DOKRAS WADA - वाडा- COURTYARD HOUSES OF

NAGPUR

“Be it on the garden side or on the courtyard side of life, we have the potential to rise up against the
dictatorship of destiny”- Erik Pevernagie, Belgian painter and write

SRISHTI DOKRAS
B.Arch. (Institute for Design Education and Architectural Studies) Nagpur India
Visiting Architect, Australia & USA
Consultant - Design and Architecture, Esselworld Gorewada International Zoo, India
(Largest Zoo in Asia)

A B S T R A C T
When we were young, living in Nagpur we played in some of the resurrected old houses of the
traditional royal or court families to which I belonged; other children of such old families were our
friends and classmates. The other houses that were old and neglected were ruins in the premises. I was
fascinated with these magnificent structures, not lofty but intricate with a central courtyard
surrounded by a residential structure and other living rooms. I decided to make a study as part of my
architectural repertoire hence this introductive paper ending with pictures and descriptions of the
Dokras Wada in Chandur(Rly) near Nagpur which belonged to my great-great-great grandfather
Ranganath Dokras.

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Introduction: A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex,
that is open to the sky. Such spaces in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places
for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court. Both of the words court and yard derive
from the same root, meaning an enclosed space. A courtyard house is a type of house—often a large
house—where the main part of the building is disposed around a central courtyard. Many houses that
have courtyards are not courtyard houses. For example, large houses often have small courtyards
surrounded by service rooms or corridors, but the main rooms are not disposed around a courtyard such
as in England are not traditional Courtyard houses.

The main rooms of a courtyard houses often open onto the courtyard, and the exterior walls may be
windowless and/or semi-fortified and/or surrounded by a moat. Courtyard houses of this type occupy
an intermediate position between a castle or fortress, where defence is the primary design consideration,
and more modern plans in which defence is not a consideration at all. In England the courtyard house
was a popular design for large houses in the sixteenth century, after noblemen had stopped building
themselves castles, but before thoughts of defence were altogether forgotten in the planning of country
houses. Courtyards—private open spaces surrounded by walls or buildings—have been in use in
residential architecture for almost as long as people have lived in constructed dwellings. The courtyard
house makes its first appearance ca. 6400–6000 BC (calibrated), in the Neolithic Yarmukian site at
Sha'ar HaGolan, in the central Jordan Valley, on the northern bank of the Yarmouk River, giving the
site a special significance in architectural history. Courtyards have historically been used for many
purposes including cooking, sleeping, working, playing, gardening, and animal husbandry.

Before courtyards, open fires were kept burning in a central place within a home, with only a small hole
in the ceiling overhead to allow smoke to escape. Over time, these small openings were enlarged and
eventually led to the development of the centralized open courtyard we know today. Courtyard homes
have been designed and built throughout the world with many variations.

Courtyard homes are more prevalent in temperate climates, as an open central court can be an important
aid to cooling house in warm weather. However, courtyard houses have been found in harsher climates
as well for centuries. The comforts offered by a courtyard—air, light, privacy, security, and
tranquillity—are properties nearly universally desired in human housing.

Wada: Maharashtrian Courtyard Houses: The architecture of Maharashtra where the language
Marathi is spoken is known as Maratha Architecture and dates back to the 17th and 18th century with
high architectural and cultural significance. It is based on the Hindu tenets of VASTU_SHASTRA.
According to which the main Courtyard belongs to Lord Brahma the supreme God of the Hindus. It is

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the main source of “energy” for the building or structure of the dwelling. A series of rooms were built
surrounding it. This was WADA. The Wada was distinctive architectural style of the region
proliferating during 1700-1900. During the 16 th & 17 th Century, after the establishment of the power
of the Peshwas of Maharashtra several dwellings came into existence at all levels of the society small,
medium or palatial. The wadas arose in time of an economic and cultural renaissance. This was preceded
by the Maratha Rule with wars between the Marathas and Moghuls, once however, this period ended
and the Peshwas took over, stability was restored to the Maratha lands which gave rise to this type of
architecture .Material present and available and technique presently used were two factors that impacted
the design. The wada was a Cheaper castle or Palace and a combination of administrative offices as
well as dwelling. Its design reflected combative mood of the building towards the incessant heat of the
region.

Wadas were the residential form of Maratha architecture, said to have evolved under the patronage of
the Peshwas. Wada is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Vata’ which means plot or piece of land meant
for a house3.The traditional residence ‘Wada’ included houses of several families or only one family
who stayed there. It is generally used to denote courtyard house mansion. This House form belonged to
ruling classes as well as commoners. This typology is very significant in terms of historical, cultural
and economic aspects. Though there are certain variations in size, scale and economical status, but all
wadas do share some of the basic elements and characteristics. Wadas were designed according to the
caste, occupation and status of the family. The size and location of Wada and its basic planning
may have remained similar but the architectural elements and furnishings become more distinct
depending on the wealth of the family.

