1. TRADITIONAL ART
&ARCHITECTURE
OF
CHETTINAD
Culture &

2.  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.
Culture &

3. Culture &

4. • 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

5. • Nagarathars are an exclusive • Since the 1970s, many have
clan, famous for their become professionals,
enterprise, hard work and entrepreneurs and industrialists.
contributions to society. • While the Nagarathars still see
• They earned money by their roots in Chettinad, over the
crossing the seas and their years, they have been moving
business acumen made them away from ancient traditions and
successful and prosperous. customs.
• 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
Culture &
diverse influences into their
traditions which contributed

6. CHETTINAD CUISINE
• 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
Chettinad cuisine traditionally eaten on
excellence of leaf (vaazhai ilai) for in the
a banana South Indian look
Culture &
preparation and serving of food.

7. The colorful Rituals in
Traditional Weddings
Culture &

8. around 9 clan temples. Each
C U S T O M S & Chettiar Icommunity
member of the
TRAD TIONS
belongs to a clan and each clan has
its own temple.
• AYA N N A R S H R I N E S
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 Culture &
March and

9. • E S T I VA L S
FD E E PAVA L I - 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.
• N AVA R AT R I - 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
Culture & household
celebrated .
are particularly

10. 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
Culture &

11. Sevvai(Tuesday)Pongal- Puravi Edupu – Horse festival –
celebrated on first Tuesday of beseeching the rain gods for
Culture &
pongal, the harvest festival their mercy

12. AT H A N G U D I T I L E S
• 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 Culture &

13. STREET VIEWS
Culture &

14. ARTS &
CRAFTS OF
CHETTINAD
Culture &

15. • 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, Traditional Jewellery
refined cuisine and egg plastering
are among their more visible
contributions to the wide-ranging Traditional thaali -
repertoire of Indian arts and crafts. Marriage necklace
• Chettinad baskets has a special
attraction as they have intricate Intricate
wooden carved
patterns made with date-palm
doorframe
leaves.
Twin Chettinad
baskets woven
in fine silver
Culture &

16. Ornamental
wooden carving
Kandanghi sarees-
hand woven
Kidarams-big
water storage
vessel
Sombu -
Brass vessel
Palmyra Spitoons- Crafted
leaf Echilpanickam aruvamanai
Baskets –
‘Kottans’
&
Culture &
‘Koodais’

17. 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" practiced everyday at
dawn on the cleansed threshold
of the house.
• During auspicious days and
especially on lifecycle rituals like Nadu veetu kolam
birth and marriage Culture &
related

18. ARCHITECTURE OF
CHETTINAD
Culture &

19. TYPICAL NAGARATHAR HOUSES
• Most Chettiar mansions • They later expanded vertically
comprised of a public into two-storeyed structures, and
reception area abutting the horizontally through the addition
street. of numerous halls and courtyards
• The basic floor plan of a that could accommodate guests
Chettinad house consists of at marriages and other
an outside verandah (thinnai) ceremonies.
for guests, • The rear hall served as the
• with a room for conducting women‟s domain where the
business on one or both women of the community reared
ends; children, engaged in food
• an interior courtyard to be preservation and went about
used in ceremonies, with a other domestic activities.
raised seating area at one or
both ends;
• a series of small double
rooms opening off the main
Culture &
courtyard, for storage, prayer

20. • 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 ItalianTiles
nothing else Culture &

21. existed in the older days.
• Buildings N A D H O U S E S into
C H E T T I are divided
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 “Mugappu" held by pillars made of granite
• Nadai – Corridor
platforms that are called as • Irandankattu – used for
Pattalai, each at 4 corners of the dining / with storerooms for
valavu. storing crockery/kitchenware
• Pattalai – Living halls of each • Moonamkattu –
family Kitchen(adukala)
• Along with Pattalai, valavu • Thottam – Garden
consists of numerous Irattai • Stables, cowsheds etc.,
veedu.
Culture &
• Irattai veedu – rooms used by

22. • 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 The pillared corridors The long corridors of
with Trade, Travel, around the 'valuvu' second kattu-used for
(courtyard), lead into dining
Temples, Tradition individual rooms, each
and Taste. meant for a married son.
• From birth to burial,
the Nagarathars
observed numerous Culture &

