Abstract
Wood has long been used in Kashmir for making houses (Stein 1900: 451-452)1, but it was not
preferred for the construction of monumental worship architecture for a long time. It was for the
first time that large worship buildings were made when Islam arrived there (Hasan 1959: 268).2
Thereafter, not only wooden structures were constructed either exclusively or in association with
stone and/or brick masonry to raise huge monumental buildings that exist till date but also they were
decorated with wooden ceilings, walls, doors, cornices, facades on balconies. This time common houses
were built of wood and were most beautifully decorated as Mirza Haidar narrates:
'In the town, there are many lofty buildings constructed of fresh-cut pine. Most of these are
at least five storeys high; each storey contains apartments, halls, galleries and towers. The
beauty of their exterior defies description and all who behold them for the first time, bite
the finger of astonishment with the teeth of admiration' (Dughlat 1991: 425)
PARVAIZ HUSAIN BHAT . (2010) The Art of Wood Work in Kashmir , Pakistan Heritage, Volume 2, Issue 1.
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