RESEARCH GROUPS
PRASADA
PhD Research
Ashutosh Sohoni
Abstract of PhD thesis
Temple Architecture of the Marathas in Maharashtra
The temple tradition of the Marathas flourished between the 17th and 19th century, evolving in three phases corresponding to the major political developments. Products of a disrupted tradition, the Maratha architectural vocabulary developed two temple types. The 'Indigenous type' temples are an original contribution of the Marathas to the mainstream of temple traditions in India. They developed out of an early 'hands on/unselfconscious' approach of Maratha architects, leading to a deliberate mixing of disparate vocabularies of Yadava and Indo-Islamic architectures. The 'Revivalist type' temples resulted out of the patron's desire for grand stone temples as built by their ancestors and comparable to those in other parts of India.
This study is the first to treat Maratha monuments as part of a tradition. It provides a systematic record of the architectural characteristics of the temples and discusses the principles underlying their compositions and the symbolism embodied in them. Developments in the architecture are illustrated through drawings and photographs, and are substantiated through a detailed historical analysis of the tradition. A summarised account of the monuments is given in the form of a Gazetteer of Select Maratha Temples.
The chapter on the Nature of the Maratha Tradition discusses the significance of the two temple types and develops theories behind the creation of forms, elements and their compositions. It is shown that the morphological transformations within the Maratha temples were influenced by contemporaneous culture and political ideologies of the patrons. It is argued that the mixing of different styles led to an architectural sophistication comparable to other temple traditions in India. In conclusion, Maratha temples are another manifestation of a cultural phenomenon typical of India, where strands of survival and revival of the past traditions co-exist within the layers of India's cultural identity.
Meera Dass
Meera's PhD focused on Udayagiri, a prominent hill in central India connected with the Gupta dynasty (circa CE 320-500). Although Udayagiri has been well-known to art historians for more than a century, no comprehensive and systematic study of the site as a whole had been undertaken before Meera began her work. Meera's research involved a detailed mapping of the site in all its aspects. This was done to determine the iconographic programme of the site as a whole, and its relation to the artisitic and religious traditions that existed in the region before the advent of the Guptas. Meera also undertook a detailed study of Udayagiri sculptures (now in the Gwalior museum) and a reconstruction of the large temple ruined temple on the summit of the hill. Meera's thesis has been translated into Hindi and will be published in due course. It will be used to develop a comprehensive heritage management plan for Udayagiri in partnership with INTACH and the Archaeological Survey of India.
Shikha Jain
Shikha Jain's doctoral work at PRASADA (2002) on the Havelis of Rajasthan received an award from the Indian Institute of Architects in 2003 and has been published as a book entitled Havelis; A Living Tradition of Rajasthan (Gurgaon; Shubhi Publications, 2004). At present she is Director of DRONAH (Development and Research Organization for Nature, Arts and Heritage), Gurgaon (www.dronah.org) and Chief Editor for Context: Built, Living and Natural, a biannual refereed journal. She is also the State Co-Convener of INTACH Haryana Chapter and Visiting Faculty at Sushant School of Art and Architecture. Her most recent publication is Princely Terrain: Amber, Jaipur and Shekhawati (Ed.) (Gurgaon; Shubhi Publications, 2005).
Abstract of PhD thesis
The Havelis of Rajasthan: Form and Identity
The research addresses the issues relating to the interpretation of traditional architectural forms and identifies factors that determine their regional identity. The work focuses on the medieval house form of northern India, epitomized as 'haveli', in the state of Rajasthan. It aims to study the generic form and the specific formal variations of the havelis in the context both of unified Rajasthan and of its sub regional diversities.
The outcomes of the research work are at two levels;
Firstly, the study establishes the characteristics of the generic form by analyzing the socio-ritual activities, formal linguistics and construction methods, which underlie it. The nature of the form itself allows interpretation that corresponds to recurrent ideas in Indian philosophy. The spatial, formal and technological vocabularies of the haveli form reflect the fact that the centric evolution of the form conforms to the traditional Indian worldview, in which everything emanates from the centre. In this process, by defining the centres and sub centres, the research also evolves a methodological framework, which can be used for interpreting other traditional Indian forms. Secondly, the work identifies the sub regional variations of the form, and provides a comprehensive classification of the havelis of Rajasthan. Along with documentation of eighty havelis in different regions of Rajasthan, the work examines the various determinants of the haveli form, and shows how the regional variations arise from social, political and geographical factors such as occupation, caste, topography, and available material.
