A Passage to Art in Architectural Heritage of Haryana-1

Loss of decorative substance in architecture

For more than three decades I have been able to document some of the specimen of decorative arts related to architecture -domestic, secular, religious and water structures, that were created in lime mortar or ornament in plaster called stucco work, wood crafting and carving, metal such as steel stripes, sheet metal or iron and copper, stone, terracotta,

cast and forge, and paintings in secco-tempera and am delighted to note that it enabled to peep into the industrial arts of not my region (northwestern India, particularly Haryana) but also adjoining geographical areas.

If one examines closely the geographical explorations of the industrial arts in the regions I specified and attempts a mapping of it, some patterns and historical insights pop up. So, what could have been the historical references and influences on their creation, built-up of the acumen and industry of our artisans, commercial aspects of trade and marketing, economic and social reasoning about patronizing and overall ambiance it could create for our village and town habitations.

It certainly was a considered endeavor for adding aesthetics to the built environment and somewhere the elements were so superbly placed that it could literally create a spell such as when one looked at the painted havelis in many Thikanas in Shekhawati. In Haryana, though, there is no wholesome presence of a 'Shekhawati' but in clusters gems of artistic vestige did exist in both respect of both private and public utility architecture.

These architectural delight and art co-existed with similar edifices elsewhere not only in the North-western region of India but throughout India with local taste and influence of the past. It, in fact, is a wonderful mixture of several artistic elements created in various cultural environments and era that could be compiled as glorious history of the artistic tastes of the people of India. The wealthy, the rulers and the peasants all had been impacted by it in smaller or bigger degree. Whereas a wealthy trader's house could infuse more artistic elements, a well-to-do peasant's haveli would speak of a rustic taste for some art in his own environment. It was a time when Company's influence (East India Company and later British Indian Empire) in respect of art and architecture has begun to show its role in Indian built environment everywhere down to the villages and small towns or Kasbahs. The artist and artisans were quick to take it up and incorporate in the design and decoration for Indian houses and buildings raised for other purpose. It, in fact, began in towns of the Presidencies (Calcutta, Madras, Bombay) in which colonial architecture could be imbibed in huge mansions. The mason of India could not have remained aloof but was engaged by the British and learnt a lot. The Europeans used to bring books on art, architecture, ornamentation and industrial arts in India with lots of illustrations and later photographs that were distributed across India. I had come across one such artist, designer and mason who had a pile of pages from books and periodicals published in England that had illustrations of European origin ornament in respect of architecture and often copied from it. But his Indian taste never waned during copying and applying this art to havelis and temples in which he worked.

It is regrettable that we have lost at a fast pace in recent times this vestige of ornament in architecture that was a pleasure to watch in the crooked streets of our villages and narrow alleys of our towns. We don't have mechanisms and laws to protect this art w.r.t. our built heritage. The architect-authors and conservators need to pay more attention.