Agraharam

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE: AGRAHARAM,

KARAIKUDI

R. Naveen
2016701543
IIIyr
School of Architecture and Planning,
Anna university,
Chennai

Vernacular Architecture 1 Aathangudi

Agraharam

Summary

Man has been involved in the conceptualisation and production of

architectural space from pre-historic times.

In doing so he evolved an architecture that was not just a shelter from the
elements, but was a creation of a social and
Keywords: symbolic space- a space which both mirrored
Vernacular and moulded the worldview of its creators and
Athangudi inhabitants.
Analysis
Courtyard Vernacular maybe named as something naïve
Thinnai and unique to a certain place, created without
the help of imported components and
processes and possibly built by individuals who occupy the particular space.

In many societies the house is the principle locus for the objectification of the
generative schemes of that culture. After early works in this area, in the later part
of the 19th century, interest in house form and settlement appears to have taken a
back seat. The development of structuralism in the 1960’s and 1970’s stimulated a
new spate of analyses of the layout of space in terms of indigenous cosmologies
and symbolic ideas.

The literature review while outlining some of the broad theories and concepts of
space attempts to examine some of the recent writings on anthropology and
architecture to understand the relation of material culture and society. Such
writings create awareness of the cultural dimensions of architecture and enrich
architectural theory and modem practice. To understand the theoretical and
comparative studies in the same area, literature on vernacular and traditional
building in the Indian context is reviewed. Books and essays on the social and
economic aspects of Indian villages, the role of caste and kingship in the
structuring of social relations within villages in India more particularly in
Tamilnadu which is the focus of this doctoral work etc. are examined to
understand the context of work. Meanwhile it is also pertinent to examine
exhaustively the work on rural housing done within the state of Tamilnadu.

Abstract:

An Agraharam or Agrahara is the name given to the Brahmin quarter of a

heterogenous village or to any village inhabited by Brahmins. Agraharams: The

Vernacular Architecture 2 Aathangudi

Agraharam

name literally means "a garland of houses". It originates from the fact that the
agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple to the
village god at the centre, thus resembling a garland around the temple.
According to traditional Hindu practice of architecture and town planning, an
Agraharam is held running two rows of houses running north-south on the either
side of a road at one end of which would be a temple

Introduction:

C H E T T I N A D is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil

Nadu state, India. K A R A I K U D I 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 Culture & home & built massive homes.

Karaikudi is a Greater municipality in Sivaganga district in

the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was the 20th largest urban agglomeration
of Tamilnadu .It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has
been declared a heritage town by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of
the palatial houses built with limestone called karai veedu.
Athangudi:
Attangudi or Athangudi is a small village in Sivaganga District, in Tamil
Nadu, India. The village has a population of about 2,000 inhabitants and is
mainly known for chettinad furniture, tiles, and various foods.
The place is known for its floor tiles called as "Athangudi tiles". The
tiles are handmade and have traditional patterns and design. The tiles are
durable and eco-friendly.

Vernacular Architecture 3 Aathangudi

Agraharam

Attangudi lies within the Chettinad traditional area. The people of the
area learned the art of tile-making and made a trademark of their own in
Athangudi. A majority of families in the village are involved in tile
production.

Vernacular Architecture 4 Aathangudi

Agraharam

The settlement pattern:

The evolution of this particular architectural typology may also speak

about the social position of the Brahmin community. Even though these migrant
Brahmins wielded power in the caste ridden society, they were always a minority
when compared to the local indigenous population. Moreover, when they moved
into a new place and made their settlements, there was always a tendency
amongst the members of the communities to settle together to ensure safety.

The linear settlement pattern culminated at a temple or was arranged around the
temple in various concentric rings, as seen in the great south Indian temple towns
The Brahmin settlers of south India had migrated to various parts of the
subcontinent and made their settlements around temples.
As a community which handled the Vedas and religious texts, the Brahmins
wielded power and influence in the social hierarchy. As the priestly class they
received royal patronage and respect from the rulers and all the other
communities. Wherever they went, the Brahmins made their settlements around
temples, around which their everyday life revolved.

Another reason behind this was that in most cases the early migrants to a
particular place may be the members of a same family, and thus when they settle
down in an alien land, they automatically evolved into a close knit community
whose principles were based on strict religious norms. The settlements were often

Vernacular Architecture 5 Aathangudi

Agraharam

made and donated to these families by the rulers. The planning of the agraharams
followed a grid iron or concentric ring patterns, with the temple forming the main
focus.
The row of houses is either single or double storied, with the traditional pitched
roof form striking a significant profile against the sky. The streets were narrow
and formed an integral extension of the ‘living space’.

The row houses sharing a common

wall had a long verandah running
along the front portion, supported by
stone and wooden pillars. The house
has a verandah at the entrance for
social activities and a platform,
slightly raised from the street, which
runs the entire length of the row
houses. It also acts as a transition
from the street to the dwelling.

A passage which starts at the street

face, runs through the house ending
at the backyard. The settlement
pattern followed by the traditional Brahmin settlers were guided by certain
parameters like the:
>The agraharams built around the temples were either arranged along the
three sides of the main temple otherwise, the most commonly seen pattern is the
concentric circles around the temple.
>The agraharams were often built on land
donated by the royals and often the land was
divided amongst the migrant Brahmins based
on the social hierarchy existing within their
caste group.
>The highly regarded families, the priests and
the scholars acquired the position near the
temple and the palace complex; the others
occupied the outer fringes.