Deepanjana Danda
Abstract of PhD thesis
Maharashtra and the Cross- Fertilisation of Style of Brahmanical Caves in India
This study is the first systematic overview of the architecture and sculptures of Brahmanical caves in India. The eighty caves documented for this study form a representative sample of all Brahmanical caves. They range in date from the 5th to 8th centuries and are located in present-day Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Orissa.
Through a formal comparison of 1st century sculptural motifs from Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, I have demonstrated that ancient Indian sculptures are pan-Indic in nature. This observation on shared sculptural vocabulary across regions and faiths is corroborated by inscriptional evidence that illustrates the movement of artists from Andhra Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh. Sculptures from Brahmanical cave architecture further attest to this observation.
I have derived five schematic plan types to recategorise all Brahmanical caves. This typology method allows for a reshuffling of the caves into new groups that are based on their plan type and not region or chronology. It identifies the most popular plan type and is capable of equating a certain plan type to a region and cult. This method allows one to trace the evolution of an architectural element such as a column design belonging to a particular plan type and how it may have evolved in another group. The results of applying this typological method are summarised in two spreadsheets. The data is organised by plan type, patron, chronology, and sculptural theme.
Having compared sculptures of the same theme across regions, the evolution of sculptural style and composition becomes evident. This comparison further demonstrates that style travelled across regions, and was not dynasty-specific. Stylistic interactions between the sculpture and architecture of different regions were common. Certain sculptural themes were popular only among certain dynasties. However, in some cases, cult, cave plan, and sculptural theme were region- and date-specific. The study further shows that the sculptural placement in these caves is not arbitrary. The sculptures aid the unification and direction of the interior space.
Ajay Khare
Ajay Khare is currently Professor and head of the architecture department at Birla Institute of Technology in India. He studied architecture and conservation at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and urban conservation at the University of York, UK. While restoring and finding new uses for historic buildings in Rajasthan, he developed an interest in the rediscovery of traditional Indian architecture and took up an academic career to continue research in this field. His research areas, in addition to Bengal Temple architecture (see below) include Rajputana and Awadh architecture and related conservation issues. He has published a Rajasthan tourism monograph Ghat Ki Guni - A Revitalisation Project, a book, Temple Architecture of Eastern India (Gurgaon; Shubhi Publications, 2005), and articles in international and Indian journals. Prof. Khare is vice-president the DRONAH, the heritage NGO, and is on the editorial board of its journal Context. He is currently working on a book entitled Architecture of Ayodhya - A Truly Secular Tradition.
PhD research (Completed 2004)
The Tradition of Bengal Temple Architecture: 9th to 16th centuries
This is a systematic overview of the temple architecture built in eastern India between the ninth and sixteenth centuries. Spanning eight hundred years, it defines the tradition of Temple Architecture of eastern India and examines the traits of continuity and of disruption in the tradition. In the absence of many extant examples of temples in the region during this whole period, the study uses the architectural fragments and votive shrines housed in various archives and museums of the world. The study locates and identifies more than forty temples of the period up to 1500 CE, and goes on to document and analyse them in order to develop an understanding of a regional type of nagara temple. The study identifies the presence of three modes of the north Indian nagara tradition of temple architecture: latina, phamsana and valabhi. An important aspect of the study is the analysis of these latina temples in terms of their aedicular components, identifying the presence of valabhi and latina aedicules superimposed on the body of the latina temples.
Another important aspect of the study is the analysis of the re-use of earlier Hindu-Buddhist architectural fragments in later Islamic structures in order to develop an understanding of the earlier architecture and to show how the re-use of such fragments influenced the architecture of the Sultanate period in a major way, forming the basis of an architectural vocabulary.
In the concluding part, the origin and development of the Mughal period temples characterized by the chala, bangla and ratna types is explained, while emphasizing the continuities and elements of disruptions that had taken place since the beginning of the ninth century.
