Chettinad Architecture

CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…•RELIGION AND BELIEF

•CULTURE

•PROPORTIONS

•SETTLEMENT PLANNING

•PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING

•HOUSING TYPOLOGY

•MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION

•CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

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CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE… PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING…

The Chettinad houses were originally single-storeyed buildings made of sundried brick of mud and bamboo and thatch.

They evolved to become tile-roofed with a small two-storeyed tower at both ends of the front elevation,

They later expanded vertically into two-storeyed structures, and horizontally through the addition of numerous halls and courtyards that could accommodate guests at marriages and other ceremonies It was not unusual for three generations to live together in one house. The Chettinad houses accommodate up to four generations before separate houses are built by individual sons










oThe houses are built on a rectangular, traversal plot that stretches across two streets, with the front door opening into the first street and the back into the second.

oLooking in from the main threshold, your eye travels in a straight line across a series of inner courtyards, each a diminishing rectangle of light, leading out to the back door .

othe courtyards supply ample light and air (pickles and papads were dried there) but leave the rest of the house in deep and cool shadow. The courtyards have tiles placed exactly under the storm-water drainpipes so that the stone floor is not damaged.

o Underground drains run right through the house, with stone stoppers carved exactly for their mouths.

o Large stone vats for water and wooden bins for firewood line the inner courtyards.










First comes an outer thinai - Large raised platforms on either side of the central corridor, where the host would entertain male guests.

The platforms lead off on one side into store rooms and massive granaries and on the other, into the ( Kanakupillai ) or Accountant's room.This area also usually leads off to the men's well.

From here, the huge elaborately carved teak front door, with image of Lakshmi carved over the head and navaratna or nine precious gems buried under the ( Vasapadi) threshold.

The door leads into the first open air courtyard, with pillared corridors running on each side thatlead into individual rooms, each meant for a married son, each with a triangular slot cut into the wall for the evening lamp.

Then comes the second counrtyard with large dining spaces on either side.










The third courtyard was for the women folk to rest and gossip, while the fourth, or nalankattai comprised the kitchens, leading out to the backyard with its women's well and grinding stones.

The wealthier the merchants the larger the house, often spreading out to a second floor.

Let alone air conditioning, inside an authentic Chettinad house you will never feel the need to use fans too amidst open courtyards, amazing wall finishes and earthy tiles

Kanakupillaithinai










Cool space The Chettinad houses were conceived as fortresses, guarding both valuables and the even more valuable, cool air.

So, from outside, you perceive no idea of the house's design. Thus instead of lawns in front of the house, the Chettiars had courtyards inside.

But they retained the thinnai (platform outside the house that projects towards the street from the house's front wall), typical of ethnic Tamil architecture.

The thinnai ended in granaries on one side and a room, generally the accountant's room, on the other side.

The heavy and elaborately carved front doors, with images of deities, Goddess Lakshmi especially (from the shiploads of Burmese teak, of course) sometimes had precious gems inlayed on it.










The courtyards

Most Chettinad mansions have at least a couple of courtyards.

The living space leads one immediately into the courtyard.

The first open-air courtyard, with corridors flanked by huge pillars on its sides, generally was bordered by rooms along its sides.

You also notice triangular slots cut into the walls of these houses, an inbuilt shelf for lamps.

The second courtyard opens out immediately and is flanked by spaces used for dining generally.

The third courtyard served as a restroom for the womenfolk, while the fourth one housed the kitchens.










•Each of the small rooms off the main courtyard is the property of onemarried son in the patriarchal lineage of the ancestral builder of the home.

•It is the only part of the house, besides a section of the kitchen, to which a separate ownership can be attributed.

•Even today, men and women are segregated in a Chettinad house:the men occupy the outer verandah and front room; and the women occupy the kitchen courtyard and work around the main courtyard.

•No house comes with less than two vast kitchens, not to mention several giant grinding stones and rows of fireplaces in the last courtyard – all meant to entertain gigantic gatherings









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…

•A series of developments can be noted in the houses owing tothe cultural changes and modernisation.

