The Role of Decorative Features in the Endurance of Vernacular Architecture in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

The remote Himalayan region of Kinnaur in northwestern India is known for its carved wooden homes with decorative features. Relatively recent environmental policies have prompted limitations on wood collection. This, coupled with an increase in access to modern building materials, has resulted in dramatic changes in vernacular housing styles. Landscape analysis and interviews reveal that house form, building methods, and construction materials are all changing. However, decorative features are among the last remaining characteristics of the traditional house. This paper argues that small‐scale architectural features are a significant part of an enduring vernacular landscape and allow a region to preserve traditional styles and identity, while also moving forward as a modernizing society.

• cultural landscape
• Himalaya
• India
• place
• vernacular house

Notes

1. Most villages have forest sections allocated by the government that allow for temple construction. For this reason, the heritage of carved temples is not as much a concern as that of the vernacular house.