>Anon423 Adding local short description: "Government accommodations in British India", overriding Wikidata description "in British India" (Shortdesc helper) |
m slightly corrected content and added references |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
[[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 | 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]]. | ||
==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. | 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 | 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. | 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. | 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 | 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}} | ||
| Line 34: | Line 35: | ||
* {{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]] | ||
Latest revision as of 09:48, 8 January 2026
A dak bungalow, dak-house or dâk-bungalow was a government building in British India under Company Rule and the Raj. It may also refer to some similarly built or -used structures in modern India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Origins[edit | edit source]
The dak bungalows carried on a tradition of caravanserais, dharamshalas, and other guesthouses erected by Indian rulers for both Hindu and Muslim pilgrims.[1]
The India Office possesses a diary with the entry for 25 November 1676 noting "It was thought fitt... to sett up Bungales or Hovells... for all such English in the Company's Service as belong to their Sloopes & Vessells".[2] The dak bungalows proper were first erected in the 1840s,[3] serving as staging posts for the dak, the imperial mail service.[4] 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".[2] Each was about 12 to 15 miles (19 to 24 km) from the next along the major roads of the subcontinent.[2]
Usage[edit | edit source]
The buildings provided free accommodation for government officials [5] and, upon their permission, "incomparably cheap" lodging for other travellers.[6][4] 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).[4] Fees were set by the government; in the 1920s; 8 annas a day for single persons and 12 for married couples[7] (Rs. ½ or ¾; 6 or 9 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.[4] Beds were uncommon, as the Raj officials were expected to travel with their own bedding and servants.[4] The khansamah could provide dining for those without their own cook,[4] the common fare being eggs and chicken dishes.[8] The Dak Bungalows were set up along main roads with few rooms to accommodate visiting officials who are on visit or on journey.[9]
In remote areas, most government work—including hearing legal cases—occurred at the dak bungalows when the district officials visited.[4] At district headquarters, the circuit house provided a larger courtroom and better accommodations for visiting sessions judges.[4] 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.[10] Following the suppression of the rebellion and the assumption of rule by the British government, thatch was prohibited for use in official buildings.[11] They feature in the fiction of Rudyard Kipling:[4] "a fair proportion of the tragedy of our lives out here acted itself in dâk-bungalows... [and] many men have died mad in [them]..."[12] "...nothing is too wild, grotesque, or horrible to happen in a dâk-bungalow."[13]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Many dak bungalows fell into disrepair or were later replaced by circuit houses,[5] although some have been maintained and continue in use, as the lodges at the Sipahijola and Radhanagari wildlife sanctuaries.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
Citations[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Bhandari (2012), p. 21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lancaster (1985), p. 19.
- ↑ Bhandari (2012), p. 20.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Stanford (1961).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bhandari (2012), p. 12.
- ↑ Bhandari (2012), p. 13.
- ↑ Molony (1921), p. 112.
- ↑ Bhandari (2012).
- ↑ Nehchal Sandhu,The Tribune. "Dak bungalows and ghosts who stay there". Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ↑ Bhandari (2012), p. 14.
- ↑ Lancaster (1985), p. 20.
- ↑ Kipling (1888), "My Own True Ghost Story", The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales, p. 34.
- ↑ Kipling, "My Own True Ghost Story", p. 37.
References[edit | edit source]
- Bhandari, Rajika (2012), The Raj on the Move: Story of the Dak Bungalow, New Delhi: The Lotus Collection for Roli Books, ISBN 978-81-7436-849-2.
- Lancaster, Clay (1985), The American Bungalow, 1880–1930, New York: Abbeville Press, ISBN 0-486-28678-9.
- Molony, John Chartres (1921), The Civilian's South India: Some Places and People in Madras, London: Lane Bodley, ISBN 9788120616844.
- Stanford, J.K. (1961), "Dak Bungalows", Readers' Guide to the Works of Rudyard Kipling, Vol. I, Gibbs