CULTURE

&ARCHITECTURE
OF CHETTINAD
Prepared by : Mrs.S.H.R.Jawahar Benazir, School Of Architecture & Interior Design
™ SOCIAL LIFE OF NAGARATHARS

™ SALIENT FEATURES OF A CHETTINAD HOUSE

™ TRADITIONS IN ARTS & CRAFTS

™ SPACE, FUNCTION & CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS

™ COLUMNS,
COLUMNS PARAPETS AND CORNICES

™ RAJAS’ PALACE IN KANADUKATHAN

™ NAGARATHAR HOUSES IN KARAIKUDI.

Culture & Architecture 2

Culture & Architecture 3
• 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 ((traditionallyy its said as
96) other villages.
• Since Chettinad was strategically located on the
old trade route, the Chettiars to work as traders
and moneylenders in Burma, Sri Lanka, Malaysia,
Singapore, Vietnam and other South-East Asian
countries.
• They prospered, returned home & built massive
homes made of Burmese teak that gave them
their name
name, the Nattukotai (country fort)
Chettiars or Nagarathars
Nagarathars..
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• Nagarathars are an exclusive clan, famous
for their enterprise, hard work and
contributions
t ib ti to t society.
it
• They earned money by crossing the seas • Since the 1970s, many have become
and their business acumen made them professionals, entrepreneurs and industrialists.
successful
f l andd prosperous. • While the Nagarathars still see their roots in
• Their social life is Unique. At the apex of Chettinad, over the years, they have been moving
the family household, is the “Aachi”
Aachi” the away from ancient traditions and customs.
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.
• People started moving away from the
moneyy lendingg business in favour of other
professions.
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 CHETTINAD CUISINE

• Chettinad is known for its Culinary delicacies

• Traditionally, meals for Chettiars are served on a large banana
leaf with rice,
rice vegetables,
vegetables pickles,
pickles papadams,
papadams along with meat
dishes.
• Chettiars are very superstitious with numbers, dishes have to be
servedd in
i odddd numbers
b (i.e.
(i seven or nine
i dishes
di h per meal).
l)
• Although the Chettiars are well-known for their delicious
vegetarian preparations, their recipes include fish and meats
also.
l
• 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 traditionally eaten on a

banana leaf (vaazhai ilai)
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The colorful Rituals in
Traditional Weddings

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 CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS
• CLAN TEMPLES
The community is organized 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
children, cattle
cattle, villages
villages, earth
earth, nature and villagers
villagers. He is
present in rural areas. His abodes are not necessarily
temples but outdoor shrines that are filled with terra-cotta
offerings.
offerings
• MARIAMMAN TEMPLES
Mariamman, the Goddess of smallpox, is the deity of life,
especially
i ll off women andd children.
hild She Sh grantst children
hild andd
cures them. The main festivals take place during the months
of March and April. There is great fervour during these
ffestivities,
i i i withi h thousands
h d off ddevotees gathering
h i iin hher
honour.
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 F E S T I VA L S
• D E E P A V A L I - On Deepavali day, there is
a grand festive lighting of traditional lamps
h achis
b the
by hi (the
( h Chettiar
Ch i wives).
i ) TheTh lamps
l
are placed with other consecrated offerings
on banana leaves.

• NAVARATRI- Navaratri is the

celebration of Goddesses Lakshmi,
Lakshmi Saraswati,
Saraswati
and Durga, the manifestations of Shakti
(Female Energy or Power). Customarily, the
Navaratri festival or ‘Nine
Nine Nights festival
festival’ is
the culmination of nine days and nignts of
joyful celebrations when the women of a
hhousehold
h ld are particularly
ti l l celebrated
lb td.

