Introduction: The Bungalow: Its Origins and its Evolution in Twentieth-Century India

The origins of the single family detached house as a residence can be traced back two thousand years (King 2004). While its form that we know today can be said to have had multiple origins two are basic to the Indian context: the Bengali and the English country houses. The term bungalow as applied to single family detached houses is, however, clearly Indian, and specifically Bengali in origin.