Puja Pandals : rethinking an urban bamboo structure

Abstract

Pandal's are large tent like structures that are recreations of popular buildings, usually temples, built in wood and cloth over a bamboo super-structure. Traditionally they are built for Durga Puja, a festival in the month of October in parts of Eastern India. Today these structures have become expressions of a broader popular culture where themes both religious and non-religious are played out. Building on research on Pandal's this study contends that, with certain modifications, bamboo could be used to construct cost-effective, large span, temporary structures in Urban South Asia. It is also contented that the abundance and availability of bamboo has, to an extent, worked against its intelligent use. Any degree of structural innovation is deemed unnecessary as it is not considered commensurate with its cheap availability. Here the material is valued for its qualities and is not premised on its obvious use and expendability.