ABSTRACT
Indian architecture conjures up an image of large monuments like the Taj Mahal, religious complexes like the temples of the south and, in its uniqueness, the cave architecture of Ajanta and Ellora. It also brings to mind impressions of the mud houses of rural India. By and large, the urban architecture of the common people fails to ring that kind of bell. Although the traditional urban architecture has been rich and worth looking at, most of it has been lost either to neglect or to commercial exploitation, though there may be some justification on account of the ‘need of the hour’. However, one can still find many examples of traditional wooden architecture in Gujarat, brick and wood buildings in the south and outstanding stone houses in Rajasthan. In today’s context, we can learn much from these traditions without trying to imitate the buildings.
