Major Architecture Forms From Arunachal Pradesh

Major architecture forms from
Arunachal Pradesh
• The sisters of North East hold an amazing cornucopia of customs, rituals
and ethnic culture. However one underexposed aspect of the indigenous
tribal culture in the North East is their tribal houses. Several distinctively
different forms of tribal architecture prevail in the North East and are
representative of the tribes that have invented them. Here are a few
wonderful examples of tribal homes in the Arunachal Pradesh.
Homes with Wooden Stilts
• The beautiful Ziro Valley in Arunachal is home to the Adi
and Aptami tribes who blend in the landscape with their
uniquely constructed homes with wooden stilts. The
Adi tribals generally build their homes on sloping land
so that floods can be avoided. These homes have huge
fireplaces that are a sort of meeting places for all tribe
members. Sometimes the fireplace also doubles up as
the kitchen. Aptami Houses are built of cane, bamboo,
wood, leaves etc with no use of metal in the
construction. Wooden stilts and wooden floors are
distinctive features of these homes. Another distinctive
feature is the presence of two doors; the front one is
used by men while the back one is used by women.
Large halls double up as living and cooking spaces,
sometimes domestic animals also stay inside the tribal
home. Bamboo homes of Aptami’s deteriorate with
time and they are usually rebuilt after 7 years.
Assameese tribes also build their houses on wooden
stilts while livestock is kept underneath.
Morungs
• Morungs of youth stay places play an
instrumental role in the life of a typical Naga
tribal. A person’s stay in the Morung is
considered to be a period of intensive
education and cultural acclimatization. At
the onset of puberty both young boys and
girls gained entrance to respective
dormitories. While the elders conveyed the
customs and cultures of the tribe, artisans
imparted their weaving and carving skills.
The Morung is a grand building with
wooden pillars and decorative bamboo
work adorning its exterior façade. The
building has only one entry and exit point
and is situated in a prominent spot of the
community
Architecture of temples of Arunachal
Pradesh
• The temples of Arunachal Pradesh
follow the Bee Hive structure where the
Shikhara is shaped in the form of a bee
hive and the temple has basically four
chambers; garba griha (the inner
sanctum, natamandira, pancaratna and
calanta). The garba griha is dark,
secretive and connected by stone steps
and contains a depression in the shape
of a Yoni. The temples also follow the
architectural style of the 2nd millennium
and the Ahom period (Koch dynasty).
Monasteries of Arunachal Pradesh
• The monasteries of Arunachal Pradesh command a
lot of attention because of their beautiful structure
and lovely color scape. There are a number of
Buddhist monasteries in North East out of which 20
are extremely important. Some of the monasteries
have a lot of Tantric influence as can be seen from
the mystical figures adorning the walls of these
monasteries. The monasteries have giant sized
frescoes and thangkas that are made of precious silk
and brocade. The Monasteries are open faced with
carvings adorning the outer façade as well as the
inner sanctums. Famous monasteries
are Pemayangtse monastery, Dubdi Monastery,
Rumtek Monastery, Tashiding Monastery, Sanga
Chelling Monastery etc. the monasteries show a
typical Chinese influence in their construction as well
as the choice of colors.
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal
Pradesh
• Vernacular architecture is observed in many
buildings and residential homes in the North East
India across several Bioclimatic zones. Homes are
constructed using locally sourced materials like
bamboo, jute, wood cane, stone, mud, stone etc
and the principles indicate sustainable building
principles. There is the use of natural ventilation
methods, ergonomic inner space arrangements,
envelope shaped designs and other solar passive
features in home architecture of Arunachal Pradesh.
Interestingly the term vernacular architecture
means that the houses are built by local craftsmen
using locally available materials like Bamboo, mud
and thatch and do not reflect modern architects and
engineering principles. There are 3 categories of
homes; Kuccha, Pukka and Semi Pukka.
•
In Kaccha Houses; grass, bamboo and sticks are
used to make non permanent residences. In the
Pukka homes; tiles, bricks and clay are used while
the Semi Pukka homes are a mix of these two styles.
Vernacular architecture depends on the geography
and climate of the region along with the locally
available materials.

Major Architecture Forms From Arunachal Pradesh

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