The ppt describes the history,culture,architecture of kerala .

1. VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE-
SOUTH INDIA

3. INTRODUCTION
 Kerala (38,863 km²; 1.18% of India’s landmass) is situated between
the Arabian Sea to the west and the western ghats to the east.
 Kerala’s coast runs some 580 km in length, while the state itself varies
between 35–120 km in width.
 Geographically, Kerala roughly divides into three climatically distinct
regions.
 These include the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain),
the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal
plains). Located at the extreme southern tip of the indian subcontinent.
 Kerala lies near the centre of the indian tectonic plate (the Indian Plate);
as such most of the state (notwithstanding isolated regions) is subject to
comparatively little sesmic or activity.

4. ARCHITECTURE
 Kerala architecture is a kind of architectural style that is
mostly found in indian state of kerala and all the
architectural wonders of kerala stands out to be ultimate
testmonials for the ancient vishwakarma sthapathis of
kerala. Kerala's style of architecture is unique in India, in
its striking contrast to Dravidian architecture which is
normally practiced in other parts of south india. The
architecture of Kerala has been influenced by Dravidian
and Indian Vedic architectural science (Vastu sastra) over
two millennium.

5. LOCATION
 Located on the southern coast of India.
 At 8.5074' North - East-76. 972’
 Adjacent to Arabian sea in the west, Tamilnadu in the east-south,
 Karnataka in north and north-east.
 Area = 38,863 Sq. Km.

6. MAJOR FESTIVAL - ONAM
 All religions and communities
celebrate Onam with equal
enthusiasm. Onam Festival falls during the
Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and
marks the homecoming of mythical King Mahabali
who Malayalees consider as their King. Onam is a
reminiscent of Kerala's agrarian past, as its
considered to be harvest festival.

8. Influence of climate
 Kerala has a warm humid climate. The rainfall is very
heavy from south west and north east monsoons
 To keep the rain and sun away form the walls the roofs
of the building come down very low.
 They have verandah all round the building protecting
the external walls from sun and rain.
 The width of the verandah varies from 2 ft. to 12ft
 In rooms were people spend most of their time during
day the window openings were brought in at ground
level otherwise the windows were small so that there
was only subdued light inside or had timber jalis to
give diffused light without glare.
 They also have an internal courtyard for better flow of
air.

10. V
e
r
a
n
d
a
s
&
o
p
e
n
I
n
g
s

11. Roofing system
 The ridged roof pitched at angles between 30degree to
40degree
 The roof with intricately carved gables protruding from
the roof with overhangs supported by wooden brackets.
 The roof is prefabricated that is different members are
fixed on the ground and assembled at the top.
 No nails are used.
 The roof is kept in position by interlocking with the
hole in the rafters.
 Walls made of timber or earth and roof of coconut
leaves or tiles are common in many parts of Kerala
 Structurally the roof frame was supported on the pillars
on walls erected on a plinth raised from the ground for
protection against dampness and insects in the tropical
climate.

13. R
O
O
F
S

16. Flooring System
 The most common type of flooring was that of beaten earth
polished with cow dung at regular intervals
 Black colored traditional flooring used in the more expensive
buildings was done with the mixture of lime, sand, coconut
shell, white of egg, jaggery, coconut water and other vegetable
extracts. The smoothness was achieved by polishing the floor
with a particular variety of banana.
 Stone flooring, wooden flooring,burnt claybrick flooring are also
popular styles of flooring done using naturally available
materials.

17. F
L
O
O
R
I
N
G
S

18. Building Materials
 The availability of granite -a strong and durable building stone is
restricted mainly to the highlands and marginally to some hilly
zones. Accordingly, the skill in quarrying, dressing and
sculpturing of stone is scarce in Kerala.
 Laterite stone however, is abundantly found
 Soft laterite available at shallow depth can be easily cut, dressed
and used as building blocks. It is a local stone that gets stronger
and durable with exposure to the atmosphere.
 Block of this stone may be bonded in mortars of shell lime, - the
classic binding material used in traditional buildings.
 Lime mortar can be improved in strength and performance by
admixtures of vegetable juices. Such enriched mortars were
utilised for plastering and low relief work.