•The thinnai was provided on either side of the house in the mainentrance which is mainly used by the male members of the housefor the informal meetings

•In the later house when the intimate contact with the neighbours was reduced owing to the cultural change the front thinnai wasenclosed to privacy

•This reduced the segregation between the male and the femaleof the house

BELIEFS…

BELIEFS…









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…PROPORTION

Proportion

Well proportioned Well proportioned plan









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•Culture is an all embracing word which includes all significant aspects of human life beginning from philosophy, social organization , religion and economy, social institutions and meanings etc.

CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…CULTURE

• The land of Tamils,in the southern part of INDIA is CHETTINAD – the land of NATTUKOTTAI, founded by Chettiars,called by their preferred community name – NAGARATHAR .

•Chettiars,were one of the earliest business communities in India. They settled almost mid-centre between the capitals of the Pandya Kingdom in Madurai and the Chola Empire in Thanjavur in the 13th century.









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…CULTURE

•Wood carving, silver embellishment, woven saris, palm-leaf baskets, gold jewellery, hand-made tiles, architectural styling, refined cuisine and egg plastering are among their contributions of Indian arts and crafts. These masterful innovations justified the self-proclaimed sobriquet the Chettiars gave themselves—Nagarathars or the ‘sophisticated townsfolk’. Even today, Chettinad is a heritage zone dotted with the palatial homes that are called Nattukottais. Towns like Karaikudi, Pallathur, Athangudi, and Kothamangalam, have the most lavish houses in Chettinad. The people of Chettinad

then moved on from their settlement to other

villages not far from their first settlement and, there were nine

main clusters of villages. To each of

them the Pandya King granted a temple in

perpetuity.









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…PLANNING

Chettinad Houses:

•The Chettinad houses are built on a rectangular traversal plot that stretches across two streets, with the front door opening into the first street and the back into the second. Looking in from the main threshold, your eye travels in a straight line across a series of inner courtyards, each a diminishing rectangle of light, leading out to the back door.

Veranda. First courtyard columns.

Tinnai corridor Puja room and storage of dowry items.

"conjugal" room second courtyard

kitchen. Veranda.

open garden space









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…HOUSING TYPOLOGY

•First comes an outer thinai - Large raised platforms on either side of the central corridor, where the host would entertain male guests. The platforms lead off on one side into store rooms and massive granaries and on the other, into the ( Kanakupillai ) or Accountant's room. • The door leads into the first open air courtyard, with pillared corridors running on each side that lead into individual rooms, each meant for a married son. Then comes the second counrtyard with large dining spaces with the kitchens, leading out to the backyard with its women's well and grinding stones. The wealthier the merchants the larger the house, often spreading out to a second floor. •The courtyards supply ample light leaving the rest of the house in deep and cool shadow. The courtyards have tiles placed exactly under the strom-water drain run right through the house, with stone stoppers carved exactly for their mouths. Large stone vats for water and wooden bins for firewood line the inner courtyards.










AMM House in Pallathur

The Meyyappans have converted the family clubhouse into The bangala, the S.A.R. Muthiah family has opened up some rooms in its family mansion to tourists. Muthiah Chettiar, the Raja of Chettinad, has opened his house in Kanadukathan for public viewing, while his brother's house next door has a floor converted to a museum that displays everything associated with chettiars.










Chettinadu Mansion has 7 Air-conditioned double rooms, each with an attached bathroom, a dressing room and a private balcony with an open air shower.

These rooms are comfortably furnished with hand picked original Chettinad pieces.

Chettinad Palace which is located just behind Chettinadu Mansion.

Chettinad shandies, is where one gets idea about local marketing skills of the village folk and view the colourful arrangement of vegetables, fruits, snacks, chettinad baskets, and other rural produce, and may be pick up some items at throwaway prices.










VIEWS OF CHETTINAD









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…PALACES

Chettinad Palace in Kanadikathan

The 110-year-old Chettinad Palace in Kanadikathan village is the oldest surviving building of this style, built by Dr Annamali Chettiyar, founder of the Indian Bank and the Annamalai University in Chidambaram











Next to the palace is the Raja's brother's house, a treasure house of all things Chettinad — furniture, ornaments, saris, vessels and the like. Located nearby is the `Chettinad' railway station with a rest-house close by, which belongs to the Raja's family.

