Chettinad style

TRADITIONAL ART

&ARCHITECTURE

OF

CHETTINAD

Culture & Architecture

SOCIAL LIFE OF NAGARATHARS

SALIENT FEATURES OF A CHETTINAD HOUSE

TRADITIONS IN ARTS & CRAFTS

SPACE, FUNCTION & CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS

COLUMNS, PARAPETS AND CORNICES

RAJAS’ PALACE IN KANADUKATHAN

NAGARATHAR HOUSES IN KARAIKUDI.



• CHETT I N AD is a region of

the Sivaganga district of

southern Tamil Nadu state,

India.

• KARAIK U DI is known as

the capital of Chettinad, which

includes Karaikudi and 74

(traditionally its said as 96)

other villages.

• Since Chettinad was

strategically located on the old

trade route, the Chettiars left

their homes to work as traders

and moneylenders in Burma,

Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malaysia,

Singapore, Vietnam and other

South-East Asian countries.

• They prospered, returned

home & built massive homes

made of Burmese teak thatCulture & Architecture

• Nagarathars are an exclusive

clan, famous for their

enterprise, hard work and

contributions to society.

• They earned money by

crossing the seas and their

business acumen made them

successful and prosperous.

• Their social life is Unique. At

the apex of the family

household, is the “Aachi” the

senior most female in the

house.

• She controlled, if not every

thing, the finances of the

household.

• As a result of their traveling,

the Chettiars integrated

diverse influences into their

traditions which contributed

to their uniqueness.


• Since the 1970s, many have

become professionals,

entrepreneurs and industrialists.

• While the Nagarathars still see

their roots in Chettinad, over the

years, they have been moving

away from ancient traditions and

customs.

• Chettinad is known for its Culinary

delicacies

• Traditionally, meals for Chettiars are

served on a large banana leaf with rice,

vegetables, pickles, papadams, along with

meat dishes.

• Chettiars are very superstitious with

numbers, dishes have to be served in odd

numbers (i.e. seven or nine dishes per

meal).

• Although the Chettiars are well-known for

their delicious vegetarian preparations,

their recipes include fish and meats also.

• Chettinad can be considered as the master

chefs who prepare food that reflects the

excellence of South Indian look for in the

preparation and serving of food.

CHETTINAD CUISINE

Chettinad cuisine traditionally eaten on

a banana leaf (vaazhai ilai)



The colorful Rituals in

Traditional Weddings


around 9 clan temples. Each

member of the Chettiar community

belongs to a clan and each clan has

its own temple.

• AYANNAR SHRINES

Ayannar is the Tamil God “of

everything ": rain maker, god of

children, cattle, villages, earth,

nature and villagers. He is present in

rural areas. His abodes are not

necessarily temples but outdoor

shrines that are filled with terra-cotta

offerings.

• MARIAMMAN TEMPLES

Mariamman, the Goddess of

smallpox, is the deity of life,

especially of women and children.

She grants children and cures them.

The main festivals take place during

the months of March and

April. There is great fervour during

CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS


FESTIVALS• DEEPAVALI - On

Deepavali day, there is a

grand festive lighting of

traditional lamps by the achis

(the Chettiar wives). The

lamps are placed with other

consecrated offerings on

banana leaves.• NAVA RATRI - Navaratri is the

celebration of Goddesses

Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga,

the manifestations of Shakti

(Female Energy or Power).

Customarily, the Navaratri

festival or „Nine Nights festival‟ is

the culmination of nine days and

nignts of joyful celebrations

when the women of a

household are particularly

celebrated .


Temple Festival – the 5

decorated gods,

Panchamurthi - the

annual procession in

open bullock carts

Vaikasi Visakam – carrying of

kavadi, Fire walking &

piercing the body with long

needles & sharp hooks


Puravi Edupu – Horse festival –

beseeching the rain gods for

their mercy

Sevvai(Tuesday)Pongal-

celebrated on first Tuesday of

pongal, the harvest festival


• Athangudi tiles

are prepared by a

unique process in

which local soil

along with

cement, baby jelly

and synthetic

oxides are used.

• The tiles are cast

from the locally

available clay that

is first burnt and

then glazed.

• It is the play of

base colours with

typical

conventional flora

and line-drawing

designs that

ATHANGUDI T ILES


STREET VIEWS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bsboudreau/3452481767/

ARTS &

CRAFTS OF

CHETTINAD



• The arts & crafts of Chettinad

occupy a distinct position in South

Indian folklore.

• Wood carving, silver

embellishment, woven saris, palm-

leaf baskets, gold jewellery, hand-

made tiles, architectural styles,

refined cuisine and egg plastering

are among their more visible

contributions to the wide-ranging

repertoire of Indian arts and crafts.

