Dak bungalow - Revision history

MerryHarris567: slightly corrected content and added references

2026-01-08T04:18:07Z

slightly corrected content and added references

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:48, 8 January 2026
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	[[File:Dak_Bungalow_of_Narkanda_Village_of_Shimla_District_in_Indian_State_of_Himachal_Pradesh_in_1868_.jpg\|right\|200px\|thumb\|The dak bungalow above [[Narkanda]] in 1868]]		[[File:Dak_Bungalow_of_Narkanda_Village_of_Shimla_District_in_Indian_State_of_Himachal_Pradesh_in_1868_.jpg\|right\|200px\|thumb\|The dak bungalow above [[Narkanda]] in 1868]]
	[[File:Sinking dak bungalow.jpg\|right\|200px\|thumb\|"A floating dâk-bungalow in difficulties", {{circa\|lk=no\|1880}}]]		[[File:Sinking dak bungalow.jpg\|right\|200px\|thumb\|"A floating dâk-bungalow in difficulties", {{circa\|lk=no\|1880}}]]
	[[File:Dak bungalow in Kenya.png\|right\|200px\|thumb\|A "dak bungalow" in Kenya, {{circa\|lk=no\|1900}}. The term was sometimes applied to similar structures throughout the [[British Empire]].]]		[[File:Dak bungalow in Kenya.png\|right\|200px\|thumb\|A "dak bungalow " in Kenya, {{circa\|lk=no\|1900}}. The term was sometimes applied to similar structures throughout the [[British Empire]].]]
	A '''dak bungalow''', '''dak-house''' or '''dâk-bungalow''' was a government building in [[British India]] under [[Company rule in India\|Company Rule]] and the [[British Raj\|Raj]]. It may also refer to some similarly-built or -used structures in modern [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Pakistan]].		A '''dak bungalow''', '''dak-house''' or '''dâk-bungalow''' was a government building in [[British India]] under [[Company rule in India\|Company Rule]] and the [[British Raj\|Raj]]. It may also refer to some similarly built or -used structures in modern [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Pakistan]].
	~~__NOTOC__~~
	==Origins==		==Origins==
	The dak bungalows carried on a tradition of ''[[caravanserai]]s'', ''[[Dharamshala (type of building)\|dharamshala]]s'', and other guesthouses erected by Indian rulers for both [[Hindu pilgrimage\|Hindu]] and [[Islamic pilgrimage\|Muslim pilgrims]].<ref name=bhan21>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 21]}}.</ref>		The dak bungalows carried on a tradition of ''[[caravanserai]]s'', ''[[Dharamshala (type of building)\|dharamshala]]s'', and other guesthouses erected by Indian rulers for both [[Hindu pilgrimage\|Hindu]] and [[Islamic pilgrimage\|Muslim pilgrims]].<ref name=bhan21>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 21]}}.</ref>

	The India Office possesses a diary with the entry for 25 November 1676 noting "It was thought fitt... to sett up [[bungalow\|Bungales]] or [[wiktionary:Hovel\|Hovel]]ls... for all such ~~[[Englishmen\|~~English]] in the [[East India Company\|Company]]'s Service as belong to [[Ships of the East India Company\|their Sloopes & Vessells]]".<ref name=lanky19>{{harvp\|Lancaster\|1985\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA19 19]}}.</ref> The dak bungalows proper were first erected in the 1840s,<ref name=bhan20>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 20]}}.</ref> serving as staging posts for the ''[[Postage stamps and postal history of India\|dak]]'', the [[British Empire\|imperial]] [[mail]] service.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s father [[J. Lockwood Kipling]] described them as "about as handsome as a stack of hay" and forming a kind of "'irreducible minimum' of accommodation".<ref name=lanky19/> Each was about {{convert\|12\|to\|15\|mi\|sp=us}} from the next along the major roads of the subcontinent.<ref name=lanky19/>		The India Office possesses a diary with the entry for 25 November 1676 noting "It was thought fitt... to sett up [[bungalow\|Bungales]] or [[wiktionary:Hovel\|Hovel]]ls... for all such English in the [[East India Company\|Company]]'s Service as belong to [[Ships of the East India Company\|their Sloopes & Vessells]]".<ref name=lanky19>{{harvp\|Lancaster\|1985\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA19 19]}}.</ref> The dak bungalows proper were first erected in the 1840s,<ref name=bhan20>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 20]}}.</ref> serving as staging posts for the ''[[Postage stamps and postal history of India\|dak]]'', the [[British Empire\|imperial]] mail service.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s father [[J. Lockwood Kipling]] described them as "about as handsome as a stack of hay" and forming a kind of "'irreducible minimum' of accommodation".<ref name=lanky19/> Each was about {{convert\|12\|to\|15\|mi\|sp=us}} from the next along the major roads of the subcontinent.<ref name=lanky19/>