ENTRANCE OF PALACE OUTSIDE VIEW ENTRANCE

INNER ENTRANCE COURT PRIVATE ENTRANCE DINING HALL










GALLERY AROUND PATIO ENTRANCE

C O U R T Y A R D










•The walls are of baked bricks

•Plastered over by a secret recipe of roots,

•Yolk and lime that leaves them silken smooth and washable;

•The tiles are Spanish;

•The floors of Italian marble or locally - crafted Athangudi tiles;

•The pillars of Burmese teak, many houses have small turrets,

•Elaborate guard houses on the terrace. BUILDING MATERIALS

Building materials used are













•Plastered over by a secret recipe of roots, Yolk and lime that leaves them silken smooth and washable

•Inside an authentic Chettinad house you will never feel the need to use fans too amidst open courtyards, amazing wall finishes and earthy tiles

•The floors of Italian marble or locally - crafted Athangudi tiles;

•The pillars of Burmese teak, many houses have small turrets,

BUILDING MATERIALS











•Matchbox-like structures, tall endless mud and lime copies of mass produced enclosures.•Chettinad houses are

built on a rectangular traversal plot that stretches across two streets, with the front door opening onto the first street and the back onto the second.

• Looking in from the main threshold, your eye travels in a straight line across a series of inner courtyards, each a diminishing rectangle of light, leading out to the back door.

Karaikudi - Chettinad House

A TYPICAL CHETTINAD HOUSE









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

Madras terrace roofing.

•Handmade floor tiles from Athangudi, are inlaid on the madras terrace roof pattern with the joists imported from Burma as batterns are melamine Burma teak.

Madras plastering technique.

• Lime egg plastering, another traditional technique used to paint walls white and keep the insides of houses cool, that lasts virtually the entire life of the building,

Construction techniques.










Madras terrace roofing.











•The construction material, decorative items and furnishings were mostly imported from East Asian countries and Europe.

•The marble was brought from Italy, chandeliers and teak from Burma, crockery from Indonesia, crystals from Europe and wall-to-wall mirrors from Belgium.

•The woodwork and stonework was inspired that of the houses in France and other European destinations

Construction techniques.










•The huge elaborately carved teak front door, with image of Lakshmi carved over the head and navaratna or nine precious gems buried under the ( Vasapadi) threshold.

•Pillared corridors running on each side that lead into individual rooms, each meant for a married son, each with a triangular slot cut into the wall for the evening lamp.

•Large dining spaces on either side.

•The third courtyard was for the women folk to rest and gossip, while the fourth, or nalankattai comprised the kitchens.

A typical chettinad construction

A TYPICAL CHETTINAD HOUSE












•The evolution of a whole way of life, from culture and history to the use of materials and new technologies, to an understanding of the environmental factors

Construction

•Many of the windows, with orange segment shaped fanlights over some of them, or barred and grilled doors, with pierced screen ventilators on top, have been treated with dark green paint. •The basketwork has been used as lamps, as decorative flourishes in a niche and as containers for holding food in it.









CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…EXTERNAL FAÇADE TREATMENT

•The central is surrounded by pillars of burma teak and there is a •combination of scarlet tiles and sloping woodwork.

•The construction material, decor items and furnishings were mostly imported,work were inspired by French and other European architecture.









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Private entrance of the house where still the authentic family of the Chettiars live .











•Dining hall where at least 250 people can dine in the traditional style, that is, by squatting on the floor.

•Dining hall with the door to the central inner courtyard and some old paintings .











The entrance view showing the details of their façade treatment with the combination of vibrant colours as well as the openings.











•This is the view of one of the chettinad house which was built 120 years ago.











One of chettinad house showing the richness which it had with higher plinth










CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…PLANNING CONCEPTS

•The verandah is just next to the iron-gate and was converted into the waiting area for the visitors.

•The meeting hall is decoratedwith several pairs of tusks; one of them is over 8 ft long and shipped from South Africa.