Jyoti Sharma
Jyoti P. Sharma graduated in architecture from Chandigarh College of Architecture in 1991 and was awarded the Pierre Jeanneret Gold Medal for her Graduation Thesis, ' Contemporising A Colonial Shopping Street; The Mall Road, Shimla '. Subsequently she worked in the studios of architect academicians Satish Grover and K.T. Ravindran in New Delhi, while also following her academic interest by teaching as visiting faculty at the Department of Architecture, C.R. state College of Engineering, at Murthal, Haryana. She was also involved in jointly undertaking with Janhwij Sharma, listing and documentation projects focussing on the architecture and built environment of the Western Himalayan Region, comprising Ladakh District in Jammu and Kashmir and Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti Districts in Himachal Pradesh. She took up full time teaching at Department of Architecture, Murthal, in 1996, where she has since been teaching. Her main area of interest is architectural history of the subcontinent in the Islamic and Colonial periods. This has led her to undertake her doctoral study on the impact of Colonial occupation of Mughal Shahjahanabad on the city's urban and architectural form. Her publications include articles on architecture of the Western Himalayas and Islamic architecture in northern India, published in both national and international journals.
Abstract of PhD thesis
Urban Transformations Through Colonial Intervention - A Case Study of Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi
This study addresses issues that pertain to the urban transformation of the built-environment of a pre-colonial city of the Indian sub continent following British occupation. The research centres on the city of Shahjahanabad / Old Delhi as the recipient of change that transformed the architecture and urban form of the 17 th century city built by the Mughals to conform to the British vision of urbanism shaped by political needs and belief in the superiority of European civilization. The study extends the past scholarship on the city by presenting a total picture of Shahjahanabad / Old Delhi's built-environment and the transformation of its urban form at macro and micro levels as one culture made way for the next.
The study acknowledges the presence of political considerations, both in their direct manifestation and as an undercurrent, in all architectural interventions, given the colonial relationship between the city and its British occupants. The Mutiny was the fulcrum about which two architecturally distinct approaches towards addressing the city's urban form can be discerned. The year 1911, when the politically significant decision to transfer the capital of British India to Delhi was announced, also had a bearing on the relationship between the British and the city. As the British attention was diverted towards building New Delhi interventions in the older city, now referred to as Old Delhi, were directed to make it a presentable neighbour of New Delhi. The study explores how British architecture, planning and urban design inputs contributed towards the creation of a British identity, in the backdrop of the political climate, by transforming the urban landscape of 17 th century Shahjahanabad from the early 19 th century to the early 20 th century.
It is concluded that the degree of interventions made in the built-environment of Shahjahanabad / Old Delhi was the outcome of contemporaneous political developments. The interventions were directed to make Shahjahanabad / Old Delhi habitable for the resident European community and to create a British identity. The study draws attention to the difference in the pre-Mutiny and post-Mutiny architectural scenario as well as to the post-1911 neglect of the city.
The following themes are scrutinised in a chronological sequence: (i) the development of the built-environment of Shahjahanabad under the Mughals, from Emperor Shahjahan and his successors, till its British occupation, (ii) the British response to Delhi's Mughal institutions and built-form types as rulers of the city and subsequent introduction of European institutions to forge their own identity in an alien cultural milieu. This is discussed as two distinct sets of reactions underpinned by the Mutiny, as in pre-Mutiny and post-Mutiny scenarios, (iii) the contributions of the institution of the durbar (court) with its transient trappings of ceremony, festivity and cardboard architecture as harbingers of a permanent identity, (iv) the building of a new capital as a symbol of the permanence of British Raj (rule) and the concomitant diversion of attention to the New Delhi project leading to the neglect of Shahjahanabad / Old Delhi.
The outcomes of this research, based on the interpretation and description of empirical data and documentary sources, are presented in two parts. Part-I builds the picture of the city at the macro level as it traces the evolution of the built-environment of the city as a whole. Part-II delves into the city fabric to present the micro level architectural scenario as it examines case studies of various built-form precincts whose urban form was transformed following British intervention.
Himanish Das
Himanish, an architect, graduated with a gold medal from the Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon, India, in 1995, followed by a few years' work experience in the studio of Prof. KT Ravindran, coupled with some private work. These experiences led to a keen academic interest in the traditional architecture of India, fulfilled through the PRASADA Masters course at De Montfort University, for which he gained a Distinction. This was followed by employment at Sidell Gibson Architects, London, a professional venture pursued in parallel with RIBA Part 3 from the Architectural Association, London (2002). Following the completion of his MA dissertation on the Principles of Design in Indian Palace Architecture (focusing on Rajput, Mughal and earlier Indian precedents), he decided to develop the study through analysis of primary data in a specific architectural tradition, through the pursuit of a PhD.
