‘Bungalow’ has been the most representative element of the built environment of colonialism. It is associated with Europeans; although it developed in India, both in terms of name and form. The evolution of this Anglo-Indian residential typology shows how this indigenous mode of shelter, that was adopted and adapted by the Europeans, fulilled the physical, social and political requirements of the mercantile and the administrative European oficers. Among the urban centers established by the British in India, Ambala Cantonment was an important station due to geographical and political reasons. This Anglicized town that settled in 1843 bears the elements of a typical cantonment and is worth scrutinizing as it possesses all three residential types; the bungalows, havelies and shophouses. The bungalows that evolved a century and a half ago were resultant of cultural and social collaboration of the ideologies of the Europeans and the indigenous. It cannot be denied that the bungalows gradually brought about change in the lifestyle habits of the indigenous and impacted their understanding of health, cleanliness and hygiene. This paper, as part of the study, focuses on the bungalows of Ambala Cantonment with respect to their planning philosophies and elements. The bungalow had developed as a typology by the time this Cantonment was established. Primarily similar, these bungalows differ in terms of layout, largely in the arrangement of their rooms and this study categorizes the bungalows on this criteria.

No abstract

One of the notable advancements of late 19th-early 20th century British India was the introduction of ‘western-style’ medical care for women. Located within confines of the colonial or princely enclaves, a number of women’s hospitals, staffed with trained British female doctors, were established under the Dufferin Fund. But the benefits of medicalised childbirth did not extend to commonplace Indian women. At this point of time, history was also made by certain philanthropic and nationalist individuals who made some pioneering efforts to extend benefits of medicalised childbirth to the vast neglected body of commonplace Indian women.The 48-bedded Banarsi Dass Hospital for Women, built in 1922 within the dense urban fabric of Ambala Cantonment, is one of the earliest of such pioneering structures. The architectural value of the building as seen in its ingenious spatial organization was devised to ensure generous access to sun and air, ensured thermal comfort in all seasons, a construction system representative of the era, and various ornamental elements that proclaim its ‘monumental’ status adds to its unique historic significance. Though the building is still in a good physical and structural condition, the advancement in medical world has rendered its infrastructure obsolete.In the present scenario, we tend to lose a significant landmark of 20th century development in India. This paper presents an analysis of the historic, societal and architectural value of the property, the reasons for its disuse and the design interventions proposed to restore the original societal and architectural status of this majestic historic building.

The historic quarters are an integral part of the urban fabric of a city and grant identity and character to it. These are the containers of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The market places of Colonial Cantonment towns in Indian sub-continent are one such type of settlement which are the display houses of architecture, art, social interactions, community participations and life style habits of the occupants at the time of their establishment. These historic urban landscapes are hubs of trade and commercial activities and showcase their transformation over the years. One of the unique typologies of structures which evolved with Colonization were the shop-cum-houses. This paper focuses on the shop-cum-houses as built heritage within the market places of Colonial Cantonment towns in the Bengal Presidency of India. This research paper studies the architectural elements and features on the facades of these structures within the Sadar Bazaar areas and analysis the evolution of the architectural style over the decades. The analysis is done through the survey of level II and III during which physical features were documented. The study reveals the impact of global architecture on the local craftsmanship and styles along with some characteristic features that were found persistent throughout granting identity to these historic landscapes.