•The walls are made 1.5 ft to 3 ft wide to keep the cool without the use of any electronic equipment like the air conditioners.










•Chettinad, rich in cultural heritage, art and architecture, is well known for its houses, that are embellished with marble and Burma teak. •The houses have wide inner courtyards and spacious rooms. •The basic design comprises of a "thinnai" which is an enclosed courtyard and this is surrounded by family rooms. •The plaster involves the application of the finely ground mixture• of powdered shell, lime, jaggery and spices, including gallnut to walls. •This technique keeps the interior of the house cool during the hot and humid Indian summers and lasts a lifetime.

•The architectural structure of a typical Chettiar home is a study in how a human dwelling can be constructed in harmony with nature.










•High ceilings, airy and well ventilated, the house has one courtyard near the entrance leads to the imposing main door, usually made of wood with extraordinarily intricate carvings of mythological figures.

•The thinnai is a long narrow raised platform that serves as a meeting place and also as a kind of accomodation for travellers and visitors.

•The inner courtyard has special significance. It is lined with classically beautiful pillars made out of granite or teakwood.

•The courtyard serves as the venue for the many ceremonies that the community performs from births to weddings to death.










•View showing the interiors with stout columns with lot of detailings.

•Huge large marbles single piece marble is used as flooring











•View showing the upper corridor having arcades connecting the bedrooms with twin circular columns.











•Series of columns supporting the sloping roof covered with pot tiles which is adopted mainly to drain the rainwater.











CHETTINAD ARCHITECTURE…INTERIORS

•The ceiling has artistic patterns in vegetable dye over roofing plates made of copper soldered with a special variety of aluminum.

•The no cementing agent was used in the construction and the bricks are bound together with a paste of egg white, the extract of an unripe medicinal fruit found in the hills of Kadukkai and lime grind.

•The hall leads to the central courtyard, which was used for weddings and religious ceremonies. •The pillars around the courtyard are made of Burma teak.

•There is a colorful combination of blood-red tiles and sloping woodwork. •The ladies' hall has another courtyard and a rectangular dining hall.•At least 250 people can sit and dine in the dining hall in the traditional style, i.e., by squatting on the floor.










•The third courtyard has several smallrooms around it. They were meantto store crockery, food and otherkitchen items.

•The servants' quarters are situatedat the far end at a proper distancefrom the residential area of the family.

•A couple of large stone hand-grinders are fixed on the verandasurrounding the courtyard.

•Eleven firewood ovens are lined along the kitchen wall and there are alsotwo teak wood cupboards.

•A puja room in a corner of the courtyard .

•The first floor comprises mainly of bedrooms and living rooms .











•Near the kitchen provision has been made in the roof to hold the traditional tools of the kitchen activities











PLANNING CONCEPT

•The concept of chettinadu house is believed to have arrivedfrom kaveripoompatinam.

•The planning concept was essentially based on occupation ofthe people and their desires .

•Since they were traders they need spaces for keeping theirvaluables called inside room and outside room which servedthe purpose.

•The dictated introverted planning was adopted to avoid multipleaccess.

•The scale of spaces like kalyana kottagai and bhojana hall was determined by the religious and family festivals.










SERVICE SPACE- the scale for these spaces is not fixed the day to day activities but by the festive usage. Their location in the linear arrangement follows the living area.

MULTIPURPOSE CENTRAL OPEN SPACE- located amidst the room and often used as the semipublic and commercial space.

FEASTING SPACE though this space is less commonly used it is considered as the important space and exists as the status symbol of the household

SPATIAL ORGANISATION










SPATIAL ORGANISATION

RECEPTION- this is designed to express the stately image of the owner it has level variations and used both for receiving the guest and for relaxation.

PATTAGASALAI- This is used for relaxation as well for the confidential dealings which is usually a raised platform. This space usually mixes with the central space.

SECURED AND SECLUDED SPACE- This space is created to serve the need for storage . The scale and the intimacy of the space reveals the material stored. The composition is such that the outer room buffers the inner room.

Design

Chettinad Architecture