BUILT HERITAGE / LIME IN PLACE
Lime connects the everyday wall to the histories of forts, palaces and sacred buildings. These examples bring material research and the archive’s remembered places into view.
01 / AMRITSAR, PUNJAB
The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board’s fort report records Nanakshahi-brick construction using lime and mud mortars, and lime-pointed masonry. This layered fabric illustrates why a fort cannot be treated as one uniform material: construction phases and original mortars matter to repair.
Punjab Infrastructure Development Board — Gobindgarh Fort Feasibility Report02 / AGRA, UTTAR PRADESH
The Archaeological Survey of India’s January 2022 newsletter describes replacing decayed lime plaster in the riverside underground cells using traditional lime processing before application. Lime’s history here continues through conservation practice, not only through the original construction.
Archaeological Survey of India — January 2022 Newsletter03 / TAMIL NADU
A 2021 experimental study examines organic lime putty formulations for the palace’s restoration, drawing on regionally available plant extracts. It connects an architectural setting with the study of traditional preparation, showing the importance of testing a recipe for its intended use.
Shivakumar, Selvaraj & Dhassaih — Organic Lime Putty, Scientific Reports (2021)PLACES REMEMBERED IN THE ORAL HISTORIES
Ujagar Lal recalls learning lime work from his father on these walls. His account preserves a family’s connection to the site and the emotional cost of directing the next generation away from the craft.
Read Ujagar Lal →Baba Ajeet remembers coating the city’s historic gateways with lime. The archive preserves this working memory alongside concern about dense modern coatings over old bricks.
Read Baba Ajeet →