide for opportunities
like global market establishments. the design is
composed of these feature walls which bifurcate the
functions like art shops and studios that promote
exchange of knowledge and finance. the intervention
creates a platform that is social in terms that the
village works as one functioning unit with multiple
subset units for the livelihood of all. A play of levels
is executed which act as points of leisure carving
spaces for public interaction, thereby making the
intervention, thereby making the intervention truely
social. The intervention is a mindful combination of
two energies working in unison-one of the villagers
and the other of the visitors. Both blend, at times
separate yet continue to exist as each other’s
compliments. Pattachitra as an artform combines
with gotipua ; a dance form to create a space of
vibrancy. These studios become places full of life as
the environment between them signifies balance.
Project number 3.
Student: Shivani Pisat and Vedashree Mhadgut
After a careful site analysis and the play of context,
the words chosen by the team were viz. Democratic,
Symbiotic co existence, Accessible, Empowering.
Democracy was chosen since the people who call
Raghurajpur their home should have an equal
opportunity to express themselves despite the inter
clashes in the process of decision making. the toilets
are made accessible in the intervention as they serve
as pauses for the visitors and the local dwellers. the
outreach lab empowers as each level of the lab is a
storehouse of knowledge about the site. The lab is
a gathering place curated for the tourists that wish
to seek information regarding the site. The art shops
do not constrain themselves to selling pattachitra
rather these open up as a common ground for other
commodities thereby giving the users the opportunity
for expressing their freedom through unrestricted art
forms. The art and dance studios are woven together
and they function symbiotically, one providing the
source of encouragement for the other. an added
plugin is the meditation centre that chooses to
be democratic. it is a space for recreating all the
energies that combine under that roof irrespective
of one’s caste and creed. while depicting spaces
through the understanding of words, the team has
created punctures in the design that aid the secondary
function of bettlenut farming. portals run through
the design that are fully public in nature that are
points where interaction occur naturally. the holistic
approach is to create a simple form that seamlessly
unites with the existing assemblies of the village.
Project number 4.
Student: Tanaya Nadkarni and Anjali Mangale
The village of raghurajpur has a very strong hold
of its rich culture and art in its development. To suit
the site , words like freedom of expression, public,
participatory, empowering and symbiotic coexistence
were chosen after keen analysis of the functioning
of the existing society of Raghurajpur. The takes on
these words did not necessarily follow their original
meaning. for instance the word 'participatory' meant
that individuals of different prowess would unite to
produce for the economic gain of the village. and
hence the function associated with it was of the art
studio where all ages would gather to create and
innovate different art forms. The space was developed
such that the walls were shift-able so that at times
needed the spaces would unite creating larger areas
of gathering and divide for individual interests later.
The intend for this design is to resemble the already
existing assembly of the village. The ramp acts as the
central spine connecting other interfaces of functions.
The function associated with the word of symbiotic
coexistence was of the art shops. The word was
chosen as these functions would have different
entities whether equal or unequal in nature would
still work towards a common goal. Hence the
interpreted meaning of the word was the trigger
for the development of the form which allowed for
these entities to exhibit their work simultaneously.
Another function at the entrance was of the library and
outreach which was designed through the developed
meaning of public. The meaning insisted that spaces
should be curated according to the degree of publicness
which means that when the outreach lab functions, the
library transforms into a comparatively private zone.
The toilets functioned according to the word
empowering. The toilets in the village were
sponsored under the governments scheme yet they
weren't used to their potential. The 'empowered'
toilets in the design focused on creating spaces
which allowed for both sanitation and pauses
in the overall exploration of the intervention.
thus a spatial experience was created on the
fundamentals of these chosen words so that the
interaction between the visitors and the locals who run
the place would further enhance the quality of the spaces.