Inner courtyard

thinnai
Capital
INSULATED FROM THE SUN: High ceilings, special wall plasters,
Athangudi floor tiles and open courtyards were characteristic of

Chettinad buildings that helped the Chettairs stay cool, literally!

 Climatic aspects of planning
Chettinadu houses.
Sivaganga- Chettinad, 40 km inland from the
Coramandel Coast, is one hot, dusty, and dry place. heat
-Chettiars overseas, to make a living.
Ornate woodcarvings and the sculpted doors
The sensible architectural designs and the use of
fantastic building material went on to condition a cool
climate inside, even when the sun continued to blaze
away outside.
High ceilings, exquisitely smooth plastered walls, the
Athangudi tiled floors... those Chettiars knew how to stay
cool, literally.
 Climatic aspects of planning
"So, the Chettiars shipped home Burmese
teakwood, Italian marble, Spanish floor tiles, and
Belgium mirrors, among other things, all en
route to building magnificent Chettinad houses",
The huge houses with high ceilings and open
courtyards ensured that there was excellent air
circulation",
Most Chettinad houses have two floors and
huge ceilings, which mean that the ground floor
and the inner courtyards stay cool always,
insulated from the sun.
 Climatic aspects of planning
vast spaces, high ceilings and courtyards- mansions, mostly. These
houses were built on rectangular plots.
stretched between two streets, the front door opening into one street
and the back into the next street.
Linearly designed, that if you were to enter a Chettinad house, the
architectural design compels your gaze along a straight line from the
door, through a series of inner courtyards, ending at the back door.
Thus, the breeze, whenever there was any, never got broken.
The Mangalore tiled, double layered roof, and the high ceilings
insulated the inside air from the scorching sun outside
Athangudi tiles gave you cool floors to walk on.
"Forget air conditioning, inside a Chettinad house, you would never
feel the need for even fans.
 Climatic aspects of planning
Cool space
The Chettinad houses were conceived as fortresses,
Thus instead of lawns in front of the house, the Chettiars
had courtyards inside. But they retained the thinnai
(platform outside the house that projects towards the
street from the house's front wall), typical of ethnic Tamil
architecture. The thinnai ended in granaries on one side
and a room, generally the accountant's room, on the
other side.
The heavy and elaborately carved front doors, with
images of deities, Goddess Lakshmi especially (from the
shiploads of Burmese teak, of course) sometimes had
precious gems inlayed on it.
 The courtyards
Most Chettinad mansions have at least a couple of
courtyards. The living space leads one immediately into
the courtyard. The first open-air courtyard, with corridors
flanked by huge pillars on its sides, generally was
bordered by rooms along its sides.
You also notice triangular slots cut into the walls of these
houses, an inbuilt shelf for lamps. The second courtyard
opens out immediately and is flanked by spaces used for
dining generally. The third courtyard served as a
restroom for the womenfolk, while the fourth one housed
the kitchens.
 Super plaster
It seems miraculous. Even today, hundreds of years after they were
laid
The Chettiars had the plaster made from an elaborate concoction of
roots, yolk and lime that made the Chettinad walls silky, cool and
washable,
"Tragically, nobody today has the formula for this wonderful plaster,
called the Chettinad plaster",
he flooring was generally of Italian marble or locally-crafted cool-to
the skin Athangudi tiles with their earthy hues ranging from
burgundy, ocean blue, mustard-yellow and black..
The Chettiars also borrowed turrets and other architectural
memorabilia from their travels abroad, and recreated it on their
Mangalore tiled roofs inset with designer tiles.
 Plastering technique
The plaster involves the application of the
finely ground mixture of powdered shell,
lime, jaggery and spices, including gallnut
(myrobalan), to walls. This technique
keeps the interior of the house cool during
the hot and humid Indian summers and
lasts a lifetime
 Contemporary avatar
"It is not practically possible now to build authentic Chettinad style
houses in Chennai due to space constraints but elements of this
style, like the high ceilings, pillar framework and so on can be
incorporated in contemporary architecture to great effect, by way of
both aesthetics and functionality", says Muthiah.
Drawing upon the Chettinad style, Bhaskar has designed a beach
house, and even a small bungalow in a one-and-half-ground plot in
the heart of the city.
Today, the Chettinad houses of Sivaganga - carved doors, massive
pillars, and even the silken plastered walls are being dismantled and
sold in pieces, augured by a worldwide awe and demand for the
Chettinad grandeur.
 CULTURE
Nagathar the mercantile community that had the
reputation of establishing and running their business
ventures from East India - especially Calcutta to South
east countries during 19th and 20th century.
From birth to burial, the Nagarathars observed numerous
ceremonies. All such functions were held and being held
within their own premises as many of their palatial
Chettinad buildings have Marriage Halls (Kalyana
Kottagai) and Banquet Hall (Bhojan Hall).
which own personal Kalyana mandap and Personal
Panthi kattu.
 Indigenoust and European style evolved over years and refined in
a phased manner.
Such buildings, as presumed to be constructed only with bricks,
mortar and wood
The walls of Chettinad nagarathars buildings are embellished with
Chettinad plaster whose other names are
1)WhiteVellaipoochchu,
2)Eggplasteringand
3)MuthuPoochchu.
Such walls were coated with several layers comprising mixture of
lime base, ground white seashells, liquid egg white, etc.

The most important characteristic features of Chettinad Buildings are

1) Cluster Houses,
2) Mostly East West orientation,
3) High rise compound wall (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,
11) Double main door,
12) pattalai or pattasalai (smaller version of the thinnai- platforms),
13) Open Courtyard (Mutram Valavu),
14) Second /third courtyard/s,
15) Passage on all the four sides around the Mutram, is called Suththupathi,
16) Edges of the passages are lined with cut stone slabs known as
vellaikkallu,
17) Stand on them are the stone pillars meant for supporting the roof,
18) Slanting clay - tiled roofs,
19) Square flat tiles floor of the mutram will have rectangle stone slabs on
all the four corners to bear the brunt of the falling rain water
 The most important characteristic features of Chettinad Buildings are

20) Small single / double rooms on one side or either side of the passage
(suththukkattu) length wise,
21) Kitchen on the last kattu,
22) Staircase on one or two or all the four corners,
23) Banquet Hall Bhojan Hall Panthi kattu on the side of the first kattu,
24) Floors laid with
i) Italian marble Black and White,
ii) Granite in some places,
iii) Athangudi hand made tiles - Pookkallu,
25) Japanese and Spanish tiles were both used for side walls and floor in such
of those places where not treaded frequently,
26) Beams, pillars, brackets, capitals, frames all made of Burma teak,
27) All the mediums used in making columns viz, wood, stone, brick, and iron,
28) First floor facade is invariably adorned by colonnade made of stone, wood,
and bricks,
29) Window niches and arches above are decorated with stucco work or
paintings.
30) Designed for collecting / harvesting rain water (especially in courtyard
(Mutram)).