Safeena, Vol 15, No 1 (2017)

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Pinjra Work in the Architecture of Punjab, Pakistan A Historical Overview of the Literary and Material Evidence

Naeela Aamir, amjad parvez

Abstract


Pinjra work represents one of the most profound decorative technique and designrepertoires in the Architecture of Punjab. The craft demands an expert artisan with adeveloped sensibility for finesse and a unique vocabulary of design. The technique hasbeen deployed mainly in wood, although the design repertoire extends to othermaterials. Given various examples of exquisite pinjra work in the Subcontinent sincethirteenth century, the origin of the craft remains shrouded in mystery. There seems tobe a possibility that pinjra work came from Central Asia to the Subcontinent but thematerial evidence suggests otherwise. This paper explores the literary and materialevidence in a historical overview in order to trace whether the tradition of pinjramaking was originated in Persia or it was born in the plains of Punjab. On the basis ofanalysis of various examples in the region of Punjab and Central Asia, it suggests that pinjra work was a result of an organic amalgamation of cultural and aestheticcomponents that took place with the arrival of Muslims in the Subcontinent.

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