HOUSES AND PALACES OF AGRAHARAMS

Agraharam or agarahara is the name given to the Brahmin

quarter of a heterogeneous village .
Agraharam were also known as chaturvedimangalams.
The name originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of
houses on either side of the road and the temples to the village god
at the centre. Thus resembling a garland around the Temple.
According to traditional Hindu practice of architecture and townplanning an agraharam is held to be two rows of houses running north
south on either side of a road at one end of which would be a temple
to shiva at the other end a temple to vishnu.

Stories about life in agraharam belong to late 19th century and early
20th century. But behind the stories lies simple parallel to todays
lifestyle.
Chennai has managed to retain the charm of centuries old lifestyle.
Modern amemities have found their way into typical agraharam house
in triplicane, chennai.
In modern parlance, an agraharm would be the equivalent of a gated
community.
Traditionally, an agraharam was a cluster or row of houses that
abutted the temple wall, &served as colony for the temple priests and
their family.
Life has revolved around the community , which comfortably practised
its unique rituals.
A typical agraharam house compries a stone bench in the verandah
and an open courtyard in the middle of the of the houses.
It is well-ventilated with wooden beams or terracotta tiles for the

A typical agraharam consist of row of houses

With sloping roof and common walls lining a street.
The planning of an agraharam is dictated by the temple which forms
focal point of the colony.
The street are aligned
east west with the row houses clustered along either side.
The backyard of the houses are linked by narrow lanes.

TECHNICAL TERMS OF SPACES IN AGRAHARAM:

THINNAI
VERANDAH
REZHI
PATHTHAYAM
MUTRAM
THILASI MAADAM
KITCHEN
BACKYARD

The street in front of the houses transform themselves into an active

community space serving as a commercial space for vendors, a play
area for children, a meeting place for elders a venues for religious
processions and meeting.
The closely built structures offer a high degree of security and
facilitate community interaction.
The front space of each house is divided into outer and inner
verandah with raised plinth used as a seating area.

The over hang provides shelter from rain and use glare in the building
The inner serves as a study or a guest room and provides access to
the upper floor.

The central space is the coolest and the darkest

area in the typical agraharam. This private,
ceremonial, and community space also
accommodates the storage facility.
These agraharam houses were designed in such
manner to minimize to harsh glare of sun by
providing deep verandhas that shielded the rooms.

Courtyard is provided natural light and

ventilations and were especially useful
for the chanting of vedas in early morning.
Windows were strategically placed so as
to catch the natural sunlight.
Roofs were usually slope and tiled so that
the rain Water could run off.

Doors were all aligned in a

straight line from the main
entrance till the back of the
houses.

SYMBOLISM
:

Thulasi maadam.
Open courtyard
Thinnai

Verandha
Sloped roofing
MATERIALS USED FOR CONSTRUCTION:
Use of locally available material like;
1.BRICK
2.LIME/CHUNAM
3.WOOD

VENTILATION:
Doors where aligned in a straight line from the
main entrance till the back of the house so as
to provide for natural cross ventilation.
They made full use of the forces of nature
for cooling, ventilation and lighting purpose.

 Agraharams General Characteristics

The agraharams were constructed according to its own principles of

architecture. Each house opened out into the street and each had a
vasal-thinnai, which led to the ul-thinnai, rezhi, thazhvaram, adukkalai
and kottil. Many of the agraharams had small inner courtyards, which
provided adequate daylight to the rooms.
Houses are constructed in row type with common wall construction
The occupants own the eastern wall of the house whereas the western

wall under the ownership of neighbour

g+1 ht or g+2 ht.
Spaces are compact
Houses having series of courtyards kattus
Width of the plot 10 x 15 length 100

length

Sometimes these kattus were covered by the construction of a roof

leaving a small opening for the light in the upper side of the wall( double
storey height).

A typical feature is that entry in to a room

Via thinnai from one street and exit is through the backyard to the
another street

 The linearity of the houses is based on the beliefs upon brahmins to

follow principle of vasthu
The purity and sanctity are the major criteria which determines the
linearity
The flow of spaces from semipublic to privatised area are distinct
and reached by passage
Agraharams Climate responsiveness
Row housing pattern reduces the exposure of the external wall
surfaces to sun as the house share a common wall
The movement of warm air around the house is minimised and helps
to keep the interior cool and comfort
Direct openings and large volumes are avoided
Street side- where walls are exposed to direct sun or rain the use of
thinnai and pandhal provide shade and protection.
The roof has steep pitches with an angle of 45degree to drain rain
water efficiently
In these the country tiled roofs, the successive layers of tiling traps
the heat anf gives effective heat insulation.
The pitched roofs with the broad eaves were typically employed in
design to shed off the rainwater
The entire unit was kept symmetrical about an axis to aid
the sharing and division of spaces across the main hall for the joint
family members.

 The concept of the central open space served the purpose of

bringing in the light, ventilation and the draining of rain water to the
exteriors or to the well for adequate recharge.
The whole exercise of architecture was an energy efficient, ecoconscious and a scientific technique that these inhabitants had
followed.
Sequence of Spaces
Thalvaram- benevolent social extension of the house
Provide shade and protection for the passers
To protect the building wall from sun and rain.
Transition space between house and street.
Thinnai
Sensitive transition space before entering the house- functional
spaces used for receiving strangers.
In a brahmin house- all doors lie in st. axis
Paaval is a storage space which lies in between thinnai and reli and
has access from both
Reli or koodam is the central activities happening area usually with
clear storey
Other spaces
The kitchen is locally called as adukalai and has thalvaram adjoining
it acting as an utility space and it holds the tulsi madam
Mutram form an ideal space for the women working in their open
area with privacy.