Abstract of PhD thesis
Principles of Design in the Traditional Architecture of Jaisalmer
The study focuses on the sandstone havelis (urban courtyard houses) of the desert city of Jaisalmer, north-west Rajasthan, India. While the city has been much admired by contemporary Indian architects, their understanding has been a Modernist one, based largely on the idea of 'spatial organisation '. This is the first systematic study of the architectural tradition of Jaisalmer. The approach taken is one of detailed formal analysis, through which principles of design have been deduced. Two sources have provided the primary material: the buildings themselves, and the present-day practitioners of the craft tradition, who inherit their practices from the relatively recent, nineteenth-century heyday of haveli building in the city. Drawings by the author, both detailed measured drawings, and explanatory drawings, have been an essential analytical tool, and form an integral part of the thesis.
Setting the context of the tradition, the history of Jaisalmer is outlined, and the form of the city and its districts is described. Three distinct architectural schools, or shaili, are then identified. The Sompuriya shaili (the Sompuras are traditional temple builders) has its roots in the medieval architecture known from surviving temples, the Mughlai shaili is influenced by the imperial Mughal style, while the Angrezi (English) shaili brought an influx of western Classicism. Broadly speaking the schools and their respective styles correspond to three phases, but examples can be found combining these styles, for which a number of explanations are put forward.
The buildings are analysed at their various levels of organsiation; formal and spatial planning, composition of elevations (interior and exterior), architectural components and details. It is argued that, as a concept in design, architectural 'form' has traditionally taken precedence over 'space', and that the basic notions of centre, symmetry, and the relation of the part to the whole, are fundamental. Aedicules, miniature representations of buildings, play an important role as compositional elements. Freedom and great inventiveness is demonstrated on the part of the designers, within the medium of the architectural language.
The building craftsmen in Jaisalmer work mainly for the local population, and can produce high quality craftsmanship comparable with the best workmanship of the past. Based on a period spent on site with a group of craftsmen [*], their tools and techniques are described, together with the principles that they use in making certain key components, particularly geometrical jails (tracery screens). Although craftsmen have traditionally worked directly on stone, never recording designs on paper for fear of copying, the author's informants were willing to demonstrate their methods for the present study.
Case studies illustrate the varied application in practice of the design principles. Nine havelis are surveyed, classified typlogically, and analysed in terms of their overall planning and composition. Two further, exceptional examples, from the Patuon ki Haveli group, are treated in greater detail.
Anuradha Nambiar
Anuradha Nambiar graduated in 2001 from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Vadodara with a specialisation in art history. During the course of her studies, she developed an interest in the reception, mobilisation and patronage of art. This interest gradually focused on Indian craft practices and the ideologies and cultural practices that underwrite the manner in which they are documented, interpreted, marketed and used and this theme was pursued in her MA dissertation undertaken at PRASADA in 2002-3. Titled ' Reimagining Tradition: A Contemporary Indian Craftsman's Construction of Identity', the dissertation examines the manner in which notions of 'tradition', 'authenticity', 'nationhood' and 'authenticity' are woven into the identity of the crafts and the craftsman, the historical origin of such perceptions and their contemporary usage by a specific craftsman- Maneklal Gajjar, a national award winning block-maker from Pethapur, Gujarat. Following her year at PRASADA, Anuradha worked as a research associate on a three-volume publication on Indian handicrafts being undertaken by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
MPhil thesis (completed 2005)
Building Heritage: Reconstructing a Kerala past (2003-2005)
The MPhil thesis explores the manner in which historic sites may be mobilized as participants within larger discourses of vernacularisation of collective identity and commoditization of culture. Through a case study focused on the Shakthan Thampuran Palace at Thrissur and its ongoing adaptation into a heritage garden and museum of Kerala history, the thesis examines the contents and authorship of the 'Kerala Culture' projected at the palace-museum, its celebrations and silences, its imagined audiences and the manner in which involving the palace in this project has reconfigured the site's history, form and meaning.
