Beating quake in Doon the Koti Banal way

A four-storied 1000-year-old house called Koti Banal is an architectural grandeur and a great example of quake-resistant building technique in Rajgarhi area of Uttarkashi district

A four-storied 1000-year-old house called Koti Banal is not only an architectural grandeur but a great example of quake-resistant building technique in Rajgarhi area of Uttarkashi district – a highly earthquake prone areas of Uttarakhand.

An earthquake resistant traditional house at Koti Banal in Uttarkashi. (HT Photo)

There are several such buildings, which are named after the village Koti Banal in Uttarkashi.

The Koti Banal structure has successfully withstood several minor and major earthquakes in the past ten centuries including the 1991 and the 1999 ones that killed around 900 people in the state.

According to experts, Koti Banal architecture is a manifestation of one of the finest traditional earthquake-resistant designs.

Several features of Koti Banal buildings are now being incorporated in the modern earthquake-resistant houses.

Koti Banal structure makes ample and judicious use of locally available building materials such as long thick logs, stones and slates.

The heights of these buildings vary between 7 and 12 metres above the base or plinth area.

“These structures usually have four chaukhats (corners) with five panchapura (storeys),” said Piyoosh Rautela, who has presented a detailed research paper on Koti Banal buildings style.