23. urban planning,
represented namely by
• The marble was brought from
orthogonal streets and
Italy, chandeliers and teak
specific water management
from Burma, crockery from
systems, which are also
Indonesia, crystals from
directly linked to the earlier
Europe and wall-to-wall
Tamil traditions of
mirrors from Belgium.
rectangular plots and
• The woodwork and
houses with an inner
stonework was inspired that
courtyard.
of the houses in France and
• The houses, which evolved
other European destinations.
over two centuries, are
• The walls of Chettinad
veritable palaces.
Nagarathars‟ buildings are
• On the ground floor, the
embellished with „Chettinad
architecture is typically
plaster‟ whose other names
Tamil, while one can see
are:
Western influences on the
• White –„Vellai poochchu‟;
higher floors.
• Egg plastering;
• This reflects the Chettiar
• Muthu Poochchu
Culture &
way of life, a combination of
• Such walls were coated with
their vibrant traditions with

24. Thinnai
kitchen 3rd Courtyard 2nd Courtyard 1st Courtyard Kanakupullai’s room
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.
Culture &

25. The most important characteristic 16) Edges of the passages are
features of Chettinad Buildings are lined with cut stone slabs
– known as „vellaikkallu‟,
1) Cluster Houses, with 17) The stone pillars meant for
2) (Mostly)East West orientation supporting the roof,
3) High – rise compound wall 18) Sloping clay - tiled roofs,
(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,
The color-glass arch flanked by pillars on
11)Double main door, either sides
12) „pattalai‟ or pattasalai (smaller
Culture &
version of the thinnai- platforms),
13) Open Courtyard („Mutram –

26. 19) Square – flat tiles floor of 27) All the mediums used in
the „mutram‟ will have making columns viz, wood,
rectangle stone slabs on all the stone, brick, and iron,
four corners to bear the brunt 28) First floor facade is
of the falling rain water, invariably adorned by
20) Small single / double colonnade made of stone,
rooms on one side or either wood, and bricks,
side of the passage 29) Window niches and arches
(„suththukkattu‟) length – wise, above are decorated with
21) Kitchen on the last „kattu‟, stucco work or paintings.
22) Staircase on one or two or 30) Designed for collecting /
all the four corners, harvesting rain water (especially
23) Banquet Hall Bhojan Hall in courtyard (Mutram).
„Panthi kattu‟ on the side of the
first kattu,
24) Floors laid with -Italian
marble Black and White,
Granite & Athangudi tiles - Central portion of 'valavu', called 'Muttram'
„Pookkallu‟,
Culture &
25) Japanese and Spanish tiles

27. • Chettinad is rich
in cultural heritage,
art and
The Reception
architecture, and is area -
well known for its Chettinad
houses, House – with
embellished with imported
Italian Marble
marble and Burma flooring
teak, wide
courtyards,
spacious rooms,
and for its 18th
century mansions. Extensively
• Local legend tells carved
that their walls Wooden
used to be Ceiling of a
polished with a Chettinad
paste made out of mansion
egg-whites to give Culture &

28. The Hall Moonamkattu – the kitchen courtyard
The Pillared Verandah courtyard
Culture &

29. RAJA’s PALACe
KANADUKATHAN
Culture &

30. • 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
Culture &
work were inspired by
French and other European

31. The elegant wooden bracketing
Mugappu - belgium glasswork
Culture &

32. Imported Italian chandeliers- Unique
decorated wooden columns
The Central courtyard is used for weddings and
religious ceremonies.
Culture &

33. The third courtyard
Entrance
Hall
The elegant Dining Hall
Culture &

34. PARAPETS,
CORNICES &
PILLARS /
COLUMNS
Culture &

35. Use of animal motifs for brackets
intricate poetry on wood- richly Elaborate wooden ceiling in a mansion
carved doorway
Wooden Culture &

36. Culture &

37. The rich and
intricate detailing
of the parapets and
cornices across the
houses of chettinad
Culture &

38. The colorful Belgian Glasswork
Culture &

39. STUCCOWORK
• 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
• Gajalakshmi symbolizes
Rishaba bull was often aand prosperity while
protection repeated theme in
Chettinad. Shiva Parvathi pair represents
happy family life.
Stucco Work-
Architecture
cum
Sculpture
Culture &

40. Chettinad is a hot and semi-
CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS
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
Culture &
terracotta tiled – which helps in