Culture & Architecture

Temple Festival – the 5
decorated gods,
Panchamurthi - the
annual procession in
open bullock carts

Vaikasi
V ik i Visakam
Vi k – carrying
i off
kavadi, Fire walking &
piercing the body with long
needles & sharp hooks

Culture & Architecture

 Puravi Edupu – Horse festival –
Sevvai(Tuesday)Pongal- beseeching the rain gods for their
celebrated on first Tuesday of mercy
pongal, the harvest festival
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 AT H A N G U D I T I L E S
• Athangudi
g tiles are
prepared by a unique
process in which local soil
alongg with cement, babyy
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
line--
drawing designs that makes
them unique.
• It is used for flooring, wall
cladding both in interiors
as well as exteriors.
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STREET VIEWS

Culture & Architecture

 ARTS &
CRAFTS OF
CHETTINAD

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• The arts & crafts of Chettinad occupy a distinct
position in South Indian folklore.
• Wood
W d carving, i silver
il embellishment,
b lli h t woven saris, i
palm--leaf baskets, gold jewellery,
palm jewellery, hand-
hand-made tiles,
architectural styles, refined cuisine and egg plastering
h i more visible
are among their i ibl contributions
ib i to the h
wide-ranging repertoire of Indian arts and crafts. Traditional Jewellery
• Chettinad baskets has a special attraction as they
have intricate patterns made with date-palm leaves.
Traditional thaali -
Marriage necklace

Intricate
wooden carved
doorframe

Twin Chettinad
baskets woven
in fine silver
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 Ornamental
wooden carving

Kandanghi sarees-
hand woven

Kidarams-big
Kidarams big
water storage
vessel
Sombu -
Brass vessel

Palmyra
y Spitoons- Crafted
f
leaf Echilpanickam aruvamanai
Baskets –
‘Kottans’
&
‘Koodais’
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 The
Traditional
Wooden
Dolls –
The
Chettiar &
The Achi

Use of Burmese teak and multi-color

tiles for cupboards.
• A special feature of any chettinad house is the
decorative art of "Kolam
Kolam" practiced everyday at
dawn on the cleansed threshold of the house.
house
• During auspicious days and especially on lifecycle
rituals like birth and marriage related
celebrations
celebrations, this art form on the floor takes on a
special meaning and is very elaborately done. Nadu veetu kolam
Culture & Architecture 17
ARCHITECTURE OF CHETTINAD
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TYPICAL NAGARATHAR HOUSES
• Most Chettiar mansions comprised of a
public reception area abutting the street.
• The basic floor plan of a Chettinad house • They later expanded vertically into two-
consists of an outside verandah (thinnai) for storeyed structures, and horizontally through
guests, the addition of numerous halls and
• with a room for conducting business on courtyards that could accommodate guests at
one or both ends; marriages and other ceremonies.
• an interior courtyard to be used in • The rear hall served as the women’s domain
ceremonies, with a raised seating area at where the women of the community reared
one or both ends; children, engaged
g g in food ppreservation and
• a series of small double rooms opening off went about other domestic activities.
the main courtyard, for storage, prayer and
sleeping and a small courtyard behind for
cooking and for the women to socialize.
• The Chettinad houses were usually tile-
f d with
roofed ith a smallll ttwo-storeyed
t d ttower att
both ends of the front elevation.
Culture & Architecture
• Chettinad architecture
stands out for its
use of large spaces
in halls and
courtyards, ornate
embellishments like
Belgian glasswork,
intricate woodwork,
spectacular ceramic
tiles, stone, iron and
wooden pillars like
nothing
thi elsel that
th t can
be seen in this part
of the world.

