A Chabutro (also spelt Chabutaro;

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

) or Chabutra (

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

) is a tower-like structure found in India that provides nesting sites for birds, especially

pigeon Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

s. People, particularly

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

consider it auspicious to feed pigeons and in morning women, men and even children come to feed pigeons at such Chabutras and as such you can see Chabutra outside villages, where Hindu population is more and also can find Chabutra inside Hindu Temples. The base of the structure typically has a sitting platform and serves as a social gathering place. Both names for this structure derive from ''kabutar'' and ''kubatar'', the respective Gujarati and Hindi words for 'pigeon', and they are both occasionally used in a broader sense to indicate any sitting platform, usually under a tree or beside any body of water, especially in northern India.

Varieties

Chabutros typically have pentagonal or octagonal enclosures at the top with holes where birds can make their nests. In Gujarat, chubatros are constructed at the entrances or centres of villages. In the Kutch district of Gujarat, chabutros can be found in almost all villages among the Mistris clan, who were master craftsmen and specialised in chabutro construction. Small chabutros are also found within the temples of their villages.Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas : A brief History & Glory : by Raja Pawan Jethwa. (2007) Calcutta. Section:(I) KGK and Architect built by them mainly in Princely State of Cutch. Another type of chabutro, found in Gujarat and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, have a different design and are built only to feed and let birds rest, but not intended for breeding purposes. The upper enclosure of such chabutras are artistically carved and designed like a window found on domes, called

chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...

. In Rajasthan and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

, chabutras are normally found within palaces or temples. A famous example of a chabutro found outside Gujarat is just outside

Raigarh Raigarh is a city in northern Chhattisgarh known as the 'Cultural capital of Chhattisgarh'; Raigarh is famous for its dance form “SUWA” (as Raigarh Gharana) and classical music; Raigarh is also known as Sanskritidhani. It is also known for ...

Railway Station in

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

. It is large and white. It was erected in 1947 by Shyamji Gangji Sawaria & sons, a noted railway contractor and entrepreneur of Raigarh, founder of Shyam Talkies, from the Kutch Mistri clan of Kumbharia. File:Pakshi Ghar.jpg, In breeding chabutro in Dethali Village,

Banaskantha Banaskantha district is one of the thirty-four districts of the Gujarat state of India. The administrative headquarters and largest city is Palanpur. The district is in northeastern Gujarat where the West Banas River runs through the valley betw ...

, Gujarat File:Chabutaro at Sanskar Kendra.jpg, A typical feeding and resting chabutro on display in

Sanskar Kendra Sanskar Kendra is a museum at Ahmedabad, India, designed by the architect Le Corbusier. It is a city museum depicting history, art, culture and architecture of Ahmedabad. Another Patang Kite Museum is there which includes a collection of kites, ...

museum, in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

, Gujarat. It is 120 years old and was originally in Kshetrapal ni Pol. File:A bird on Chabutra at Law Garden, Ahmedabad.JPG, A simple feeding and resting chabutro in Ahmedabad

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Chabutra
Chabutro - Ahmedabad
Buildings and structures in Gujarat Architecture in India Architectural elements

Varieties

See also

References

External links