TRADITIONAL POL HOUSES OF AHMEDABAD.

In this blog, I would like introduce about unique style housing which is located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Known as a pole housing. Ahmedabad city is alive since 1411. It has a heritage of modern lifestyle. It’s declared the World Heritage City of India by UNESCO in July 2017. The “Ahmedabad pol housing,” a particular architectural style, is seen in Ahmedabad’s historic city. A collection of houses constructed around a central courtyard and denoted by the Gujarati word “pol,” which means “gate” or “entrance,” may be reached by a tiny entrance gate.

Pols were first created as a safety precaution during Ahmedabad’s Mughal-Maratha rule (1738–1753), when communal disturbances demanded increased security. A normal pol would only have one or two entrances, as well as a few secret entrances that were exclusively accessible by residents. Some pols have old, elegant homes with interior courts that have elaborately carved wooden facades, columns, and frescoes painted on the walls or ceilings. A fascinating development of urban life is pol architecture.

Due to the small streets, homes can see and interact with other residents. The interconnected system of winding streets fosters a tight-knit community. As a consequence of the requirement for social cohesion and protection, urban compact fabric with shared walls generates shaded areas standing upright as a human habitat that is responsive to the climate. It has a brilliantly defined urban sense, unlike the gated plots of the modern suburbs, and is almost like an infinite fabric where the mass proportions are almost the same as the open areas.

The entrance platform

It is a plinth with a row of columns that delineates the boundaries of the house on the street and is used for outdoor seating, sometimes even for dishwashing and clothing laundering. Religious activities are conducted in Hindu homes in Oatla.

Place for Birds

Each courtyard has a number of Chabutra (Bird feeders), each one exquisitely crafted with various colour tones. The majority of these antique homes include steps that doubled as a place for birds to find cover during heavy rain or sweltering heat. Here in pols, the concept of personal space and privacy was inconsequential, and residents rather enjoyed contacts and engagement.

Many pol homes have been transformed into boutique hotels, eateries, and stores today, drawing tourists from all over the world who come to experience Ahmedabad’s distinctive architectural style and cultural legacy.

References :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_(housing)

https://www.mododesigns.co.in/blog-detail/pol-of-ahmedabad/