Culture & Architecture

CHETTINAD HOUSES
• Chettinad houses are signs of successful joint
families that existed in the older days.
• Buildings are divided into portions -‘Kattu
Kattu’’.
• Each house in chettinad is made upp of
Mugappu, Valavu, Irandankattu, Moonankattu &
thottam
• Mugappu
g pp – The reception;
p 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. “Mugappu"
Mugappu" held by pillars made of granite
• Pattalai – Living halls of each family • Nadai – Corridor
• Along with Pattalai, valavu consists of numerous • Irandankattu
randankattu – used for dining / with
Irattai veedu. storerooms for storing crockery/kitchenware
• Irattai veedu – rooms used by each family to • Moonamkattu – Kitchen(adukala)
keep their belongings(2 rooms connected by a • Thottam
ttam – Garden
single door) • Stables, cowsheds etc.,
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• The magnificent mansions in
Chettinad are the finest examples
of combinations of vernacular
architecture & amalgam of South
East & European architecture
architecture.
• The source of inspiration derived
from can be attributed to their
connection with Trade, Travel,
Te les Tradition
Temples, T aditio and
a d Taste.
Taste
• From birth to burial, the
Nagarathars observed numerous
ceremonies.i
• All such functions were held
within their own premises as The pillared corridors
many off their h i palatial
l i l buildings
b ildi around the 'valuvu
valuvu''
(courtyard), lead into
have Marriage Halls (‘Kalyana (‘Kalyana individual rooms, each
The long corridors of
Kottagai’)’) and Banquet Hall
Kottagai meant for a married son.
son.
second kattu
kattu--used for
dining
(‘(‘Bhojan
Bhojan Hall’ or panthi kattu
kattu)).
Culture & Architecture
• Their villages were constructed upon
precise and sophisticated rules of urban
planning, represented namely by orthogonal
streets and specific water management
systems, which are also directly linked to
the earlier Tamil traditions of rectangular
g of the houses in France and other European p
plots and houses with an inner courtyard
courtyard.
• The houses, which evolved over two
centuries,, are veritable ppalaces.
• On the ground floor, the architecture is
typically Tamil, while one can see Western
influences on the higher
g floors.
• This reflects the Chettiar way of life, a
combination of their vibrant traditions with
the global economy
economy.
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• 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
destinations.
• The walls of Chettinad Nagarathars’ buildings
are embellished with ‘Chettinad pplaster’ whose
other names are:
• White –‘Vellai poochchu’
poochchu’;
• Egg
gg plastering;
pplasteringg;
g;
• Muthu Poochchu
• Such walls were coated with several layers
comprising mixture of lime base, ground white
seashells, liquid egg white, etc.
 Thinnai

kitchen 3rd Courtyard 2nd Courtyard 1st Courtyard Kanakupullai’s room

TYPICAL PLAN OF A CHETTINAD HOUSE

The open aired 'valavu

valavu'' (courtyard)
with wooden-
wooden-pillared corridors on each
side.. The pillars were made out of
side
Burmese Teak.
Teak.
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24
The most important characteristic features of
Chettinad Buildings are –
1) Cluster Houses,
Houses with 16) Edges
Ed off the h passages are lined
li d with
i h cut
2) (Mostly)East West orientation stone slabs known as ‘vellaikkallu’,
3) High – rise compound wall (front side) 17) The stone pillars meant for supporting the
4) Entrance Arch with stone steps roof
5) Elevated plinth, 18) Sloping clay - tiled roofs
6) Tiled Portico,
7) Facade with stucco sculptures,
sculptures
8) Verandah ‘Thinnai’ (two Platforms),
9) Wooden Pillars on it,
10) High
Hi h door
d frame
f with
ith ornate
t woodd work,
k
11)Double main door,
12) ‘pattalai’
pattalai’ or pattasalai (smaller version of the
thinnai-
hi i platforms),
l f )
13) Open Courtyard (‘Mutram – Valavu’),
14) Second /third courtyard/s,
15) Passage on all the four sides around the The color-
color-glass arch flanked by pillars on
Mutram, is called ‘Suththupathi’, either sides
Culture & Architecture
19) Square – flat tiles floor of the ‘mutram’
will have rectangle stone slabs on all the four
corners to
t bear
b the th brunt
b t off theth falling
f lli rain
i 27) All the
h mediums
di usedd in
i making
ki columns
l viz,
i
water, wood, stone, brick, and iron,
20) Small single / double rooms on one side 28) First floor facade is invariably adorned by
or either
i h side
id off theh passage (‘suththukkattu’)
(‘ h h kk ’) colonnade made of stone, wood, and bricks,
length – wise, 29) Window niches and arches above are decorated
21) Kitchen on the last ‘kattu’, with stucco work or paintings.
22) Staircase on one or two or all the four 30) Designed for collecting / harvesting rain water
corners, (especially in courtyard (Mutram).
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
26)) Beams, pillars,
p brackets, capitals,
p frames all
made of Burma teak,
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• Chettinad is rich in cultural
heritage, art and
architecture, and is well
The Reception
known for its houses, area -
embellished with marble and Chettinad
Burma teak, wide courtyards, House – with
spacious rooms, and for its imported
Italian Marble
18th century mansions. flooring
• Local legend tells that their
walls used to be polished
with a paste
p made out of
egg--whites to give a smooth
egg
texture.
texture
• The construction material,, Extensivelyy
decorative items and carved Wooden
furnishings were mostly Ceiling of a
imported from East Asian Chettinad
mansion
countries and Europe.
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The Hall Moonamkattu – the kitchen courtyard

