TYPOLOGY STUDY OF VERNACULAR COURTYARD-HOUSE IN , SOUTH

STUDI TIPOLOGI VERNAKULER RUMAH —COURTYARD“ DI KERALA, INDIA SELATAN

Indah Widiastuti Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Planning, and Policy Development (SAPPK), Institut Teknologi Bandung [email protected]

ABSTRACT This paper is based on observation about vernacular courtyard-house architecture in Kerala, South India. Traditional architecture in India is generally governed by a knowledge, prescribed in a traditional book. However, from the field observations, we identified many exceptions against the prescribed traditional knowledge. In the case of Kerala, some of the exceptions indicate shared architectural features with in Indonesian. The analysis uses typology method and unfolds six typologies and three styles of courtyard-houses. They have distinct spatial characters that give importance to women, kitchen, main orientation to water and river, and granary concept. Keywords: courtyard-house, south india, residential architecture, kerala, nalukettu, manusyalayacandrika

ABSTRAK Makalah ini ditulis berlandaskan hasil observasi lapangan terhadap arsitektur vernakuler rumah court- yard, di Kerala India Selatan. Arsitektur tradisional di India pada umumnya taat pada pengetahuan, yang ditulis dalam sebuah kitab tradisional. Namun, dari pengamatan lapangan, kami mengidentifikasi adanya pengecualian desain dari yang telah diatur dalam buku tradisional tersebut. Dalam kasus arsitektur rumah courtyard Kerala, beberapa pengecualian tersebut justru menunjukkan kesesuaian dengan arsitektur asli di . Analisis dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode Tipologi, dan mengungkap enam tipologi serta dua langgam. Pada rumah courtyard Kerala aspek perempuan, dapur, orientasi utama terhadap air dan sungai, serta konsep lumbung mendapat tempat yang penting. Kata Kunci: halaman rumah, india selatan, arsitektur hunian, kerala, naluketuu, manusyalayacandrika

INTRODUCTION alien to the classical text. Courtyard-house is typical archie- Kerala is the southernmost cultu- tecture in South Asia. It is a common ral unit and federation country in India. typology in India with various terms, Except for earthquake, they have tropi- such as, haveli in North India, wada in pical equatorial monsoon climates, pad- Maharasthra, rajbari in West Bengal, dy farming tradition, and history of cathurmukham in (Rhanda- traditional maritime network, like Indo- nawa: 1999). In Kerala, it is called nalu- nesia. Given different climatic and cultu- kettu, which means 4 (four)-halls-house ral background from the rest of India encircling an inner-yard. The design subcontinent, but the shared ecological follows a book of traditional architectural context with Indonesia, courtyard-house (vaastuvidya), the Manusyalaya Candri- in Kerala becomes interesting and rele- ka (Achyutyan Prabhu: 1998). However, vant topic to discuss about the shared the field observations indicates that not architectural characters between India all nalukettu faithfully follow the tradi- and Indonesia. This research is a part of tional book. Courtyard-house in Kerala study with the purpose to explore archi- seems to have more grounds on daily and tectural interlinkages between South popular architectural practice that may be India, and Indonesian or Southeast Asia.

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Tanggal Submit: 11-06-2018; Tanggal Revisi: 29-11-2018; Tanggal Diterima: 3-12-2018 DOI: 10.5614/sostek.itbj.2018.17.3.4