Courtyard houses are distinct traditional house-form in India. Wada as a residential typology was
largely built during 1700-1900 A.D. The form was used for construction of houses of different social
classes and adapted to diverse lifestyles of its owners. These were introvert with central courtyards, to
grant privacy and protection. Traditional Indian families were joint families, with three or more
generations staying together sharing the kitchen. Eldest member of the family got the status as head of
family. Spaces within the house were categorized as gender-based domains. Rather than individuals,
family members were recognized as men, women and children. Within the traditional setup, fulfilling
the demands of privacy of an ‘individual’ was not a priority. Higher the place of individual in the family,
more important privacy was and more clearly it was articulated in the interior forms of the house.

Traditional houses of Nagpur region known as the Wadas were developed during the Bhosale period
(1746-1853) and followed a typical pattern of house building with courtyards. Urbanization of Nagpur
took place in the first half of the 18th century surrounding the fort of Gond Raja. It was during the
Bhosale period (1746-1853) that the place acquired an urban character. This period is considered the

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Golden Age in the history of Nagpur. Bhosale were Maratha rulers of Pune and were deputed to keep
an eye on Nizam’s movement in the eastern region of the country. Bhosale were on temporary
deputation, its architectural character could not achieve the glory of the Maratha architecture as in places
of western Maharashtra. Nagpur being the geographic centre of India, its architecture is influence by
Bengal and Rajasthan state and in a later period, by the Colonial style. The concept and design of the
Wada was brought here to Nagpur by the Peshwas from Pune who migrated here.

Typical Features of ‘Wada’

1. Chawk: There are a number of chawks in the Wada, The more the Chawks, the bigger or
more affluent the status of the owner. The typical Wada is two storied and overlooks the
chowk. The chowk acts as a visual connector and ventilates the interior spaces of the
Wada. The Chawk also functions as a transition space between the public and private
areas of the house. The Wada and ‘Chawk’ is a module of traditional house-form where the
number of chawks in the Wada, depicted the status of the family.
2. Kacheri: The administrative or office part of the building
3. Diwankhana: An Urdu term was the living room
4. Tijory was the treasury where generally a safe box was kept
5. Swayampakghar: Kitchen
6. Kothar : Store room
7. Gotha: Cow pen
8. OSARI: Surrounding the Chawks are the open verandas (osari) which allow multiple activities
to take place.
9. Dandi: Within the larger plot, the structure is placed abutting the approach road with an
imposing entrance door termed as Dandi along with rooms for watchmen called devoid.
10. Tatabandi: The house is protected with high compound wall termed as Tatabandi. The
entrance veranda is used to receive the strangers. The houses have relatively small front yards
and huge backyards. The spaces in the Wada are flexible and are used for multiple activities
during day and night-times.
11. Collective plane : Wadas in the Nagpur region do not reflect the modern concept of
differentiated spaces for various activities wherein each room is connected to another and
different activities exist on a collective plane. The sacred spaces are the most important in the
house and at times so elaborate that there are Wadas encompassing a temple that is accessible
by any outsider or stranger.
12. Cattle shed, the servant rooms and toilets: The spaces for cattle shed, the servant rooms and
toilets are located in the backyard.

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 13. Wada Garden: Every Wada is provided with areas for plantation and space for holy Basil
(tulas) as an essential feature of every house. According to the caste, occupation and status of
the family, the size and location of Wada is designed, but basic planning principle remains
similar. With increase in status and wealth of the family, the architectural elements and
furnishing become more distinguished.
14. Temple: The sacred spaces are the most important in the house and at times so elaborate
that there are Wadas encompassing a temple that is accessible by any outsider or
stranger.

Construction Material: The wadas were built of Lime, bricks made from Clay that were available
in te market called”vita”.Cowdung,sand, Wooden beams cut from trees,Gum and Jaggery were
mixed with soft soil,cowdung to make the bonding material.
Number of such wadas were built in the Maharashtra area( which was then C.P and berar) many
fell to ruin as they were expensive to maintain, some however were preserved and have had a
renaissance. Several such wadas were found in and around the larger cities and are still standing.
Most are gone- “It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; its the construction of the foundation
that will stand the test of time.”- David Allan Coe

Dokras Wada at Chandur(Railway) near Nagpur:

This wada is 300 year old and belonged to my Great great grandfather Ranganath Dokras
who emigrated here from Ahmednagar. He was a wealthy landlord there and went into cotton
cultivation for which he migrated to the cotton belt of Maharashtra near Nagour at Chandur

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and bought 200 acres of land which he utilized for cotton cultivation and owned a ginning
Mill also to deseed the cotton. As seen it is a 2 storied structure.

2 types of wooden staircases that were present there. Made of teak wood and held together by
cast iron Nails, Gum and tarter

Details of one of the doors. More decorative than for

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Courtyard seen from entrance.Today parts of the wada have been given on rent to a Bank as well as to
the Village councils. The ubiquitous “TULSI” tree in the holy garden in backyard.

Wooden Balcony passage