A Village in India

I spent some time on the internet looking at photos of traditional Indian village houses, the sort of thing poorer farming folk might reside in.  Two things struck me first, the scorched dried out grey colour of the thatch, the Indian sun being particularly relentless.  Second, the rich colour of the daub that makes up the walls of such buildings.

I wanted these buildings for both the Sikh Wars and the Indian Mutiny.  By themselves they will serve as a village and they will also do as part of the poorer quarter of my Indian city.  

With the addition of some more substantial buildings, like a small fort and a few Haveli they would do as a table top representation of the prosperous village of Mudki.  Strangely enough the battle of Mudki was not fought there but it was the nearest settlement to the battle field.

When the British Army arrived at Mudki its camp followers immediately set about an orgy of looting.  This resulted in the local merchants shutting up shop-gasp!  As a consequence the British Quarter Masters couldn't buy much needed supplies.  Both Merchants and QM's then besieged General Gough demanding the camp followers be removed.  Gough ordered the army to clear the town of camp followers.  The army cleared the town of every Indian they could find, merchants and all and reported job done.  Mudki was then deserted and as a result the British Army went hungry into the Battle of Mudki.

The buildings are 10mm from Timecast and sold as part of their Vietnam range.  However, they scale well enough with my 15mm Indian and British troops and look Indian enough for me.  The figures shown here are 15mm Sikh Irregulars (ex Black Hat) from Fighting 15s.

Timecast also do some very useful clutter for a village or for my purposes an Indian Bazaar.  I need to paint it but I've high hopes of it.

That's it for now as I'm in the final stages of making an Indian temple and unlike me it won't glue itself.