• Chettinad baskets has a special

attraction as they have intricate

patterns made with date-palm

leaves.

Twin Chettinad

baskets woven

in fine silver

Intricate

wooden carved

doorframe

Traditional Jewellery

Traditional thaali -

Marriage necklace


Kandanghi sarees-

hand woven

Palmyra

leaf

Baskets –

‘Kottans’

&

‘Koodais’

Kidarams-big

water storage

vessel

Sombu -

Brass vessel

Crafted

aruvamanai

Ornamental

wooden carving

Spitoons-

Echilpanickam


Use of Burmese teak and multi-color

tiles for cupboards.

The

Traditional

Wooden

Dolls –

The

Chettiar &

The Achi

• A special feature of any chettinad

house is the decorative art of

"Kolam" practiced everyday at

dawn on the cleansed threshold

of the house.

• During auspicious days and

especially on lifecycle rituals like

birth and marriage related

celebrations, this art form on the

Nadu veetu kolam

http://reflectionsofanartoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cupboard.jpg

//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Nadu_veetu_kolam.jpg

ARCHITECTURE OF CHETTINADCulture & Architecture

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHI5NGIysc8/T0Mvig72kbI/AAAAAAAAEMI/knNMTb7FjOU/s1600/traditional+house.jpg


• Most Chettiar mansions

comprised of a public

reception area abutting the

street.

• The basic floor plan of a

Chettinad house consists of

an outside verandah (thinnai)

for guests,

• with a room for conducting

business on one or both

ends;

• an interior courtyard to be

used in ceremonies, with a

raised seating area at one or

both ends;

• a series of small double

rooms opening off the main

courtyard, for storage, prayer

and sleeping and a small

• 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.

• The rear hall served as the

women‟s domain where the

women of the community reared

children, engaged in food

preservation and went about

other domestic activities.

TYPICAL NAGARATHAR HOUSES


ItalianTiles

• Chettinad

architecture

stands out for

its use of

large spaces

in halls and

courtyards,

ornate

embellishmen

ts like Belgian

glasswork,

intricate

woodwork,

spectacular

ceramic tiles,

stone, iron

and wooden

pillars like

nothing else

that can be


CHETTINAD HOUSES

existed in the older days.

• Buildings are divided into

portions -„Kattu‟.

• Each house in chettinad is made

up of Mugappu, Valavu,

Irandankattu, Moonankattu &

thottam

• Mugappu – The reception;

entrance of the house

• Valavu – Living area of the

house

• In the valavu, there are 4

platforms that are called as

Pattalai, each at 4 corners of the

valavu.

• Pattalai – Living halls of each

family

• Along with Pattalai, valavu

consists of numerous Irattai

veedu.

• Irattai veedu – rooms used by

each family to keep their

• Nadai – Corridor

• Irandankattu – used for

dining / with storerooms for

storing crockery/kitchenware

• Moonamkattu –

Kitchen(adukala)

• Thottam – Garden

• Stables, cowsheds etc.,

“Mugappu" held by pillars made of granite


• The magnificent

mansions in Chettinad

are the finest

examples of

combinations of

vernacular

architecture &

amalgam of South

East & European

architecture.

• The source of

inspiration derived

from can be attributed

to their connection

with Trade, Travel,

Temples, Tradition

and Taste.

• From birth to burial,

the Nagarathars

observed numerous

ceremonies.

The pillared corridors

around the 'valuvu'

(courtyard), lead into

individual rooms, each

meant for a married son.

The long corridors of

second kattu-used for

dining


urban planning,

represented namely by

orthogonal streets and

specific water management

systems, which are also

directly linked to the earlier

Tamil traditions of

rectangular plots and

houses with an inner

courtyard.

• The houses, which evolved

over two centuries, are

veritable palaces.

• On the ground floor, the

architecture is typically

Tamil, while one can see

Western influences on the

higher floors.

• This reflects the Chettiar

way of life, a combination of

their vibrant traditions with

the global economy.

• 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.

• The walls of Chettinad

Nagarathars‟ buildings are

embellished with „Chettinad

plaster‟ whose other names

are:

• White –„Vellai poochchu‟;

• Egg plastering;

• Muthu Poochchu

• Such walls were coated with

several layers comprising


Kanakupullai’s room2nd Courtyard3rd Courtyard 1st Courtyard

Thinnai

kitchen

TYPICAL PLAN OF A CHETTINAD

HOUSE

The open aired 'valavu' (courtyard) with

wooden-pillared corridors on each side. The

pillars were made out of Burmese Teak.