Fiona Buckee
Fiona Buckee has been awarded an AHRC scholarship and began work on her PhD research in September 2005. Fiona gained a First Class Honours degree in Philosophy, and a Masters with Distinction in Comparative Religion from Manchester University. During her Masters, her interests lay in the Vedantin commentaries of Sankaracarya, and the development of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Following this she gained a distinction in the British Museum Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, and went on to tutor The Classical and Decorative Arts of India and the Himalayas module of the course. During her studies her interest in Indian temple architecture developed, and she looks forward to drawing on her interdisciplinary background to inform her research.
PhD research
Reconstructing an Indian Temple Tower; Temple 45, Sanchi
The Buddhist monuments of the World Heritage Site of Sanchi date from 3 rd century BC to 12 th century AD, a time span that closely parallels the rise and fall of Buddhism in India. Temple 45 is a ruined, 10 th century shrine set in the remnants of a monastic courtyard, close to the famous Great Stupa. Whilst Sanchi has been the subject of scholarship for over a century (studies of the site as a whole include Cunningham 1876, Marshall 1918, Gill 1999), Temple 45 has been virtually ignored. Current interdisciplinary research projects on this region by the Vidisha Research Group (under Society for South Asian Studies) provide a framework for the proposal. The extensive work on the architectural languages and compositional principles of Indian temples by Adam Hardy (Hardy 1995, 2001, 2002) will be the immediate starting point for this research.
The remnants of Temple 45 show that it was of the Latina type. The first aim of the study is to reconstruct the original design. This will fill a gap in the understanding of stylistic development in the region, where relatively few temples of this date and type survive. More importantly, analysis of the complex ornamental patterning of the tower will throw light on the way in which such temples were designed and built. The study will allow the actual rebuilding of the tower to take place in due course. A further aim is to reconstruct the iconographic programme of the temple, and investigate developments in Buddhism in that region at that time. Interestingly, Buddhism in central India at this late date is largely unacknowledged.
Sona Datta
Sona, an art historian, currently works in the Department of Asia at the British Museum as the Tabor Foundation Research Assistant. When she graduated with a First Class Honours degree in the History of Western Art from King's College, Cambridge (1994), she already knew her real interest lay in the entirely different aesthetics of Indian art. She therefore enrolled for an MA in South Asian Studies at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. Here she majored in the architectural history of the Indian city and took adjunct courses in the Indian philosophy as well as Tamil and Sanskrit. Her Master's dissertation was entitled Urban Patua; The Art of Jamini Roy (1996). Sona started her doctoral research at Sussex University and has joined PRASADA in order to complete it. She has been awarded AHRB funding throughout her postgraduate studies.
PhD research
Material Culture Under the Medieval Pandyan Kings of Tamil Nadu, ca. 800-1200 CE
The subject of my thesis is temple construction under the Pandyan dynasty of the extreme South of India ca 800-1200 CE. My interest in the Pandyas stems from the fact that this particular southern dynasty has suffered most from scholarly neglect. Yet this is not for lack of empirical evidence. What I wish to show that the bias of scholarship has less to do with the purported insignificance of this dynasty, than with a reflection of limitations in the models thus far applied to the study of south Indian art.
My research involves assessing patterns of artistic production and patronage during the reign of the Pandyan kings. My underlying question is whether it is useful, or legitimate, to talk about a " Pandyan " - i.e. dynastic - art. It is not simply that this tradition has been understudied, but that it has been excluded from art historical surveys. My thesis therefore aims to challenge existing paradigms for the study of south Indian art. I hope to explore whether a more careful consideration of then framework provided by political history will provide new ways of reading the actual fabric of the temples themselves. I hope to elicit a marriage of archaeological and textual information, combining traditional art historical tools with a variety of interpretive strategies which have generally remained the domain of the historian.
Ananya Gandotra
Ananya is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Vastu Kala Academy, New Delhi where she is responsible for 4 th year Dissertations and 3 rd year Theory of Architectural design lectures programmes. She obtained her Architecture degree with the Gold Medal for the Best Outgoing Student Award from Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka in 1993. Using computers since 1992 for architectural drafting and presentation, she now uses the medium to educate art historians and architects to explore its potential as an analytical tool. She did her M'Des in Industrial Design, I.I.T Delhi, 1997. This led her to explore temple architecture under the guidance of Dr. Adam Hardy, through an eye of an architect. Her Gurgaon -based architecture and design firm, Ananya & Associates, deals with residential, commercial and industrial projects in Delhi, Haryana, J&K and U.P. As an empanelled architect for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi she has conducted more than 400 commercial and residential surveys. She actively took part in various architectural competitions while working for Kothari architects, Delhi. She has also been associated with architects Mohit Gujral and Ram Sharma. Beyond her PhD, Ananya is keen to continue her research on the application of constructive geometry in temple architecture, looking into the visual and constructional analysis of Sekhari temples using photogrammetry. She aims to discover the correct roof plans of the temples of Khajuraho.