19. Laterite
Houses

20. Building Materials
 Timber remains the prime structural material
abundantly available in Kerala, in many varieties -
from bamboo to teak and rosewood. The skillful
choice of timber, artful assembly and delicate carving
of wood work for columns, walls and roofs frames are
the unique characteristics of Kerala architecture,
using accurate fit of joints.
 Clay was used in many forms - for walling, in filling
the timber floors and making bricks and tiles after
firing in kilns, tempered with admixtures.
 Palm leaves are still used effectively for thatching
the roofs and for making partition walls and along
with mud

21. Wooden construction-
Timber

22. Vastuvidya- Traditional architecture
 Traditional Kerala architecture is the Vastu vidhya
is derived from the Stapatya Veda of Adharva
Veda and deals with two types of architecture
Residential Architecture(Manusyalaya) under
functional architecture
Temples coming under conceptual architecture.

23.  A house in Kerala is generally called Veedu. The Veedu
gives shelter to joint-family kinfolk or tharavad. The
joint family system (tharavad--kinship system)
consequently promotes the tradition of living in a huge
shelter or mansion (veedu--object of house). The term is
Dravidian and is used in some parts of Tamil Nadu and
North Srilanka for all types of residential architecture, but
generally the people of Kerala will refer to their veedu as
tharavad.
Residential Architecture

24. Residential architecture
 There are various terms of house for different tribes
according to social status and profession. The house of:
 Pariah - CHERI
 the agrestic slave – Cheraman - CHALA.
 blacksmith, the goldsmith,
the carpenter, the weaver - KUDI
 temple servants reside – VARIYAM / PISHARAM
 The ordinary Nayars - VEEDU / BHAVANAM
 Nayar’s authority - IDAM.
 Raja lives in a KOVILAKKAM / KOTTARAM

25. Three Types of Chala
All Chalas show typical spatial configurations of living and inner space. (left)
Chala in Chengganur, South Kerala; (middle) Chala in Waynad and (left) Chala
in Trivandrum

26. There are five types of traditional domestic architecture
or Veedu in Kerala, namely:
 (1) the wretched humble house, unknown by any
building treatise of Kerala, belongs to ordinary folks
and tribal people/ adivasis (cheri, chala, kudi,
variyam or pisharam or pumatham);
 (2) the Ekasala, an I-shaped single rectangular hall
house, belongs to farmers or middle-class non-farmers;
(3) the Nalukettu, a courtyard house, belongs to
landlords;
 (4) the great mansion Ettuketu and Patinjarukettu
(double ettukettu) or much bigger structures, belong to
very rich landlords;
 (5) commoner houses are simple ordinary houses
scattered abundantly in the cities and villages.

27.  Literally, the local term of house--veedu--means home
and signifies no important structural arrangement.
Classical Indian architecture acknowledges a concentric
arrangement of buildings and a generic spatial
structure of the sala or hall.
 The Ekasala is a single hall house,
 dvisala a two-hall house, trisala a three-hall house, and
catusala a four-hall house/courtyard house.
 The Nalukettu is the only local term for house that
implies structural importance since it is associated with
the catusala. There are no local terms for dvisala,
trisala and ekasala, they are simply called veedu.

29. (upper- left) The Ekasala of
North Kerala. Mostly they are
shingle hipped roof houses
(upper-right) The Ekasala of
South Kerala. Mostly they are
shingle bent roof houses
(bottom) The Kuttikettu or
Ekasala with courtyard
extension

30. Three Typical Expression of Nalukettu
Central Kerala (above), North Kerala (left-bottom), South Kerala (right-bottom)

32. Women Spaces:
 Women were considered inferior to men and they
were not allowed to enter into the main
courtyard except for their marriage and at death.
 In houses with one courtyard back spaces were
added next to kitchen.
 Accesses to main pooja room and to one or two
bedrooms were only through a back door.

33. Future expansions:
 The additions in the last century show a
slow moving towards modern times.
 Houses with more than one courtyard were
built and expanded without much
constraint as the ritual rules applied only to
the first courtyard.

