The Stepwells of Gujarat

The Stepwells of Gujarat PDF Author: Jutta Jain-Neubauer
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
ISBN: 9780391022843
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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The Stepwells of Gujarat

The Stepwells of Gujarat PDF Author: Jutta Jain-Neubauer
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
ISBN: 9780391022843
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description


Stepwells of Ahmedabad

Stepwells of Ahmedabad PDF Author: Tanvi Jain
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788412212433
Category :
Languages : es
Pages : 124

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Stepwells of Ahmedabad

Stepwells of Ahmedabad PDF Author: Tanvi Jain
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788412212419
Category :
Languages : es
Pages : 109

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Her Space, Her Story

Her Space, Her Story PDF Author: Purnima Mehta Bhatt
Publisher: Zubaan
ISBN: 938475708X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
A fascinating, multi-disciplinary exploration of water, wells and women’s spaces in Gujarat. Centuries ago, in the arid landscape of Gujarat, where water is scarce and rains scanty, stepwells sustained life and enabled crops to flourish. Women played a major role in the construction and patronage of many of these stepwells, which were unique structures that linked three worlds: the subterranean, the earthly and the celestial. Women also frequently served as inspiration for their construction — these were often built to honour a virtuous wife or benevolent mother, a local goddess or a beloved mistress. As a gathering place for women, the stepwells also became a favourite subject in folklore. Every stepwell yields tales of love and betrayal, courage and sacrifice. Through a historical analysis and visual documentation of these distinctly female spaces, Purnima Bhatt sheds light on the relationship between women, water, architecture and religion. Examining the artistic and aesthetic aspects of these structures, the author describes the art of the stepwells as looking beyond the patriarchal gods of classical Hinduism and celebrating the feminine principle. She also explores the idea of these wells acting as indicators of women’s changing social and economic status and challenging the stereotypes of the passivity of women. Her focus on ‘the woman factor’ aims to give voice to countless women who are forgotten and neglected by history, thereby making the invisible, visible. Published by Zubaan.

The Vanishing Stepwells of India

The Vanishing Stepwells of India PDF Author: Victoria Lautman
Publisher: Merrell
ISBN: 9781858946894
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Some of the finest architectural structures in India are to be found below ground: these are its ancient stepwells. Stepwells are unique to India; the earliest rudimentary wells date from about the 4th century CE, and eventually they were built throughout the country, particularly in the arid western regions. Stepwell construction evolved so that, by the 11th century, they were amazingly complex feats of architecture and engineering, not only providing water all year round but also serving as gathering places, refuges and retreats. The journalist Victoria Lautman first encountered stepwells three decades ago, and this book - now available in paperback for the first time - is a testament to her determined efforts over several years to document these fascinating but largely unknown structures before they disappear. Of the thousands of stepwells that proliferated across India, most were abandoned as a result of modernization and the depletion of water tables. Frequently commissioned by royal or wealthy patrons, the wells vary greatly in scale and design. Some also functioned as subterranean Hindu temples, featuring columned pavilions and elaborate stone carvings. Islamic wells were generally less flamboyant, but often incorporated shady loggias and small chambers in which to relax and escape the stifling heat. Today, few stepwells are in use. The majority have been left to silt up, fill with rubbish and crumble into disrepair. Gradually, however, the Indian government and heritage organizations are recognizing the need to preserve these architectural wonders. In 2014 India's grandest and best-known stepwell, the Rani ki Vav in Patan, Gujarat, became a UNESCO World Heritage site. In her introduction, Lautman discusses why and where the stepwells were built. She reflects on the reasons they became derelict and considers how the appreciation of stepwells is changing with the work of organizations and individuals who aim to protect and restore them. The main part of the book is arranged in a broadly chronological order, with up to four pages devoted to each of c. 70 stepwells, every one unique in design and engineering. The name, location (including GPS coordinates) and approximate date of each well accompany colour photographs and a concise commentary by Lautman on the history and architecture of the well and her experience of visiting it. While many of the stepwells are rather decrepit, their magnificent engineering and great beauty never fail to impress.

