Transformation over time in Kochila/Saptariya Tharu Architecture: A case of Baswalpur village, Saptari, Nepal

Abstract

Urban growth and speculative housing construction in rural areas, especially on the outskirts of the city, are leading to changes in property relations and the deterioration of traditional lifestyles and landscape characteristics. Rapid population growth in cities requires new housing demand, which is met in the surrounding rural areas. This process of urban development occurs with urban sprawl at the expense of rural areas. Tharus are one of Nepal's major ethnic groups, and Tharu architecture is an excellent example of ethnic architecture with an ecologically responsive design. However, as a result of urbanization, many tharu settlements are shifting to fit modern demands, and traditional houses have been modified, with contemporary appliances, new spaces, and domestic life added that bear little resemblance to the original. In this study, changes in architectural forms in the Kochila tharu community are observed. In attempt to extract an urban pattern or a rationale from what may appear to be haphazard disorder, a survey of traditional villages in the southeast of Nepal, specifically Baswalpur village of Saptari district, is undertaken. The objectives of this research are to investigate the paradoxical phenomenon of the house transformation in this village; to learn what the actual design of the traditional vernacular house is; to determine the extent of the impact of the transformation; to identify the factors that contributed to it; to examine the new roles and values that make up the new configuration; and to discuss how these new values affect the meaning and values of the original configuration. To investigate the effects of changing the physical configuration on the values and meanings of traditional homes, field observations were made at a few houses chosen using the purposive sampling technique, and interviews were conducted. The conclusion is drawn on the housing form in relation to people’s way of living and will shed light on socio-culturally sustainable development and regeneration towards contemporary settlement of Baswalpur. This paper will also contribute to the argument for an impact of typological processes of physical environment on the local culture. With the identification of these factors, it is anticipated that this study will serve as a reference on house transformation and offer a reasonable perspective for community, government, and development measures on the transformation of traditional homes in Baswalpur village