Rational approach towards the valuable traditional practice for vernacular construction in the hill district of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Abstract

Uttarkashi district known for its scenic beauty and the pilgrimage sites is located in one of the disaster-prone areas of the Uttarakhand, the northern state of India. The district is located in the seismic zone 5 of the Himalayas, so there is high seismic vulnerability in the hill settlements. Vernacular construction has found to be technically more resilient in terms of earthquakes that causes massive landslides in the region. One of the oldest style of architecture known as Koti banal style still exists in the present scenario based on the vernacular construction.This style has proved to be earthquake resistant building style from the ages. Existing traditional knowledge of using stone and timber for construction has been passed on from generations, so its method of construction is indigenous and is not replicated from elsewhere. Due to maximum usage of stone, timber and the traditional construction technique, its sustainability has increased to an extent to mitigate the seismic hazards vernacular construction is the potential contributor both in terms of sustainability and for preserving the cultural heritage identity. Data for this study is drawn from the from secondary sources consisting from government official websites, different researched articles, Uttarkashi district websites and media reports etc. The study aims for giving an insight of exploring the existing vernacular practices prevalent in the region through case study of the settlement pattern in the koti banal village of the Rajgarhi tehsil of the Uttarkashi district and the modifications made in different significant aspects ,so that its value which is disregarded needs to be prioritize for environmentally friendly development of ecologically fragile hill towns.