	==Usage==		==Usage==
	The buildings provided free accommodation for government officials<ref name=bhan12>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12 12]}}.</ref> and, upon their permission, "incomparably cheap" lodging for other travellers.<ref name=bhan13>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13 13]}}.</ref>{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} The structures are therefore sometimes also known as '''posthouses''', '''resthouses''', or '''travellers' bungalows'''. Officials at the dak bungalows included the ''dakwala'' ([[postman]]), the ''durwan'' (caretaker), and sometimes a ''khansamah'' (attendant).{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Fees were set by the government; in the 1920s; 8 [[~~Indian anna~~\|annas]] a day for single persons and 12 for married couples{{sfnp\|Molony\|1921\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=YaqSM-Imi-MC&pg=PA112 112]}} {{nowrap\|([[Rupee\|Rs]]. ½ or ¾;}} 6 or 9 [[gram\|g]] of .917% [[silver]]). Guests were liable for reimbursing them for any damage and for the costs of supplies used, including grass for the horses, [[firewood]], and food.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Beds were uncommon, as the Raj officials were expected to travel with their own bedding and servants.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} The ''khansamah'' could provide dining for those without their own cook,{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} the common fare being eggs and chicken dishes.{{sfnp\|Bhandari\|2012}}		The buildings provided free accommodation for government officials <ref name=bhan12>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12 12]}}.</ref> and, upon their permission, "incomparably cheap" lodging for other travellers.<ref name=bhan13>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13 13]}}.</ref>{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} The structures are therefore sometimes also known as '''posthouses''', '''resthouses''', or '''travellers' bungalows'''. Officials at the dak bungalows included the ''dakwala'' ([[postman]]), the ''durwan'' (caretaker), and sometimes a ''khansamah'' (attendant).{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Fees were set by the government; in the 1920s; 8 [[Anna (monetary subunit)\|annas]] a day for single persons and 12 for married couples{{sfnp\|Molony\|1921\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YaqSM-Imi-MC&pg=PA112 112]}} {{nowrap\|([[Rupee\|Rs]]. ½ or ¾;}} 6 or 9 [[gram\|g]] of .917% silver). Guests were liable for reimbursing them for any damage and for the costs of supplies used, including grass for the horses, firewood, and food.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Beds were uncommon, as the Raj officials were expected to travel with their own bedding and servants.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} The ''khansamah'' could provide dining for those without their own cook,{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} the common fare being eggs and chicken dishes.{{sfnp\|Bhandari\|2012}} The Dak Bungalows were set up along main roads with few rooms to accommodate visiting officials who are on visit or on journey.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/dak-bungalows-and-ghosts-who-stay-there-117934\|title=Dak bungalows and ghosts who stay there\|author=Nehchal Sandhu,The Tribune\|access-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>

	In remote areas, most government work—including hearing legal cases—occurred at the dak bungalows when the district officials visited.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} At district headquarters, the circuit house provided a larger courtroom and better accommodations for visiting sessions judges.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Larger cities might have still more specialized buildings.		In remote areas, most government work—including hearing legal cases—occurred at the dak bungalows when the district officials visited.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} At district headquarters, the circuit house provided a larger courtroom and better accommodations for visiting sessions judges.{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} Larger cities might have still more specialized buildings.

	During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] the network of bungalows was used by escaping British civilians and soldiers but saw several massacres outside [[Delhi]].<ref name=bhan14>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT14 14]}}.</ref> Following the suppression of the rebellion and the assumption of rule by the British government, thatch was prohibited for use in official buildings.<ref name=lanky20>{{harvp\|Lancaster\|1985\|p=[https://books.google.~~co.jp~~/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA20 20]}}.</ref> They feature in the fiction of [[Rudyard Kipling]]:{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} "a fair proportion of the tragedy of our lives out here acted itself in dâk-bungalows... [and] many men have died mad in [them]..."<ref name=kipper>{{citation \|last=Kipling \|first=Rudyard \|authorlink=Rudyard Kipling \|author-mask=Kipling \|contribution=My Own True Ghost Story \|contribution-url=https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up \|title=[[The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales]] \|date=1888 \|page=[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/34/mode/2up 34]}}.</ref> "...nothing is too wild, grotesque, or horrible to happen in a dâk-bungalow."<ref>[[w:Rudyard Kipling\|Kipling]], "[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up My Own True Ghost Story]", [https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/36/mode/2up p. 37].</ref>		During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] the network of bungalows was used by escaping British civilians and soldiers but saw several massacres outside [[Delhi]].<ref name=bhan14>{{harvp\|Bhandari\|2012\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT14 14]}}.</ref> Following the suppression of the rebellion and the assumption of rule by the British government, thatch was prohibited for use in official buildings.<ref name=lanky20>{{harvp\|Lancaster\|1985\|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA20 20]}}.</ref> They feature in the fiction of [[Rudyard Kipling]]:{{sfnp\|Stanford\|1961}} "a fair proportion of the tragedy of our lives out here acted itself in dâk-bungalows... [and] many men have died mad in [them]..."<ref name=kipper>{{citation \|last=Kipling \|first=Rudyard \|authorlink=Rudyard Kipling \|author-mask=Kipling \|contribution=My Own True Ghost Story \|contribution-url=https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up \|title=[[The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales]] \|date=1888 \|page=[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/34/mode/2up 34]}}.</ref> "...nothing is too wild, grotesque, or horrible to happen in a dâk-bungalow."<ref>[[w:Rudyard Kipling\|Kipling]], "[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up My Own True Ghost Story]", [https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/36/mode/2up p. 37].</ref>