The most important characteristic

features of Chettinad Buildings are

–

1) Cluster Houses, with

2) (Mostly)East West orientation

3) High – rise compound wall

(front side)

4) Entrance Arch with stone steps

5) Elevated plinth,

6) Tiled Portico,

7) Facade with stucco sculptures,

8) Verandah „Thinnai‟ (two

Platforms),

9) Wooden Pillars on it,

10) High door frame with ornate

wood work,

11)Double main door,

12) „pattalai‟ or pattasalai (smaller

version of the thinnai- platforms),

13) Open Courtyard („Mutram –

Valavu‟),

16) Edges of the passages are

lined with cut stone slabs

known as „vellaikkallu‟,

17) The stone pillars meant for

supporting the roof,

18) Sloping clay - tiled roofs,

The color-glass arch flanked by pillars on

either sides


19) Square – flat tiles floor of

the „mutram‟ will have

rectangle stone slabs on all the

four corners to bear the brunt

of the falling rain water,

20) Small single / double

rooms on one side or either

side of the passage

(„suththukkattu‟) length – wise,

21) Kitchen on the last „kattu‟,

22) Staircase on one or two or

all the four corners,

23) Banquet Hall Bhojan Hall

„Panthi kattu‟ on the side of the

first kattu,

24) Floors laid with -Italian

marble Black and White,

Granite & Athangudi tiles -

„Pookkallu‟,

25) Japanese and Spanish tiles

were both used for side walls

27) All the mediums used in

making columns viz, wood,

stone, brick, and iron,

28) First floor facade is

invariably adorned by

colonnade made of stone,

wood, and bricks,

29) Window niches and arches

above are decorated with

stucco work or paintings.

30) Designed for collecting /

harvesting rain water (especially

in courtyard (Mutram).

Central portion of 'valavu', called 'Muttram'


• Chettinad is rich

in cultural heritage,

art and

architecture, and is

well known for its

houses,

embellished with

marble and Burma

teak, wide

courtyards,

spacious rooms,

and for its 18th

century mansions.

• Local legend tells

that their walls

used to be

polished with a

paste made out of

egg-whites to give

a smooth texture.

The Reception

area -

Chettinad

House – with

imported

Italian Marble

flooring

Extensively

carved

Wooden

Ceiling of a

Chettinad

mansion


Moonamkattu – the kitchen courtyardThe Hall

The Pillared Verandah courtyard


RAJA’s PALACe

KANADUKATHAN


• The Chettinad Raja‟s

Palace, home of the

Chettiar family, was built in

1912.

• The pillars around the

courtyard are in Burma teak,

and there is picturesque

combination of scarlet tiles

and sloping woodwork. The

construction material, decor

items and furnishings were

mostly imported, from east

Asian countries and also

from Europe where the Raja

Chettiyar had spread his

sprawling business .

• The woodwork and stone

work were inspired by

French and other European

architecture.


The elegant wooden bracketing

Mugappu - belgium glasswork


Imported Italian chandeliers- Unique

decorated wooden columns

The Central courtyard is used for weddings and

religious ceremonies.


The elegant Dining Hall

Entrance

Hall

The third courtyard

http://www.flickr.com/photos/viwehei/5813718935/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/jairaj_ramendran/2266901338/


PARAPETS,

CORNICES &

PILLARS /

COLUMNS




Wooden carvings

intricate poetry on wood- richly

carved doorway

Elaborate wooden ceiling in a mansion

Use of animal motifs for brackets


Pillars/Col


Parapets/Cornices

The rich and

intricate detailing

of the parapets and

cornices across the

houses of chettinad


Windows

The colorful Belgian Glasswork


Stucco-work

Stucco Work-ArchitecturecumSculpture

• Stucco work was used on the interior & exterior

walls; stucco sculptural work was employed on the

entrance tower, façade, railing wall & compound wall.

• Images of God, goddess, angels, flora and fauna are

generally portrayed by using the medium of stucco.

• The icons of Gods/Goddesses- Gaja Lakshmi,

„Meenakshi Sundareswarar‟,Shiva Parvathi on

Rishaba bull was often a repeated theme in

Chettinad.

STUCCOWORK

• Gajalakshmi symbolizes

protection and prosperity while

Shiva Parvathi pair represents

happy family life.



Chettinad is a hot and semi-

arid region, The climate was

taken into consideration in the

design of their homes and the

materials used.

• The houses were built around

an East/West central

courtyard which brings shade,

light, coolness and air to the

entire home.

• BUILDING MATERIALS USED

- The materials used for

construction and the essential

components of this luxury

home are brick and lime plaster

walls, terracotta tiled roofs,

stone pillars, teak columns,

and marble and stone floors.

• ROOFING - The roof is

terracotta tiled – which helps in

shutting out the immense heat;

CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS

Documents

Chettinad style