PhD research
An Analysis of the Shekhari form of Indian temple through Computer Modelng
The aim of the research is to comprehend the complex nature of the Shekhari and to introduce computer application as a tool for analysis and research for temple architecture. Sekhari derives its name from 'shikhara' or curved spire and the form was prevalent throughout north India from the ninth and tenth century. Even though the Shekhari form has been subject to a number of studies, these have not been able to resolve its complexity completely. Scholarship has contributed immensely by documenting temples (mostly plans) and formulating terminology for the temple parts, but besides Adam Hardy who looks at the form as an evolving and growing composition, no attempt has been made to study and analyse the formal nature of the Shekhari temple. The form has never been analysed as an architectural structure, in terms of the support systems and constructional methods. Besides the work on proportions and geometry of plans, which is not conclusive, many of the design parameters like measurement systems, curvature, scale factors, proportions of elevations, effects of development of plan on form and vice versa have not been addressed.
To address the complicated three-dimensional nature of the Shekhari temple, this research has introduced the computer as a tool to make analytical drawings and models. The first objective is to present the Shekhari as an architectural and structural whole, bringing all the design and constructional elements of the temple together. The second objective of developing a methodoloy for the application of computer to temple architecture is being pursued through a set of prototype computer drawings and three-dimensional models. Bringing together these two objectives, the research is being applied, tested and presented with particular references to two temples at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh: the Lakshmana temple (ca. AD 954), the best preserved and earliest of the evolved temples, and Kandhariya Mahadeva (ca. AD 1029), the largest and loftiest (30.5 m) of the Khajuraho temples.Where as the Lakshmana has some remarkable features, such as the phamsana roof with a prominent bell member, the Kandhariya is the most developed and refined achievement of central Indian building style. The different strands of exploration have begun to yield significant discoveries.
Rupa Gupta
Rupa is currently doing research at PRASADA on "The Wada of Maharashtra, an Indian courtyard houseform " and working with Rai University as Academic co- ordinator for all programs at the Gurgaon Campus. She did her Bachelor's in Architecture from the Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigar and had been teaching as visiting faculty and then full time faculty in VastuKala Academy of Architecture, Delhi. She is married and settled in Delhi with her architect husband who has his private practice. Her interest in vernacular studies led her to pursue research on a topic close to her heart in a region where her roots belong.
PhD research
The Wada of Maharashtra; an Indian courtyard house form
As in other parts of the world with a hot climate, the traditional form for urban dwellings in many regions of India is the courtyard house. In north-western India the form is known as the haveli, whereas in Maharashtra, the region corresponding to the upper Deccan plateau and the coastal Konkan - the Marathi-speaking state that includes Mumbai (Bombay) - this traditional house form is known as the wada. Many wadas survive from the period 1600 -1850 AD, when the house form dominated the urban fabric of the region, perfectly reflecting the culture and way of life of its inhabitants, and accommodating their traditional joint family structure. My PhD research is aiming to arrive at a systematic overview of the architecture of the wadas, identifying and explaining the regional variations.
Sumesh Modi
Sumesh Modi did his Bachelors of Architecture at Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur, and Masters in Architecture with Specialisation in Architectural Conservation at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He jointly runs an organisation called People for Heritage Concern, which has done extensive research and documentation at Champaner, Gujarat.
PhD research
Aquatic Architecture and Urban Morphology at Champaner-Pavagadh
The study analyses the impressive water management system developed in Champaner-Pavagadh, the late-medieval capital of greater Gujarat. This included water catchment at the regional level, distribution of water to settlements, a system of ground replenishment within the settlements, and a means of procuring water from wells and tanks at the domestic level. The history of the hydraulic system of Champaner-Pavagadh began with the Khichi Chauhan dynasty, a line of Rajputs who come to power in 1297. Champaner-Pavagadh remained their capital until 1484 when Sultan Mahmud Begarha captured it and made it the capital of his kingdom of greater Gujarat.
