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AJILA SHINY.R.

S
Agraharams:

An Agraharam or Agrahara was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically
by a king or a noble family, to religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to
maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site and to sustain their families.

The name literally means "a garland of houses". It originates from the fact that the
agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple

Agraharams were also known as Chaturvedimangalams They were also known


as ghatoka and boya.

AGRAHARAM HOUSES
Design evolved from the culture and activities:

The design and layout are guided by the parameters like status in the community.
They give more importance for interactions within the community and prefer to live
in groups for safety and security reasons. The water body is an important element in
the overall setting of the Agraharam as the inhabitants follow the Vedic life with a
belief of spiritual and physical purity. Most of the interactions and functions occur in
these streets. So this street acts as an extension of their living space.
The origin and evolution of a unique housing pattern

➢ The earliest existing description of an agraharam has been found in a 3rd-


century AD Sangam Age work called Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
➢ As a community which handled the Vedasand religious texts, the Brahmins
wielded power and influence in the social hierarchy. As the priestly class they
received royal patronage and respect from the rulers and all the other
communities.

According to the hindu practise of architecture and town planning, an


agraharam is held to be in two rows of houses running north-south on either
side of the road at one end of which would be a temple of shiva and at the other
end ,a temple of vishnu.
example - vadiveeswaram in tamil nadu
temple

Row of
houses
Places with the name Agraharam or Agrahara:
-Tamil nadu - Karnataka -Kerala

The concept is similar with houses in row on both sides and a temple at one end.
They may differ in shapes - some are in straight line, some are T shaped and few
have multiple temples within the village.
There is a famous Agraharam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala called Valiya Sala
which is the lengthiest Agraharam in India.

Activities in agraharam
The settlement pattern :
The evolution of this particular architectural typology may also speak about the
social position of the Brahmin community.
• Even though these migrant Brahmins wielded power in the caste ridden society,
they were always a minority when compared to the local indigenous population.
Moreover, when they moved into a new place and made their settlements, there was
always a tendency amongst the members of the communities to settle together to
ensure safety.
Another reason behind this was that in most cases the early migrants to a particular
place may be the members of a same family, and thus when they settle down in an
alien land, they automatically evolved into a close knit community whose principles
were based on strict religious norms.

Culture and life


❑ The matriarchal system of family led to the joint family system
where we had the members of a family living under the same
roof.
❑ The head of the family was the male head, the karanavar And
the senior most females of the family.
❑ This joint family system brought in a system of group living and sense of sharing
amongst the local communities.
❑ However, in the case of the agraharams the qualities of living together and
sharing each other’s space got reflected in their planning of the settlements and it
zoomed down into the architecture of their houses.
❑ Majority of the Brahmins were employed in the temple as staffs and in the temple
kitchen, mukkanaiya a sub caste of Iyers were money lenders and were
appointed as accountants.
The planning:
The planning of the agraharams followed a grid iron or concentric ring patterns, with
the temple forming the main focus. The row of houses is either single or double
storied, with the traditional pitched roof form striking a significant profile against the
sky. The streets were narrow and formed an integral extension of the ‘living space’.
The row houses sharing a common wall had a long verandah running along the front
portion, supported by stone and wooden pillars. The house has a verandah at the
entrance for social activities and a platform, slightly raised from the street, which
runs the entire length of the row houses.
It also acts as a transition from the street to the dwelling. A passage which starts at
the street face, runs through the house ending at the backyard. Doors leading to
inner areas.
The various components of the agraharam :
➢ Puramthinna – the long corridor/verandah running infront of
the agraharams. This space also acted as a community gathering
place where the men assembled for religious discourse.
➢ Akamthinna –the small room next to puramthinna, this room
incorporates the konippadi (stairway) leading to the upper storey.
➢ Rezhi –this is the central room in an agraharam which acts as
The living/bedroom, the important religious ceremonies and
rituals associated with the Brahmin community are also performed
➢ thinnai -living area
➢ thalam –it is the space around the courtyard, the homakundam
or the place for the sacrificial fire is located here.
➢ Mittam –the courtyard is a part of the rezhi itself and often there is no
separation between these two spaces.
➢ Adukkala –this is the kitchen.
➢ Machil is the attic room.
The stairway from the akamthinna leads to the machil. This room is
assigned for the use of newly wedded couples.
kottil –the independent structure located at the extreme end, it is often used as
a cowshed or as storage space.