Steps to Water

Steps to Water PDF Author: Morna Livingston
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
ISBN: 9781568983240
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
From the fifth to the nineteenth centuries, the people of western India built stone cisterns to collect the water of the monsoon rains and keep it accessible for the remaining dry months of the year. These magnificent structures-known as stepwells or stepped ponds-are much more than utilitarian reservoirs. Their lattice-like walls, carved columns, decorated towers, and intricate sculpture make them exceptional architecture., while their very presence tells much about the region's ecology and history. For these past 500 years, stepwells have been an integral part of western Indian communities as sites for drinking, washing, and bathing, as well as for colorful festivals and sacred rituals. Steps to Water traces the fascinating history of stepwells, from their Hindu origins, to their zenith during Muslim rule, and eventual decline under British occupation. It also reflects on their current use, preservation, and place in Indian communities. In stunning color and quadtone photographs and drawings, Steps to Water reveals the depth of the stepwells' beauty and their intricate details, and serves as a lens on these fascinating cultural and architectural monuments.

Ahmadabad

Ahmadabad PDF Author: John Burton-Page
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
This volume is dedicated to the monuments and buildings of Ahmadabad, the premier city of Gujarat. With its many mosques and tombs dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, Ahmadabad preserves some of the finest Indian Islamic buildings.

Intangible Ahmedabad

Intangible Ahmedabad PDF Author: Aarya Chavda
Publisher: Aarya Chavda
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
Have you ever heard of the Pol in which Sultan Ahmed Shah lived in Ahmedabad? Do you know that even a mud model of a goddess can protect the Pol from an evil eye? Rediscover the exciting journey of a young girl through the old city Pols of Ahmedabad and expect to be inspired by the rugged medieval monuments and bustling city life at every turn.

Delhi Heritage

Delhi Heritage PDF Author: Vikramjit Singh Rooprai
Publisher: Niyogi Books
ISBN: 9389136113
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Delhi heritage top 10 Series is a comprehensive guide to Delhi heritage icons and architectural gems. The first volume in the series delves into the fascinating history and the great significance of forgotten, subterranean, man-made water structures, commonly known as baolis or stepwells. The book walks us through the top ten baolis, with two special mentions at the end. Besides giving a vivid description of the functioning and revival of the baolis, the book also focuses on the social importance of each structure. The work is an outcome of a three-year-long research from various archives and contains historic as well as modern photographs along with architectural drawings. The Foreward has been written by Prof. Sohail Hashmi.

Nature of Enclosure

Nature of Enclosure PDF Author: Jeffrey S. Nesbit
Publisher: Actar
ISBN: 9781638409731
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Nature of Enclosure interrogates the role of architecture and urbanization in a post-pandemic society, to discuss topics from closed forms of capital to the exclusive boundaries of environment and politics. From Crystal Palace in 1851 to Buckminster Fuller's Spaceship Earth in 1969, nature became enclosed. Claimed to be a reaction of Norbert Wiener's cybernetics, Fuller's geodesic domes became symbols of American counterculture. Yet, from Fuller's description of Spaceship Earth "sea masters," the dome seems to prioritize an environment of occupation inside the dome, over those residing outside--a world of civilized control on its interior and wilderness, war, and wasteland on the other side. Overlapped by cultural consumption and politics, planetary imagination stimulates a useful framework for interrogating the human impact on environmental limitations over a technological foreground. The blurry lines between the engineered logic and cultural imagination are continually embedded and influenced by intuition in the cultural practices of capital enclosure. Theories, design practices, and the forms of imagination, including science fiction, open up critical questions on the status of our environment here on Earth. Nature of Enclosure is a series of conversations to gather experts from a range of disciplines, including architects, landscape architects, architectural historians, design theory scholars, geographers, historians of science and technology, and professionals at the intersection of architecture and the environment. Organized in three parts, (1) Nature of the Synthetic Environment, (2) Air, Capital and the Planetary Imaginary, and (3) Enclosed Boundaries of Political Geographies, this book continues the conversation with a collection of essays as both reflections from the provocative discussions and expanding the discourse of enclosed environments in architecture and design fields. With Contributions of Daisy Ames, Rachel Armstrong, Daniel Barber, Neeraj Bhatia, Jordan Bimm, Marcella Del Signore, Mishuana Goeman, Mariano Gomez Luque, Aleksandra Jaeschke, Lydia Kallipoliti, Ersela Kripa, Mae-ling Lokko, Denise Luna, Ana Miljacki, Stephen Mueller, Joshua Nason, Antoine Picon, Shawn Rickenbacker, David Salomon, Alex Santander, Fred Scharmen, Julia Smachylo, Geoffrey Thün, Joël Vacheron, and Kathy Velikov