Construction documents in Eighteenth-century Maharashtra 
Chetan Sahasrabudhe
(Dr B.N. College of Architecture)

From the moment the patron decides to construct a building till the actual construction, the building goes through a process of externalisation. First as graphic, written or oral communication and then through the act of construction. I examine this process of scripting architecture in the pre – industrial society of eighteenth-century Maharashtra, a state in India. Such communications have not received much scholarly attention in the Indian subcontinent. For this essay, I draw upon letters exchanged between patrons and project managers, receipts of various materials, statements of ongoing expenses and a couple of contract documents from eighteenth century. The analysis suggests that the practice of construction in eighteenth-century Maharashtra was elaborate with numerous building trades organized under a contractor and supervised by a project manager. The performance of architecture was scripted in the contract between the patron and the designer-builder and was performed by all the actors involved.

Construction documents in Eighteenth-century Maharashtra
Ashmita Gupta
(CEPT University)




In the field of construction history, managerial tools such as contracts and specifications are valuable instruments for analyzing the sociocultural context of building and the relations between the different agencies involved. This talk draws on the archival records of the construction of the Deccan College in Pune built between 1890 and 1910. Specifically, I will focus on a bilingual standardized ‘Conditions of Contract’ document issued by the Public Works Department in the late 19th century and used as part of the tender for the construction of the Deccan College quarters. The document isn't just a formal contract: every clause, specification, and form tells a story of how the landscape was shaped not just by bricks and mortar, but by power politics, and colonial ambitions. Further archival evidence of disputes in the building site proceedings will be used to open the discussion on how contract tools can be substantial to explore the complex interplay between power, infrastructure, and the built environment within the socio-political setting of British-ruled India.