The document provides an overview of the historic pol settlement pattern in Ahmedabad, India. It discusses: 1) The pol is the primary housing typology consisting of dense clusters of houses organized around dead end streets entered through a single gateway. Each pol tended to be inhabited by people of the same caste or occupation. 2) Architectural features of pols include Jain and Hindu temples, the Jama Masjid mosque, wooden Jain havelis with intricate carvings, and pol gates marking the entrances. 3) Internal streets and chabutaras (small platforms) at street intersections served as social gathering spaces and helped connect the houses within each pol community.

1. POL OF AHMEDABAD
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE-1
RAGHVANI DHVANI P.
DIV. :B ROLL NO.:6
L.J.SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
L.J.UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD

2. INTRODUCTION:
The historic city of Ahmadabad is characterized by an urban
pattern,
consist of three scales of community based settlement:
the neighborhood ‘Pur’,
the sub neighborhood 'Pol' and a house.
 Pol houses is considered as a primary housing typology
built for more than 300 years in the city of Ahmadabad.
The pol settlement pattern has a rural origin prevalent in
the villages of North Gujarat.
communal riots of 1714 and the civil disorder of the 18th
century, the houses built in the city were organized in
dense clusters consisting of a set of dead end streets
entered through a single gateway.
Ahmadabad has a rich heritage of settlement patterns in its
historic old town

4. POL:
The residents of each cluster tended to
belong to not only the same religion
but also the same caste, or occupation
group. The gate into each cluster could
be closed. These clusters are called
'Pol’.
The nominated property covers 535.7
hectares.
 The length of the east-west axis is
about 2km
the length of the north-south axis is
about 2.5 km.
The city walls are 10.97 km in length
and include 12 original gates,
two closed gates from the Sultanate
period,

5. ARCHITECTURAL
HISTORY OF
PUBLIC BUILDINGS::
the fusion of Islamic elements,
local Jain and Hindu building
traditions,
manifested in the Bhadra Fort,
 the city walls and gates,
the Jama Masjid,
the mausoleums of the royal family,
and other mosques and minarets.
important Jain and Hindu temples
from the Maratha and British
periods, such as the Ajitnath Jain
Temple and the Swaminarayan
Temple.
City gates
Bhadra fort
Jama masjid
City wall

6. TEMPLES:
• Jain and Hindu temples are too old
• Identity of particular pols
• Sometimes pols gathering in temple open spaces
o Jain temples:
• Main material: AARAS
stone(white color)
• Heavy carving in stone
• Also use of wood and
other stones
o Hindu temples:
• Colorful buildings
• Much variation in sizes
• Main material wood and
stone
• More carvings in wooden

7. JAIN HAVELI:
• Example of wooden carvings
• Historical building
• Carved brackets
• Always shaded streets

8. STREETS:• Internal streets
• Way to go in one to another pol
• Junctions at public spaces, like:
• Chowk, shops, old memorial
houses
• Intersects by khadakis
• Use as:
• Interaction spaces
• Parking
• Offsets for wash areas or storage
• Always shaded by houses around
• Variations in widths

9. Drawing showing connection between house and
And house profile
• Life of streets
• Streets intersecting at chowk with chabutara

11. CHABUTARAS:
• Main identity of real pols of Ahmedabad
• Bird feeders also use as gatherings areas
• Sometimes have sitting also
• Sometimes parking
• Located at center of junctions
• Mainly at starting of particular pol
• Size, area, shape, style differs from community to community or cast by cast

12. HOUSES:
• Taken during heritage walk
• Otta spaces are must
• Balconies, narrow streets, ottas for gatherings
• Some are well maintained houses with carvings
• Some very old are renovated by locals
• Decorated , carved railings
• Wooden structural members

14. OTLA:
 LEANDING FROM THE STREET INTO THE HOUSE,
 ACTUAL ENTRANCE OF THE HOUSE OPENING ONTO
THE STREET

15. COURTYARD: • Allow natural light
• Ventilate row houses
• Allow Interaction in between 1 house
• Private open space with siting
• Also use as a water storage

16. VASTU PURUSH with dwarpals
5 Shivalinga:
• Mentality
for making
house
PAVITRA
SHREEYANTRA:
• BELIEVE FOR
PEACE IN
HOUSE

18. KHADAKIS:
• Another gateway for peta cast or different occupation
• Having upper floor in use
• Decorated and carved to identify community
• Wooden structural members

20. MAIN GATES OF POL:
• Gateways for particular cast or community’s pol
• Includes name of pol
• Shape and styles varies

22. DHAL NI POL

23. • Drawing showing circulation in streets
• Connection of streets with houses
• Houses variance
• Streets life of interaction spaces
Thank you