adukkala

In the old days the agraharams did not have toilets associated with the house and
the system of scavengers lanes thus came into existence. There were narrow
lanes running behind the agraharams, through which the scavengers came and
collected the night each agraharam.
➢ Kuchil –these are the rooms located at the extreme end, where the ladies
during their menstruation are housed. stairway Rooms on first floor Terrace on
second floor
As in the traditional Kerala houses, there is a well attached
to the kitchen and water can be drawn through the opening
on the wall.
Another courtyard, larger in size is seen next to
the kitchen and toilets which is functions as a washing and
bathing space.

glass tiles to let the light in

Kodunthirapulli agraharam, Palakkad, Kerala. Here is an old spacious airy one with
tiled roof and skylight. The roofs had glass tiles to let in light.
Courtyard Traditionally the sloping roof of the houses lets in a little sunlight to the
interiors of the traditional Kerala houses; this is compensated by the presence of
the large courtyard. The courtyard has some religious association too,
traditionally in Vastu, the open courtyard in a house is considered as the
‘devasthana’,
The most sacred place assigned to the gods and hence construction are not
allowed there. The agraharams also incorporates a courtyard in its design
however, here its position is not in the deva sthana .
The sacred tulsi planted and worshipped in the center of the courtyard. The court
has provisions of taps for ablution and also outlets for water drainage which takes
the rainwater outside
The spatial
planning of the
agraharams
follows a linear
pattern with rooms
arranged one after
the other. The
spaces inside
have special
purposes, and
among them
privacy of the
occupants is of
the least concern.

A passage which starts at the street face, runs


through the house ending at the backyard. There
are some open spaces too, in the form of sunken
courtyards or backyards which are highly
functional
The planning and architecture of these two housing patterns have evolved over time
taking into consideration various parameters like
➢ the local climate conditions,
➢ availability of local building materials and
➢ the skill employed in the construction.

The sense of sharing the spaces is then best exhibited in the design of the
puramthinna the long connected verandah’s running in front of all the agraharams.
The puramthinna was an interstitial space which connected the street and the
interiors of the house and this was also the place where religious as well as
philosophical debates were held.

The culture of living together and sharing has also played an important role in the
everyday life of the inhabitants of the agraharams.
They have bhajana madhoms (prayerhalls) which also was a
place where the people from the settlement gathered for the
festivals and during important occasions.

Street activities
The agraharams were introvert settlements, often open to
the members of the particular caste group, however within
the introvert settlement there were designed built and open
spaces that well catered to the needs of the settlers.

The streets within the settlements were narrow and not


designed for vehicular transportation.

The streets were also a part of the


life of the Brahmin communities as
many of the important religious
functions and marriage feasts were
conducted in the streets.
Life in agraharam

Door to agrharam.
At night the road would be lighted up by the stone lamps;
stone lamps were there attached to the walls of every agraharams.
These stone lamps hold oil for a longer time illuminating the street .
The women of agraharams rises and after bathing draw ‘arippodikolam’ in front of
their houses.‘ Arippodikolam’- a painted prayer. It is believed that drawing a kolam
in front of the house brings prosperity.

Moreover, they provide food for insects and birds. Life in agraharams Brahmins
being a priestly class were less familiar with farming techniques, the lack of open
spaces and the life style that revolved around the temple made then depend on
vegetable sellers and other street vendors who came daily to sell their wares.
Drainage
The drains running through the front were cleaned daily. The roads were also cleaned
and sprinkled with water daily. They had special paths known as scavengers lane
made behind every stretch of streets.

The wastes were collected outside the fort (southwest corner) and later taken to far
off places to be disposed. There were common wells, two wells for each street that
provided them with water, every morning the women folk crowded around the well
for collecting water for their daily use.
Example of agraharam
in kerala
THANK YOU !!!

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