Nālukettu is the traditional homestead of old
Tharavadu
Tharavad () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families in Kerala, which usually served as the common house for the joint family system practiced in the state. The German linguist Hermann Gun ...
where many generations of a matrilineal family lived. These types of buildings are typically found in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. The traditional architecture is typically a rectangular structure where four halls are joined together with a central courtyard open to the sky. The four halls on the sides are named ''Vadakkini'' (northern block), ''Padinjattini'' (western block), ''Kizhakkini'' (eastern block) and ''Thekkini'' (southern block). The architecture was especially catered to large families of the traditional ''tharavadu'', to live under one roof and enjoy the commonly owned facilities of the ''
marumakkathayam
Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in regions what now form part of the southern Indian state Kerala. Descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females. It was followed by all Nair castes, Ambalav ...
'' homestead.
''
Thachu Sastra
''Vastu shastra'' ( hi, वास्तु शास्त्र, ' – literally "science of architecture") is a traditional Indian system of architecture based on ancient texts that describe principles of design, layout, measurements, groun ...
'', or the Science of Carpentry and Traditional ''Vasthu'', was the governing science in this architectural form. This branch of knowledge was well developed in the traditional architecture of Kerala and has created its own branch of literature known under the names of ''Tantrasamuchaya'', ''Vastuvidya'',
''Manushyalaya-Chandrika'', and ''Silparatna''.
The layout of these homes is simple, and catered to the dwelling of the large number of people usually part of a tharavaadu. ''Ettukettu'' (eight halled with two central courtyards) or ''Pathinarukettu'' (sixteen halled with four central courtyards) are the more elaborate forms of the same architecture. Every structure faces the sunlight, and in some well designed naalukettu, there is excellent ventilation. Temperatures, even in the heat of summer, are markedly lower within the naalukettu.
The nalukettu and ettukettu buildings must have been inspired from the ancient Chinese house architecture. Kerala had a long and strong history of trade between Australia China.
References
External links
Naalukettu: A Magnificent Tradition of Domestic ArchitectureNaalukettu: A Visual Representation Of The ArchitectureKerala Nalukettu house plansRoute – Trade History between China and Kerala, India: Kerala History
House types
Houses in India
Arts of Kerala
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