Prathaa

This book documents an indigenous building technique called the kath-khuni construction prevalent in Himachal Pradesh, India. The relative isolation of the hills and the demanding environment fostered development and persistence of distinctive prathaa, i.e., traditions practiced for centuries. These building practices reflect synthesis of material and environmental constraints with social and cultural beliefs and rituals. This book illustrates the role of indigenous building traditions in a dual sense: architecture as an outcome of specific material assemblies to fulfil specific functional purposes and architecture as a process to bind together people, places and resources in order to sustain particular cultural norms, beliefs and values.