	==Legacy==		==Legacy==
	Many ~~Dak~~ bungalows fell into disrepair or were later replaced by circuit houses,<ref name=bhan12/> although some have been maintained and continue in use, as the lodges at the [[Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary\|Sipahijola]] and [[Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary\|Radhanagari wildlife sanctuaries]].		Many dak bungalows fell into disrepair or were later replaced by circuit houses,<ref name=bhan12/> although some have been maintained and continue in use, as the lodges at the [[Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary\|Sipahijola]] and [[Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary\|Radhanagari wildlife sanctuaries]].

	==See also==		==See also==
Line 27:		Line 27:
	===Citations===		===Citations===
	{{reflist\|30em}}		{{reflist\|30em}}

	===References===		===References===
	{{Refbegin}}		{{Refbegin}}
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	* {{citation \|last=Stanford \|first=J.K. \|contribution=Dak Bungalows \|contribution-url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_bungalows.htm \|url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk \|title=Readers' Guide to the Works of Rudyard Kipling, ''Vol. I'' \|editor-first=Reginald Engledow \|editor-last=Harbord \|display-editors=0 \|date=1961 \|publisher=Gibbs }}		* {{citation \|last=Stanford \|first=J.K. \|contribution=Dak Bungalows \|contribution-url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_bungalows.htm \|url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk \|title=Readers' Guide to the Works of Rudyard Kipling, ''Vol. I'' \|editor-first=Reginald Engledow \|editor-last=Harbord \|display-editors=0 \|date=1961 \|publisher=Gibbs }}
	{{Refend}}		{{Refend}}


	[[Category:Bungalow architecture]]		[[Category:Bungalow architecture]]

>Anon423: Adding local short description: "Government accommodations in British India", overriding Wikidata description "in British India" (Shortdesc helper)

2021-06-25T17:49:59Z

Adding local short description: "Government accommodations in British India", overriding Wikidata description "in British India" (Shortdesc helper)

New page

{{Short description|Government accommodations in British India}}
{{other uses|Dak Bungalow (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Dak_Bungalow_of_Narkanda_Village_of_Shimla_District_in_Indian_State_of_Himachal_Pradesh_in_1868_.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The dak bungalow above [[Narkanda]] in 1868]]
[[File:Sinking dak bungalow.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"A floating dâk-bungalow in difficulties", {{circa|lk=no|1880}}]]
[[File:Dak bungalow in Kenya.png|right|200px|thumb|A "dak bungalow" in Kenya, {{circa|lk=no|1900}}. The term was sometimes applied to similar structures throughout the [[British Empire]].]]
A '''dak bungalow''', '''dak-house''' or '''dâk-bungalow''' was a government building in [[British India]] under [[Company rule in India|Company Rule]] and the [[British Raj|Raj]]. It may also refer to some similarly-built or -used structures in modern [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Pakistan]].
__NOTOC__
==Origins==
The dak bungalows carried on a tradition of ''[[caravanserai]]s'', ''[[Dharamshala (type of building)|dharamshala]]s'', and other guesthouses erected by Indian rulers for both [[Hindu pilgrimage|Hindu]] and [[Islamic pilgrimage|Muslim pilgrims]].<ref name=bhan21>{{harvp|Bhandari|2012|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21 21]}}.</ref>

The India Office possesses a diary with the entry for 25 November 1676 noting "It was thought fitt... to sett up [[bungalow|Bungales]] or [[wiktionary:Hovel|Hovel]]ls... for all such [[Englishmen|English]] in the [[East India Company|Company]]'s Service as belong to [[Ships of the East India Company|their Sloopes & Vessells]]".<ref name=lanky19>{{harvp|Lancaster|1985|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA19 19]}}.</ref> The dak bungalows proper were first erected in the 1840s,<ref name=bhan20>{{harvp|Bhandari|2012|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 20]}}.</ref> serving as staging posts for the ''[[Postage stamps and postal history of India|dak]]'', the [[British Empire|imperial]] [[mail]] service.{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s father [[J. Lockwood Kipling]] described them as "about as handsome as a stack of hay" and forming a kind of "'irreducible minimum' of accommodation".<ref name=lanky19/> Each was about {{convert|12|to|15|mi|sp=us}} from the next along the major roads of the subcontinent.<ref name=lanky19/>