Water structures were significant morphological elements of Gujarati sultanate cities and their gardens. These structures as testify to a highly evolved, urbane culture. The concept of water structures knitting together the urban fabric at various levels of a hierarchy was lost in later Islamic cities of India, such as those of the Mughals, even though water structures remained important elements in gardens and landscapes.
Ratish Nanda
Ratish Nanda, b.1973, Conservation Architect, works as a consultant to the Aga Khan Trust For Culture and INTACH Delhi Chapter. Completed projects include the Garden Restoration of Humayun's Tomb, Conservation of 31 monuments within the buffer zone of the Qutub World Heritage Site, Conservation of St James Church and the conservation and reuse of the Faridkot Fort Palace. His major publications include the books, Delhi, The Built Heritage, released by the Prime Minister of India and Conservation of Scotland's Historic Graveyards. Graduated from the TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi with a Gold Medal and undertook a MA in Conservation Studies from the University of York, UK. He is currently undertaking a part time PhD programme at De Montfort University, UK. He has earlier worked for Historic Scotland and as a research Assistant on a programme of AKPIA, MIT, USA. Awards received by him include the Sanskriti award for Social and Cultural Achieement 2003, the honorary title, Urbanhero by the Prince Claus Fund, the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship and the Charles Wallace India Trust Fellowship. As an activist Ratish was involved with the Conservation Society Delhi (1990-96) and with INTACH Delhi Chapter (1995-). He has published over 30 articles and lectured in public fora internationally.
Neelam Raina
Neelam Raina gained her BA (Hons) in History from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi. She then pursued her interest in Textiles at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi by doing a Post Graduate Diploma in Knitwear Design and Technology, and came to De Montfort University to study for a Masters Degree in Textile Design and Manufacture. She has worked in the Indian garment industry as a market researcher and designer. At the same time she has done freelance designing of clay pottery, jewellery and hand spun, knitted and felted bags.
During the course of her studies she developed an interest in hand spun yarns and craft made goods. Discussions on the concept and definition of crafts and its socio-economic impact on the craftspeople focussed her interest in crafts. The role of perfection, skill and knowledge of markets within crafts provided direction to this interest. Being from Kashmir she was keen to look at the crafts of this state where war and a struggling economy have had a huge impact on culture and craft.
PhD research
The main research questions concern the impact of violence on culture and craft and the possible solutions to rebuilding a community through culture based economic development. Neelam is analysing the socio-political relevance of crafts to the people of Kashmir, especially the women. Her study involves looking at the scope for development of crafts in a region of violent conflict. She argues that community building, through economic interventions is important to Kashmir. The study will build upon the concepts of cultural development and their effects on internal violence.
Thus the promotion of crafts as a source of sustainable employment and income generation for craft producers of a war torn region is the aim of the research. It is argued that crisis and post conflict situations present a major challenge to development assistance but also constitute a unique opportunity to demonstrate the ability to rebuild capacity for long-term growth and sustainable development.
Neelam has done extensive fieldwork in Kashmir and is working along side local self help groups and businesses to develop the expertise that is needed to provide assistance to the crafts of Kashmir. She aims at developing a support structure that forms the basis of economic advancement for NGOs and business organisations to feed off from. The aim is to train, develop and revitalize the textile crafts of Kashmir. The research will be directed at experimenting new product development; increasing product range, quality, quantity, marketability and accessing new markets for Kashmiri handicrafts. The study looks at E-Commerce as an option for the development of a platform 'to sell from' for the craftspeople of Kashmir. These efforts will address the long term strategic need for the Kashmiri handicraft sector to be more market oriented.
Emma Ronald
Emma Ronald gained her BA (Hons) in Textile Design at Leeds University in 1995. Following this she worked as a commercial textile designer/ colourist and illustrator, both in-house and freelance on a global scale. A period of self-directed travel and study of India and its textiles fuelled her enthusiasm for this diverse and vibrant form of aesthetic expression. It also led to the opportunity of collaboration alongside the plethora of textile producing craftsmen - designers, block cutters, printers, dyers etc - employed by the Jaipur based international company ' Anokhi '. Since her return she has been using a considerable accumulation of practical knowledge of textile production and patterning techniques, working with students of textiles and crafts at Herefordshire College of Art and Design, combining the practical tuition of skills and technique with the promotion of wider historical and contemporary understanding within the emerging generation of modern British craft students. Freshly enrolled as a research student at PRASADA, she is in the initial phases of preparing a study of block printed textiles and their producers in and around Jaipur, Rajasthan. Key issues include the technical parameters involved in the historical and contemporary practice of natural dyeing and block printing methods specific to the Jaipur region, as well as the relevance of these traditions in current trade of textile goods.
