Collection: Duari

Artist - Pratik Raut
Mixed Media On Handmade Paper

In traditional Kangri architecture, the duari // द्वारी is an entrance which also serves as the face of the home — the carefully composed front wall that frames its doors and windows. Built with thick mud-plastered walls often resting on stone foundations, the duari balances strength with timeless grace. Its wooden doorframes, carved from deodar or kail, are fitted into the earth walls with remarkable precision, often reinforced with horizontal timber bands to lend seismic stability. The placement of the duari follows both functional and climatic logic, usually oriented to capture light and warmth while shielding against mountain winds. The detailing around the entrance — carved lintels, subtle ornamentation, and recessed niches — transforms it into a threshold of welcome, an architectural gesture of hospitality.

In many houses, the duari becomes the most expressive element, a quiet statement of craftswork that ties the house to its landscape and community.

These works by Pratik Raut continue his exploration of memory and space through the wash technique, letting the pigments run and settle as they will, much like time leaves its traces on old Kangri mud walls. At the heart of the composition is the duari, the front face of the house, rendered with an almost sacred emphasis. Its geometric grids and weathered textures are not simply architectural—they are portals, thresholds that hold stories. Pratik removes all surrounding distractions, allowing the duari to float in the expanse of highlighted space, as if they are old portraits hung on a wall, speaking softly of a way of life that still breathes in these structures.