From aesthetics to security, iron railings and railings have evolved over the years and continue to be an eclectic part of our homes today.
The balcony railings of the Boro Sardar Bari in Sonargaon. Crafted from cast iron, these railings feature vertical posts with intricate designs on top. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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The balcony railings of the Boro Sardar Bari in Sonargaon. Crafted from cast iron, these railings feature vertical posts with intricate designs on top. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Growing up in a capital city, one memory I managed to carry with me was being jealous of one of my playmates. Ishrat lived in the ground floor apartment of an old building, with dark moss patches and cracks on its facades.
But in this dark apartment, a beautiful iron gate and railing, with rust stains, adorned the balcony where we used to play with our handmade dolls.
I envied him because of that grille. Made of sturdy cast iron, this iron railing featured a beautiful vine, thick with flowers and foliage, and that design is forever etched in my memory.
I wish I had this grid on my balcony back then instead of the geometric patterned one with circles, triangles and squares in all shapes and sizes.
Today, window grills and railings are common decorative elements, especially in urban areas. Their history dates back to the Buddhist period, medieval Scotland, ancient Egypt and China.
Age-old cast iron ornaments on a gate in Sonargaon Panam City. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
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Age-old cast iron ornaments on a gate in Sonargaon Panam City. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
From aesthetics to safety, these grilles have evolved over the years and continue to be an eclectic part of our homes today.
But far from the prison-like vertical or horizontal bars we see around us today, 17th-century Baroque window guards and even 20th-century Renaissance and Baroque-inspired cast-iron railings and grilles have in improved the appearance of Zamindar palaces. in the Bengal region, making residents feel safe but not confined.
Not just in palaces, cast iron railings have been used on spiral staircases, boundary railings on rooftops, and as window guards in luxury homes, even in the late 20th century in our history. country.
In urban areas, these metal guards were used on windows and balconies more for security than ornamental purposes. They kept intruders out while letting in air and light. Wrought iron bars were often adorned with decorative molded flowers, tassels or medallions.
Ancient railing pillars around the great Buddhist stupa of Amaravati. Photo: British Library
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Ancient railing pillars around the great Buddhist stupa of Amaravati. Photo: British Library
Nowadays, design has adapted to the idea of functionality rather than visual embellishments and price also plays a crucial factor.
“You can design a grid with 800 grams of iron per square foot, which will cost you Tk160 to Tk170,” said Md Malek Mia, owner of Malek Metal Works.
However, a designer iron guard with floral and intricate designs will require two to three kilograms of iron and the price can go up to Tk 400 per square foot.
According to Malek, price is the reason people are now turning to simple square bars for window grilles and balcony guards.
Qutub Minar has sandstone railings on the balcony railing. Photo: Wikimedia
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Qutub Minar has sandstone railings on the balcony railing. Photo: Wikimedia
From stone posts to iron bars
We contacted architect Abu Sayeed M Chowdhury, a specialist in historic preservation, to find out more about the evolution of railings and railings in the Indian subcontinent.
He explained that during the Buddhist period (6th to 3rd century BC), the Stupa or Bihars had stone balustrades around it, which were called Sochi and Thaba.
“Beautifully carved stones were inserted into another stone, and this is how the whole balustrade was made. From the Buddhist period, this technique continued until the period of the Mughal dynasty”, a- he declared.
On the British Library website there is a photograph of the ancient balustrade around the Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya, and the pillars of the great Buddhist stupa at Amaravati.
Modern architects work with various materials like glass, stainless steel, wood, etc. for the guards. Photo: Asif Salman
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Modern architects work with various materials like glass, stainless steel, wood, etc. for the guards. Photo: Asif Salman
Made of limestone, these pillars feature carved panels and medallions with animal and lotus motifs, as well as yakshis (folk goddess), loving couples, winged horses and centaurs.
The pillars of the Amaravati balustrade are carved from limestone with lotus medallions and narrative reliefs. The outer face is lost, but the inner face depicts a half-lotus and a narrative in the central lotus roundel; probably the child Siddhartha (symbolically represented) nursed by the old man Asita. The fluted lower part represents the visit of Asita and her nephew Naradatta.
Stone was a favored material even during the Islamic period. There were railings or vertical posts made of stones. Initially, stones and later clay bricks were used to create a boundary balustrade, which can be seen on the Qutub Minar.
Laha Bari
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Laha Bari
Architect Abu Sayeed talked about another technique, called dowelling technique, where the stones are bent in such a way that they interlock with each other without any kind of adhesive. This technique has been used in our country for hundreds of years.
For example, we can look at the Kusumba Mosque in Naogaon, which was built in 1558. Two of the doors of this mosque are closed by geometrically patterned stone guards.
During the colonial period, the material, technique and patterns changed. From bricks and stones, we adapted to metal or cast iron.
“Since the early 1700s, cast iron grates have become popular. They are sturdy, repairable and reusable. This has made them a popular choice,” Abu Sayeed said.
In his article published in The Hindu, Sebanti Sarkar wrote beautifully about how colonial Kolkata started cast iron ornamentation.
She wrote: “Between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, Kolkata saw an increase in building activity. The British began to replicate the famous buildings they knew, sometimes experimenting through styles, for an “exotic Asian” feel.”
“The High Court in Calcutta, built in 1862, is a replica of the Stadt-Hausin Ypres, and the Government House (now the Raj Bhavan) built in 1803, was modeled on Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire,” he said. she adds.
Mahera Jamidar Bari
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Mahera Jamidar Bari
Inspired by the elaborate ornamentation of the Gothic, Baroque and Rococo periods, the British colonists included metal ornamentation in their architecture, and under this influence the Zamindars of colonial India adorned their verandas, palaces and residences with metal .
The homes of aristocratic families were filled with geometric Greek patterns, European lilies, Tudor roses, daisies, hymns and palm leaves, which can still be found in Zamindari relics in different corners of Bangladesh. They stay forever – because cast iron is hard and weatherproof.
Architect Abu Sayeed informed us that after independence in 1947, modern architects were against floral designs because creating a replica of a human or any other creature is forbidden in Islam. This is why the ornamentation of the Islamic period became more abstract and geometric.
Classic floral patterns were ignored by modern or postmodern architects, and that’s when simple and straightforward designs came along.