==Usage==
The buildings provided free accommodation for government officials<ref name=bhan12>{{harvp|Bhandari|2012|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT12 12]}}.</ref> and, upon their permission, "incomparably cheap" lodging for other travellers.<ref name=bhan13>{{harvp|Bhandari|2012|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13 13]}}.</ref>{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} The structures are therefore sometimes also known as '''posthouses''', '''resthouses''', or '''travellers' bungalows'''. Officials at the dak bungalows included the ''dakwala'' ([[postman]]), the ''durwan'' (caretaker), and sometimes a ''khansamah'' (attendant).{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} Fees were set by the government; in the 1920s; 8 [[Indian anna|annas]] a day for single persons and 12 for married couples{{sfnp|Molony|1921|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=YaqSM-Imi-MC&pg=PA112 112]}} {{nowrap|([[Rupee|Rs]]. ½ or ¾;}} 6 or 9 [[gram|g]] of .917% [[silver]]). Guests were liable for reimbursing them for any damage and for the costs of supplies used, including grass for the horses, [[firewood]], and food.{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} Beds were uncommon, as the Raj officials were expected to travel with their own bedding and servants.{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} The ''khansamah'' could provide dining for those without their own cook,{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} the common fare being eggs and chicken dishes.{{sfnp|Bhandari|2012}}

In remote areas, most government work—including hearing legal cases—occurred at the dak bungalows when the district officials visited.{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} At district headquarters, the circuit house provided a larger courtroom and better accommodations for visiting sessions judges.{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} Larger cities might have still more specialized buildings.

During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] the network of bungalows was used by escaping British civilians and soldiers but saw several massacres outside [[Delhi]].<ref name=bhan14>{{harvp|Bhandari|2012|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT14 14]}}.</ref> Following the suppression of the rebellion and the assumption of rule by the British government, thatch was prohibited for use in official buildings.<ref name=lanky20>{{harvp|Lancaster|1985|p=[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C&pg=PA20 20]}}.</ref> They feature in the fiction of [[Rudyard Kipling]]:{{sfnp|Stanford|1961}} "a fair proportion of the tragedy of our lives out here acted itself in dâk-bungalows... [and] many men have died mad in [them]..."<ref name=kipper>{{citation |last=Kipling |first=Rudyard |authorlink=Rudyard Kipling |author-mask=Kipling |contribution=My Own True Ghost Story |contribution-url=https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up |title=[[The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales]] |date=1888 |page=[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/34/mode/2up 34]}}.</ref> "...nothing is too wild, grotesque, or horrible to happen in a dâk-bungalow."<ref>[[w:Rudyard Kipling|Kipling]], "[https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/32/mode/2up My Own True Ghost Story]", [https://archive.org/stream/phantomrickshawo00kiplrich#page/36/mode/2up p. 37].</ref>

==Legacy==
Many Dak bungalows fell into disrepair or were later replaced by circuit houses,<ref name=bhan12/> although some have been maintained and continue in use, as the lodges at the [[Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary|Sipahijola]] and [[Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary|Radhanagari wildlife sanctuaries]].

==See also==
* [[Architecture of Chennai]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}
===References===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{citation |last=Bhandari |first=Rajika |date=2012 |title=The Raj on the Move: Story of the Dak Bungalow |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XN2mBAAAQBAJ |publisher=The Lotus Collection for Roli Books |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7436-849-2 }}.
* {{citation |last=Lancaster |first=Clay |date=1985 |title=The American Bungalow, 1880–1930 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DCPftp6Yk0C |publisher=Abbeville Press |location=New York |isbn=0-486-28678-9 }}.
* {{citation |last=Molony |first=John Chartres |authorlink=J. C. Molony |title=The Civilian's South India: Some Places and People in Madras |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YaqSM-Imi-MC |date=1921 |location=London |publisher=Lane Bodley |isbn=9788120616844 }}.
* {{citation |last=Stanford |first=J.K. |contribution=Dak Bungalows |contribution-url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_bungalows.htm |url=http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk |title=Readers' Guide to the Works of Rudyard Kipling, ''Vol. I'' |editor-first=Reginald Engledow |editor-last=Harbord |display-editors=0 |date=1961 |publisher=Gibbs }}
{{Refend}}

[[Category:Bungalow architecture]]