34. Nair Tharavad –
Spatial Configuration
 It is self contained and introvert complex of buildings each
enclosing an open to sky courtyard.
 The central courtyard is the focal point of the house
 The main rooms are located on the western wing
 Rooms on the northern side are used for cooking
 The rooms on the southern sides are used for the daily
household activities
 Steep pyramidal roofs with a 45 degree pitch, deep
overhangs, shaded verandas and cross ventilation are a
response to intense sun, heavy rainfall and humidity.

35. NALUKETTU - ENTRANCE NALUKETTU - COURTYARD
NALUKETTU - VIEW OF POND NALUKETTU - LIVING AREA

36. NALUKETTU - VERANDAH NALUKETTU - DINING AREA

37. Temples of kerela
 Temples in Kerala used to be called in earlier times as
mukkalvattom. Later they came to be called ambalam or
kshetram or sometimes tali.
 Temple architecture in Kerala is different from that of
other regions in India. Largely dictated by the geography
of the region that abounds in forests blessed with the
bounties of the monsoons, the structure of the temples in
Kerala is distinctive.
 The Kerala temple has srikovil as its main core, which
usually stands in east-west axis and the plan may be
square, rectangular, circular, elliptical ground plan.

42.  The central sanctum of a Keralite
temple is referred to as the Sree
Kovil.
 It is surrounded by a cloistered
prakara, pierced at one or more
cardinal points with a
gopuradwara.
 The cloistered prakaram has a
namaskara mandapam located
directly in front of the sanctum.
This prakaram also houses
subsidiary shrines.
 A kitchen is located in the south
eastern corner of ths cloistered
prakaram.
 The mukha mandapam is
integrated with the gopura
entrance. The flagstaff or dwaja
stambham is located outside of the
mukha mandapam .
 The balipitham may be located in
the mukhamandapam or in the
outer courtyard. The outer
prakaram or courtyard houses other
subshrines, and optionally a temple
tank.

44.  The Kuttambalam or the theater hall of the
Keralite temple is located either as a part of the
inner prakara, on the south east corner facing
north, or as a separate hall outside the innermost
prakaram, either facing into the temple or facing
north. This has a stage, raised from the rest of
the floor, and a backstage area. This is the site of
the performance of Kathakali or Chakkiyar
koothu recitals. Thus the kuttambalam plays a
role in educating visitors on the rich legends of
the Indian cultural fabric.
In Detail:

45.  The roofs are steep and pointed, and covered
with copper sheets. The Kerala roof resembles
those found in the Himalayan regions and those in
East Asia.
 The shape of the roof is in accordance with the
plan of the sanctum below. With a circular plan,
one sees a conical roof, while with a square plan
the roof is pyramidal.
 The roof is constructed with wood and is covered
with copper plates. Most of the temples seen in
Kerala today, have undergone several phases of
renovation, given the perishable nature of the
construction materials.

46.  The superstructure as a conspicuous example,
shows an accurate usage of indigenous raw
materials like timber and tiles to go with the
climate conditions.
 Vast majority of temples have their bases built
of granite, the walls made either of wood,
bricks and stucco, or laterite; the sloping
superstructure made of wooden planks, tiles or
sheet metal on timber frames, are adopted to
suit the high rainfall of the region.

47. Temple and Domestic Architecture
 Unlike the other architectural traditions in the
mainland the design of Kerala temples shows a close
similarity with the domestic architecture of the
region.
 The surviving Nair houses have many structural
elements like raised foundations, wall and ceiling
carvings, steeply sloping roofs, etc., that are
reminiscent of temple architecture.
 The building materials used in the sacred and
domestic architecture, viz., timber, laterite, brick
and stucco are also the same, and thus create
identical textural surfaces.

50. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Kerala
 https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=residential+architecture+kerala+vernacu
lar&biw=1920&bih=917&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk4dPgk-
DOAhVTGsAKHftfA-UQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=kerala+village+houses&imgrc=_
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Kerala
 https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vernavcular+archite
cture+kerala

51. THANK YOU
KRISHNAM RAJ
AJAY ARAVIND
KAVYA SREE
KEERTI.JETHURI
VENKATA SAI SUMANTH
N.S.S.AKHIL