SPATIAL ANALYSIS:

The dwelling has a tripartite division, viz., Thinnai (the front raised
verandah), Koodam (the living hall) and the Samayal (Kitchen). The front part is
the male zone, the middle part is the family zone and the rear part is the female
zone, thus segregating the public, semiprivate and private activities in a dwelling.

Vernacular Architecture 6 Aathangudi

Agraharam

These structures were constructed using the locally available permanent

materials, such as dressed /
undressed stone, Laterite stone,
mud mortar, country wood,
bamboo and tiles. The roof is
pitched with a two sided slope
and covered with locally made
country tiles.

The introduction of the

courtyard in the middle part of
the dwelling is an important
development in the residence
with tripartite division, which
forms the final stage of a rural
dwelling. The courtyard
facilitated not only additional
activities, but it is an important
climate conscious design
element.
The roof now has ridges and valleys for the first time in vernacular tradition, to
accommodate the internal open-to the-sky space. This unit forms the core, or
nucleus of the later fully developed courtyard type dwellings of Tamil Nadu.

The courtyard houses of Agrahara show

a direct response to the climate
conditions of the place. In the hot humid
climatic conditions of this region, the
courtyard ensures easy ventilation .
The opening in the roof provides light
to the windowless rooms.

Vernacular Architecture 7 Aathangudi

Agraharam

The spatial planning of the agraharams follows a linear pattern with rooms
arranged one after the other. The spaces inside have special purposes, and
among them privacy of the occupants is of the least concern.

Since the courtyard is in the centre, it captures the Sun movement from sunrise to
sunset. The central courtyard is sunken to collect rain water, and used to the
maximum as a social platform to perform rituals and social interactions. Small
wooden pillars which support the wooden rafters with burnt clay tile roofs, define
the edges of the courtyards.

The courtyard at the centre as

the focal element, organizes all
the spaces around it. These
houses have a thinnai (raised
platform) - a public and private
intersecting realm, and deep over
hangings in the front, which will
facilitate the wind to get inside
from the road to the house. The
hot outside air gets cooled by
crossing through the deep shaded
front thinnai spaces.

The central open-to the-sky courtyard (Mutram) is aligned with the front and back
doors. These central courtyards form the main connecting space for the house.
The central courts have many symbolisms and science within it. Positioning the
court yard distributes light and ventilation to the surrounding spaces, and also
becomes the space organizer and regulator.

The rear part consists of the kitchen and spaces for allied activities.

Vernacular Architecture 8 Aathangudi

Agraharam

The organizational pattern with a series of open-to-sky courts enriches the

architectural experience, with changing light and dark patterns, as one progress
along the axis from the entry to
the end. Courtyards (though
they serve for thermal comfort),
serve different social purposes
and interactions. All the
courtyards are connected to
collect rain water which is
drained from the roofs and
directly into the courtyards. The
multiple courts help the inmates
to use the house as
compartment, depending upon
the number of users as they can close the door of one cluster and use only
required spaces.

The central courtyard helps not only to

keep the house well lit, but also keep it cool through the stack effect. The private
zone consists of a few rooms meant for the use of the family members.

Vernacular Architecture 9 Aathangudi

Agraharam

Thinnai:
It consists of the basic spaces of a vernacular house; i.e., the front raised platform
(Thinnai), the central living space with an open court and the kitchen at its rear.
The house abuts the wide street at its front, and has an open yard at its rear side.
A narrow lane is left along the
eastern edge which provides access
to the backyard without entering the
house.
It has a raised platform (Thinnai) on
either side of the main entrance to
the house; this acts as the
transitional zone from the exterior
to the interior or vice versa. On its
either side, two rooms are provided,
which are accessible from the
thinnai. The thinnai along with these
rooms is mainly occupied by the elders of the family throughout the day. It has a
sunken floor level with 30cm depth. More than an activity space, it is a climate
conscious design element in the house. It provides diffused light into the house,
and facilitates good air movement, as it is located along the axis. The living hall is
located on the western side of the courtyard which has three private rooms on the
eastern side.

Vernacular Architecture 10 Aathangudi

Agraharam

Vernacular Architecture 11 Aathangudi

Agraharam

The living space is the multifunctional

space keeping the open court at the
centre as its focal point. It is the only
place where all the members of the family
interact and perform all the house hold
activities. The main purpose of the rooms
is to store the agricultural produce and
equipments. The kitchen is located on the
north east corner of the house and at
times, the cooking activity is carried out in the backyard also. The dwelling has a
backyard space where a small cattle shed,
kitchen garden and outdoor washing area are located. A small pit in the backyard
area is an essential feature of all the dwellings in this settlement, where the
kitchen waste and cow dung are stored, get decomposed and become compost i.e.,
organic manure.

Discussion:
The courtyard house is the most common prototype of the vernacular dwelling found in
Tamilnadu. With regional variations in techniques and styles, the dwellings differ. The central
courtyard is not only climate responsive but also a rich multifunctional semi open space.

‘Vernacular architecture comprises the dwellings and all other buildings of the people. Related to
their environmental context and available resources they are customarily owner or community built
using traditional technologies. All forms of vernacular architecture are built to meet specific needs,
accommodating the values, economies and ways of life of the culture that produce them.’
-Oliver (1997)

Reference:

 Vernacular traditions : contemporary architecture by Aishwarya Tipnis

 Architecture without architects by Bernard Rudofsky
 Vernacular settlements research papers
Vernacular Architecture 12 Aathangudi
Agraharam

 Wikipedia

Vernacular Architecture 13 Aathangudi