The Pillared Verandah courtyard

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RAJA’S PALACE
R
KANADUKATHAN

Culture & Architecture

 • 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,
woodwork. material decor
items and furnishings were mostly
imported, from east Asian countries and
also
l from
f E
Europe where
h th Raja
the Rj
Chettiyar had spread his sprawling
business .
• The
Th woodworkd k andd stone workk were
inspired by French and other European
architecture.

Culture & Architecture

 The elegant wooden bracketing
Mugappu - belgium glasswork
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Imported Italian chandeliers-
chandeliers- Unique
decorated wooden columns

The Central courtyard

y is used for
f weddings
g and
religious ceremonies.
ceremonies.
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The third courtyard

Entrance
Hall

The elegant Dining Hall

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 PARAPETS,
CORNICES &
PILLARS /
COLUMNS

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 Use of
animal
motifs for
brackets

iintricate
t i t poetry
t on wood-
d- richly
wood i hl El b t wooden
Elaborate d ceiling
ili iin a mansion
i
carved doorway
Wooden carvings Culture & Architecture 35
Pillars/Columns Culture & Architecture 36
 The rich and
intricate detailing
off the
h parapets andd
cornices across the
houses of chettinad

Parapets/Cornices Culture & Architecture 37

The colorful Belgian Glasswork

Windows Culture & Architecture 38

 STUCCOWORK
• Stucco work was used on the interior & exterior walls; stucco
sculptural work was employed on the entrance tower, façade,
railing wall & compound wall.
• The icons of Gods/Goddesses- Gajaj Lakshmi, ‘Meenakshi Sundareswarar’,Shiva
Parvathi on Rishaba bull was often a repeated theme in Chettinad.
• Images of God, goddess, angels, flora and fauna
are generally
ll portrayedd by
b using
i theh medium
di off
stucco.
• Gajalakshmi symbolizes protection and prosperity
prosperity;;
Shiva Parvathi pair represents happy family life.

Stucco Work
Work--
Architecture
cum
Sculpture

Stucco--work
Stucco Culture & Architecture 39
CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS

• MAIN COURTYARD – Prime place for

interaction ; Since, Chettinad is a hot
and semi-arid region,
g , 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 • ROOFING - The roof is terracotta tiled – which helps
home are brick and lime plaster walls, in shutting out the immense heat; as chettinad is a hot
terracotta tiled roofs, stone pillars, teak and arid region.
columns
columns, and marble and stone floors
floors.

Culture & Architecture 40

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• http://www.wikipedia.org/
• http://www.google.co.in/
• http:// chettinad-chettinadarchitecture.blogspot.com
• The Chettiar Heritage, S. Muthiah, Meenakshi Meyappan, Visalakshi
Ramaswamy

Culture & Architecture 41