RESIDENCES OF FAR-WESTERN HILLS of Nepal
A REPORT from BAITADI DISTRICT
This is the product generated from the real ground study of the Farwestern Hills (from Baitadi district) by the Author. The residences are of high Architectural Quality and historical importance for Use Value. The life cycle is reflected from these buildings. Here presented is the report of The Residences from the Far-Western Hills…
Introduction
The hilly area of Far-Western Nepal, rich of its own Architecture and its Architectural value, needs a deep research on it. As a special Architectural value reflects on the hills. One of the attempt to study about the ‘Residences of Far-Western Hills’ is all about the different types of residences that present on these hills. Attempt to study about those residences includes the physical, cultural, religious, meteorological, technological, socio-economical, function and aesthetically view and lifestyle at all.
Residences of Far-Western hills provide living spaces not only for the people but also the cattle, birds and bees that’s why it is inclusive architecture by default. By the third perspective of viewing the buildings, the inside as well as outside spaces and semi out and semi in spaces present in the residences of Far-Western hills.
Materials of construction
Stone
Stone is a basic element to design a residence is the hilly regions of Far-Western. Since stone is the locally and infinitely available in low cost. The flat stones are also used for the paving the ground in front of the building and for making bhinDi also.
Wood
Wood is the second mostly used material after the stone in the residences. All of the doors and windows are made up of wooden frames. Wood is used in making the floors as jwaa , dhuri and fallyo at the top of the external staircase. The internal staircase and the bardali is totally made up of wood. Wood is used for the jwaa, dhuri, baNsi for roofing. The long single piece of the saal, salla (generally) is used for the lutyaat at the ground for the maize (ghogaa) to store for longer time.
Timber
Timber is used for the floor and roof making as bhiToo.
Slates for roofing
As a roofing material the slates (black in colour) is simply the option less material in residences and in all type of buildings. But nowadays the RCC roofs and CGI sheets roofing may present in some places.
White coating (kamero tarchhine)
Kamero is the white colouring clay present at the different local places as a powder or solid form which in mixing with water give a semi liquid which on coating onto the walls give white colouring quietly used in residences. The kamero tarchhine is the process of coating this white on the walls which is generally painted on the upper half of the elevation of the residential buildings.
Red coating (raato maato tarchhine)
Like the kamero this ratoo maato is a red colouring clay present on the local territories painted or coated like the kamero but the difference is that raato matoo is painted at the lower half part of the residence building and give the red colour.
Construction technology
Construction technology for the residences of Far-Western hills
Foundation construction
Foundation as the local materials used and local technology is quiet familiar. As in the fig: 
Load bearing structure
The residence buildings totally are load bearing wall structures. The wall thickness is 18”.
Stone masonry
The masonry for the residential buildings is stone masonry since stones are the locally available in low cost.
Wooden doors/windows
The doors and windows made with the locally available saal, salla trees etc. and the locally available workmanship of not so much decorative way but in a functional purpose. Doors are 4-5 ft. so that one should bow entering the house. The main parts of doors and windows are elaborated in fig below:
Floor construction
Floor construction technique is important to elaborate. 9” floor thickness with 4” jwaa, 2” bhiTo and 3” garoo is generally constructed. Bharano (6”) may present below the jwaa as a main beam if the span is long enough to support by thinner (4”) jwaa. The overall floor termed as thaDo. More details elaborated by the fig below:
Roof construction
The roof is generally double sloped. The external walls at top hold a long cuboidal linear wooden post named as galdho. BaNsi rests at the middle points of higher top and lower top of the putalo. Dhuri rests at the highest point of putalo and inside walls. Bansi below and paat (thin wooden long plates), toDa (the small wooden pegs used to make small holes resting below the chasma for birds to rest as a home for small birds too), chasma (wooden pieces made for closing the holes created between the successive jwaa),jwaa in regular interval, tanii for protecting the bhiTo to slide down in front and takhtoo at the back side, bhiTo with mud mortar (garoo), and at top the black slates called patthar successively from below to top.
Few Physical aspects
Form of the building
The form of the residential buildings all resemble. The rectangular plan and rectangular elevation generates a cuboidal elongated shape with sloping roof. The form is identical in all buildings though the size may be small or big, may be two stories or three stories based upon the hierarchy of economic status.
Sloped roof
The double pitched sloped roof generally in itself is a most common feature of the residences with slate roofing.
External and internal staircase
The external staircase from ground to first floor is the key identity of the residential building. Though the stone staircase externally connects the first floor with outside ground the building, there is a wooden staircase joining the first floor to second floor if second floor present.
IMPORTANT WORDS:
- Bardali
Bardali (Balcony) is a semi-open wooden framed space connecting with the open air and projected out from the second floor.
- Khalo
The multipurpose open space in front of the building is khalo. Khalo is generally paved with flat stones. It is the space for children to play, grains to dry and resting place for the cattle.
- BhinDi
BhinDi is the linear stone made structure present at the sides of open space called khalo functions as a wall but has multipurpose use for sitting and wall.
- Kanauli
The back side open space of a building is called kanauli. Since the buildings generally locate on a contoured site made flat, the kanauli is a negative space created by default.
- Oochhi
Oochi is a small cupboard which is used for some small thing like clocks, photo frames etc. to keep. It is constructed into the depth of the wall inside the room.
- phalyaNi
phalyaNi is a small heighted linear negative space created while roofing with side walls. This space is used to place the small things like sickle etc.and for the smoke passing out since there is no chimney to pass smoke in the residences in its own as a special element.
- Putalo
Putalo is the front and back façade of the residential building. Hence in one building there are two putala at all.
- toDa
toDa is a small holes underneath the roof projections in exterior. Which are meant for the residences of the small birds showing more inclusiveness for other living beings.
Cultural aspects
Inclusive architecture
The residential architecture of Far-western hills is always inclusive one. Since the residences does not only play a living place space for human beings but also for the cattle as most of them are farmers and bees for honey making a special place for them at house and birds into toDa making small holes for them.
Joint family
All the families are joint families and hence the socializing the children is easy. The culturally those joint families work together.
Farming
Farming as the basic and common profession among the people in west Nepal the residential architecture is designed by practice for the farming.
Language
The mostly used language is Doteli language and the all behaviors (except official) are done Doteli.
Religious aspects
All the buildings at their innermost secret space used as worshipping place. This corner generally is the east corner. At all the residential societies there is at least one temple where they go for worship. The height of doors are low due to the same reason.
Environmental aspect
Sloping roof
Since the hill areas of far-Western are moderately rainfall areas the roofs are pitched.
Local materials
Maximum of the building materials used are locally available which is the root cause of sustainability to the residences. Except used nails and nowadays rods at windows.
South facing preferred
South facing is preferred for the direct sun. Though, the orientation of the buildings are not all same due to the topographic dynamism.
Lifestyle reflecting Architecture
Whatever the profession of a person is, all of them are farmers too. Generally the buildings are two stories and sometimes three stories. The ground floor is always and totally for the cattle and grass storing and upper floor for the family members. No special guest room in traditional residences. That’s the reason why always there is external staircase to the first floor. Jatra (small grinding stone mills), okhal (deep stone and a special wooden cylinder having a small metal top is called musal used as paddy mill and other use).
Hence the residential architecture of Far-Western hills is diverse.
Words
bhinDi
jwaa
dhuri
fallyo
bardali
BaNsi
garoo
Bharano
thaDo
putalo
galdho
paat
toDa
chasma
tanii
takhtoo
patthar
khalo
kanauli
Oochi
phalyaNi
Putalo
Jatra
Okhal
Musal
lutyaat
bhiToo
