Yami Gautam’s 100-year-old Mandi home is made of wood and stone: A look at the Himachali people's 1000-year-old secret to build homes that survive earthquakes and harsh winters without mortar or nails

Yami Gautam has been making news for her beautiful 100-year-old home in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. The house, which she bought for Rs 8 crore as per a Financial Express report, is made not of concrete but of wood and stone, as is the traditional Himachali way of building homes. Her home – as is the tradition with many Himachali homes – was likely constructed using a centuries-old building technique called Kath Kuni. Let’s delve into this ancient Indian style.

What Is Kath Kuni?

Kath Kuni is an indigenous building method developed for the challenging mountain environment. Combining locally sourced deodar timber, stone, and clever interlocking techniques, this traditional architecture demonstrates the skill of generations of Himachali builders. According to Refuje.com, the name comes from two Sanskrit words: ‘kath’ and ‘kona’. Referring to wood and corner.

According to Refuje.com, the name itself offers a clue to the construction method. Deodar timber is positioned at the corners of the structure, creating a sturdy wooden framework around which stone masonry is arranged. Rather than depending on cement or conventional mortar or even nails, the system relies on carefully positioned layers of timber and stone that lock together naturally.


Refuje.com says that this building style dates back somewhere between 1000 and 1200 years. One of the most prominent examples is the Bhima Kali temple in Saharan, which was built using this distinctive style. Its present tower is said to be 800 years old and is located on the route connecting Shimla with Kinnaur

Kath-Kuni buildings are made by placing wooden beams and stones one after the other in horizontal rows. Instead of using traditional vertical pillars, the design uses horizontal wooden beams, which are supported by crossing wooden parts that form a sturdy and adaptable structure. One of the main things that makes this method special is that it uses things that are already around in the area. In the past, builders mostly used stones and wood that were found nearby, so they didn't need to use cement or other man-made materials to stick things together.

The walls are made by putting roughly shaped stones between layers of deodar wood that are laid horizontally. The heavy stone walls, along with the wooden parts called 'kadil joints' that fit together, help make the whole structure strong and steady. This setup makes the building strong and somewhat flexible, which is very helpful in an area where earthquakes often happen.

Another key part of the building's design is the raised stone base. A big stone base raises the house off the ground, which helps protect the building from wetness, melting snow, and dampness. Wooden layers inside the walls add more strength, and slate is usually put on top of the roof to act as a natural shield from rain and water.

The idea behind Kath-Kuni is strongly linked to being eco-friendly. Instead of using materials made in factories and brought from faraway places, this method uses resources that are already found in the nearby area. Wood, stone, and slate can all be found nearby, which lets traditional Himalayan communities build strong, long-lasting homes while living in balance with their surroundings.

Architecture That Survives

According to a report by The Better India, the buildings were made using Kath Kuni and survived severe earthquakes, including the Kangra earthquake of 1905, the Uttarkashi earthquake of 1991, and the Sikkim earthquake of 2011.

The earthquake-resistant design of Kath-Kuni architecture comes from its smart use of wooden joints. Two important parts, called the kadil dowel joint and maanwi dovetail joint, let the wooden layers shift and turn inside the structure. This helps the whole thing handle shaking from earthquakes better, instead of making it stiff and break easily.

As reported by Down To Earth, even the connections between different structural parts are usually made from wood. The closely packed stones make the building strong and steady, while the wooden beams add some give, helping the structure move more easily during an earthquake.

The roof helps keep the building strong and steady. Traditional slate slabs are used for roofing, and their heavy weight puts a lot of pressure down on the building structure. This keeps the various layers tightly joined and makes the whole structure even stronger.

Even though the buildings were built without the help of a nail, the buildings survived. As per Refuje, the nail-less, mortar-less seams enable the layers to shift a few millimetres when a tremor takes place, and the tension between unmortared stone and tightly fitted deodar wood transforms the seismic energy into heat rather than reflecting it into the structure.

When subjected to seismic forces, a Kath-Kuni wall may produce audible creaking and develop cracks around its infill, but its flexible construction allows it to absorb and dissipate some of the movement. A reinforced-concrete wall, by contrast, is considerably more rigid and has less capacity for gradual deformation before structural failure. In simple engineering terms, rigid structures can fail abruptly, while friction-based, flexible systems are designed to yield progressively and soften the impact of sudden forces.

As per Down To Earth, these houses also provide natural insulation. The thick double walls retain heat, and the mud plaster allows free movement of air.

The most magical thing about Kath Kuni is this: One of the areas so vulnerable to earthquakes, the buildings that have survived the tremours have been built with not concerete or steel but with just wood and stone and community knowledge.