overview of the village

Ghanta-PiPalmadi

Elements The View

The River

The river is a huge barrier, not easily crossable during monsoon periods. The greenery along the river valley is used mainly for pasture of the buffaloes and goats. It is the only area where the grass is suitable for that.

Although a water resource, there are no houses next to the river due to the floods that happen during monsoon times.

The Road

The road, positioned as one of those stripes in the middle, constitutes another important element - the main connectivity infrastructure. Naturally lots of the houses appear along it (clusters B).

Sketch Of The Valley The Stiping

Between the hills and the river, the village landscape develops almost stripewise. On the upper part of the image, going from left to right, you see the sequence of the landscape approximately as follows:

1. low hills

2. housing clusters along the feet of the hills (A)

3. rise field

4. small river stream

5. pasturage

6. housing clusters along the road (B)

7. road

8. pasturage / core fields

9. tree barrier

10. Bagmati river

Observation Point

Below you see the place of the network tower (from where the drawing was made) on the top of the red clay hill and the Buddhist settlement around it (C).

The Low Hills And Jungle

The jungle-like low hills are on one hand unliveable because of the snakes and scorpions, but on the other – an important resource for wood and bamboo, and most importantly - water. For the housing clusters in their feet (clusters A) and the rise fields. They act as well as a climate barrier.

The Red Clay Hill

Probably attracted by the red clay, used as building material, and by the openness on the top, the Buddhist community is settled next to it (cluster C).

Position Of Housing Clusters

There are mainly three areas, where the housing clusters are positioned:

A. along the feet of the hills

B. along the road

C. next to the red cley hill

CLUSTErS ALONg THE FEET OF THE HILLS (A)

The houses on the clean water resource; and the rice fields - the main agricultural land. The house of our host family lies in this area as well. The upper houses, nearer to the jungle, enjoy also its coolness and the shadow of hills, as the lower ones have larger rice field areas and faster access to the river, where they fish.

Rice Field Paths

The retaining walls of the rice basins are used as a path network infrastructure.

The Orientation

Contrary to the city environment, the orientation towards your home inside these clusters happens mainly through the proportions of natural elements: - the curves, high, bushiness of the hills; the slightly wider or slightly narrower retaining walls.

During a dark night one of the main orientation is the proportion and position between the lights of the houses.

Our Cluster

CLUSTErS ALONg THE rOAD (B)

These houses have the advantage to be next to the road, which links them faster to the river. The fields around are used for pasture and growing of corn. Some of the structures around are just for keeping the harvest.

CLUSTErS NEXT TO THE rED HILL (C)

This is the settlement of the Buddhist community in Pipalmadi. The red clay is a great building material and is used by the locals for brick production. Nevertheless the hill is dry and cannot be used for agriculture. The lack of greenery can not keep the summer heat away. The network tower on the hill is right next to the Buddhist temple with a small stupa.