MPhil /PhD research
Emma's research interests are concentrated on the block-printed textile-producing region of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Chiefly concerned with the rich patterning techniques and complex natural dyeing, resisting and mordanting processes involved with their production. Based primarily on the evidence of the textiles themselves and their enduring influences on world textile design, she hopes to show a continuation of identified 'traditions' in manufacture, in spite of global textile trends, taking account of the cultural relevance of these goods within the regional community, and of their use as a trade commodity within and beyond India. The study will try to understand the reasons for the longevity and continued success of the highly complex and labour intensive techniques, often copied but never superseded by 19th and 20th century developments in mechanised printing methods.
The Jaipur -based company Anokhi have expressed an interest in working with the project, allowing an insight into what seems the most successful, sensitive and viable preservation and continuation of the crafts. This company will provide a case study to illustrate an evolution of technique and motif through trade based on regional tradition, with sensitivity towards a symbiosis of designers, producers, traders and consumers in sustaining a unique universally appealing textile genre.
Janhwij Sharma
Presently working as Director (Programme) in the Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Janhwij obtained his degree in architecture from Amritsar in 1991 followed by MA in conservation Studies from The University of York, UK in 1997. His current position in INTACH makes him travel extensively all over India in connection with documentation and conservation works. Currently he is working on projects in Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Ladakh. Janhwij is restoring a thousand year old monastery in Ladakh, a project funded by the Department of culture, Government of India. Besides, he has conducted several workshops with architects and engineers for matters related to conservation of historical buildings. His principal contribution has been towards the region of the Indian Western Himalayas where he has conducted extensive field surveys and completed documentation and condition appraisal of the Buddhist monasteries as well as listing of prominent historical buildings. Last year he published a book " Architectural Heritage: Ladakh ", published by INTACH, the first attempt at giving an architectural account of nearly 75 prominent historical buildings in Ladakh. He has contributed several articles related to architecture and conservation in leading architectural magazines and journals in India.
PhD research
Buddhist Monasteries of Ladakh and Spiti
Janhwij's interests in the Western Himalayas have taken him into the impregnable valleys of Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur a number of times over the last thirteen years. His PhD research naturally follows his inclination towards documenting and highlighting the Buddhist architecture of the region and makes him look at the architectonic aspects of the various Buddhist elements, especially the Buddhist monasteries. Tracing the development of monasteries in Ladakh, the research scans the broad time span of 10th to 18th Centuries. The Research identifies various monastery types based on their forms, location, spatial delineation and decorations, and documents forms, architectural elements and ornamentation (both structural and applied) of representative examples of each monastery type through architectural drawings and photographs.
Yashaswini Sharma
Yashaswini Sharma is a practising architect with background in architectural engineering, writing, visual and performing arts.
MPhil research
The Changing Settlement Patterns and Emerging Architectural Culture of Bangalore
Bangalore is the capital city of Karnataka, one of the southern states of India. It is spread over an area of 2190 sq kms and is situated at an altitude of 920 metres above sea level. Today it is a major contributor to India 's software industry and is home to large companies. It has also seen investment in public-sector industries in the post-independence period. Before independence, it was the location of a garrison of the British East India Company, having previously been a fortified city under the rule of Tipu Sultan. As a result of being a home to varied cultures, Bangalore displays different patterns of settlement and forms of architecture. The city can be described as a melting pot of cultures and built forms, having grown from a small town settlement to a highly urbanised city in a short span of time.
The research aims to characterise the architectural culture of the city, through documentation and analysis of its development. This will involve a chronological study structured around a series of key areas of the city, charting the changes in city form from the 16th century to the present, and attempting to explain these in terms of human activities and of socio-cultural and economic developments. Among the issues to be examined is the contention that the city has not achieved a coherent architectural identity.