India, April 20 -- Part of the beauty of the bungalow lies in its refusal to be boxed-in. It is a form of housing that has shape-shifted, over about 250 years, accommodating local cultures, climates and terrains in different parts of the world. It has evolved to embrace new artistic styles and innovations.
l Calcutta, mid-1700s on: For a while before the East India Company began to govern in India, it set up factories, warehouses, trading posts, barracks for armed guards - and homes. Calcutta was the base of these operations since about 1690.
By 1764, the Company was governing the region, after the defeat of the Nawab of Bengal. A rapidly urbanising Calcutta, now the British capital in India, saw palatial bungalows built for British offic...