CHETTINAD MERCHANT HOUSE

LOCATION

Chettinad is the home of the

Nattukottai Chettiars (Nagarathar), a
prosperous banking and business
community. It is also known for its local
cuisine, architecture, and religious
temples.

Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga

district of Pandya Nadu in Tamil
Nadu, India.
CULTURE
The chettiars are known to be
traders in salt and spices and this is
reflects in the Chettinad cuisine.
Meals also consist of cooked
lentils, Brinjal curry,
drumstick sambar, ghee for
flavouring rice, and sweet meats
like payasam and paal
paniyaram. In general, beef and
pork dishes are not served. Some
well-known local dishes are
Chicken Chettinad (Spicy Chicken
Curry), Vegetable Chettinad (a
vegetable curry) and dishes
featuring seafood.
 • Chettinad is a hot and
semi monsoon region. The
climate was taken into
consideration in the
design of their homes and
materials used.
CLIMATE • The houses were built
RESPOSIVENESS around an east-west
central courtyard which
brings shade, light,
coolness, and air to the
entire home.
CHETTINAD HOUSES
Each house in chettinad are made up of
. Mugapu
.valavu
.irandankattu
.moonankattu
.thottam
Mugapu: the reception entrance of the house
Valavu: living area of the house .In valvu there
Are 4 platforms called pattalai.
Pattalai: living halls of each family
Irratai veedu: rooms used by each family to keep
their belongings.
Nadai : corridor
Irrandakattu: used for dinning/with storerooms for
storing crockery
Moonamkattu: kitchen
Thottam: garden,stables,cowsheds etc
House plan

On the ground floor, the

architecture is typically Tamil,
with the outdoor and inners
verandahs
(thinnai and pattalea), with the
central courtyard surrounded by
its pujarooms on each side, with
the women’s hall and kitchen
courtyard.
However one can also see
western influences on the front
façade and higher floors, with
features of classical
architecture.
Chettinad
House

 The outside columned

verandah (Burmese teak)
and the central courtyard
have been authentically
relocated and reconstructed
from a house in Aryakudi
village dated to 1895. The
door and inner verandah,
dating back to the 19th
century are from a house in
kandanur village.
Chacterstic features
Cluster houses
East west orientation
High rise compound wall
Entrance arch with stone steps
Elevated plinth
Tiled portico
Façade with stucco sculputure
Verandah ( thinnai)
Wooden pillars
High door frame with oranate wood work
Sloping clayed tile roof
Opened courtyard
PLAN AND ELEVATION OF CHETTINAD HOUSE
INTRICATE DETAILS –
COLUMNS ,DOORS AND DOOR KNOB
BUILDING MATERIALS USED

The materials used for

construction and the essential
components of this luxury home
are:
o brick and lime plaster walls
o terracotta tiled roofs
o stone pillars
o teak columns
o stone floors
 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES

 The construction materials, decorative items and furnishings were mostly

imported.
 The elaborately carved teak front door, with image of Lakshmi carved
over the head and Navarantna or nine precious gems buried under the
Vasapadi (threshold).
 Pillared corridors running on each side that leads to the individual rooms.
 Handmade floor tiles from Athangudi, are inlaid on the Madras terrace
roof pattern with joints.
 Lime egg plastering is another traditional technique used to paint walls
white and keep the insides of houses cool, that lasts virtually the entire life
of the building.
Thank
You