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The aim of the study is to uncover the construction is allowed to stand and hinder aspects that indicate the Indic and Indo- the energy flow. Therefore, the marmam or nesian characters in Kerala‘s architecture. dotted area is usually functioned as fenes- Specifically, the objective of this research trations and openings. Visually, the is: 1) to identify variations of typology of mandala, sutram, and marmam constitute court-yard-house in Kerala, and to learn the geometrical orientation principles that general architectonic characters of each govern the ordering system of a nalukettu. type; and 2) to explore common principles Formally, a nalukettu is compos- of Southeast Asian architectures in the ed of four independent halls (salas) typology of Kerala courtyard-houses. around a courtyard facing the four car- dinal directions (Figure. 2. a). A single Literature Review proper hall (sala) is composed of the Courtyard-House in Kerala according main hall (vidik sala) which is struc- to Manusyalaya Candrika turally identified by a ring-beams or wall Manusyalaya candrika is the tradi- plate, extended beam (diksala) to adjust tional book about the architecture of Kera- the hall with the length of the building, la, claimed to be written in 17th Cent.AD and a connecting structure or alindam (Achyutyan and Prabhu, 1998, Thampu- (Figure.2.b). Altogether, the multi-laye- ran, 2001). It contains prescription of ring principles of the mandala, marmam- Kerala‘s traditional residential architec- sutram, fourfold salas, and diksala- ture, including courtyard-house or naluke- vidiksala constitute the structural prin- ttu. Achyutyan and Prabhu (1998) elabo- ciples of a nalukettu (Figure 2.C). These rated it in a commentary text from which I prescribed configuration consequently draw some relevant principles for analy- constitute axis mundi of the house. zing the courtyard-houses. Ideally, an abs- tract gridiron called mandala guides the Commonality of Kerala‘s Vernacular configuration of nalukettu. The giridiron Courtyard House with Indonesia demonstrates concentric order that situates Architecture the highest rank god in the center of the Courtyard-house is the signature mandala where no built form is allowed of South Asian architecture. It is a dwel- there. Superimposing the concentric order, ling configuration commonly found in the is first, a diagonal hierarchical orientation semi-arid environment. In general, in gradually sloping down from northeast to India, a courtyard is believed to be a navel- southwest corner (Figure 1.a). The hiera- void containing primordial memory of rchical placement of rooms follows this trees, cut to construct houses (Bhattachar- diagonal and concentric orientation (Figu- yya, 2007). In Kerala, the memory is re 1.b). Second, upon this mandala, marked by basil flower planted in the conceptual lines and dots are drawn, inner-yard œ the tulasi. However, factually, guided by the rules of sutram and marmam the gravitation of spiritual activities orients (Figure 1.c). Sutram (threads, Sans.) is a toward granary (ara). According to her, the conceptual line(s) pulled perpendicularly oldest nalukettu mostly appeared as a and diagonally from every intersecting line single open hall, extended by the width to of the grids and yielded intersecting dots some extent that leaves vertical vent stack (marmam, Sans.). This line represents in the middle and yielded courtyard. positive energy flow. Upon this conceptual Closed space is situated in one or two intersecting dots and lines, no objects or

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sides of the halls,where one of them was directly onto the ground. Kerala‘s roof granary (ara). The important spatial concept relates to the discussion about the placement of granary and inclination to insular Southeast Asian roof design wide living space are characters of (Vrocklage, 1936 in Waterson, 1997). in Indonesia. Wooden construction combined with Some characters of Kerala‘s Court- foliage construction is not the nature of yard-house contain architectural characters Vedic Architecture. The Vedic or pre- of the tropical Indonesian regions. Reimar Aryan architecture is rather established on Schefold (2004) generalized characters of solid construction material, like brick mud Indonesian houses, but called it Formal fea- and stone rather than temporary and tures of Southeast Asian type-houses. foliage construction. Kerala architecture According to him, all architectural characters dedicates its space to feminine characters found in Southeast Asia are available in and the importance of granary. This relates Indonesia. Three of them confirm Kerala‘s to Koji Sato‘s elaboration on granary characters. They are the tripartite house, dwelling in Southeast Asia (Sato, 1988). outward slanting gable, and treatment of Its grand-built character related to Proto- wood and timber. The roof is overwhelming Austronesian characters of South-east Asian architecture (Sato, 2015). Like and steep; therefore it allows rain to fall

Figure 1a Mandala Figure 1b Typical of Figure 1c Marmam Scheme House Plan and Principle

Figure 1 Geometrical Orientation Principles of nalukettu (redrawn from Achyutyan and Prabhu, 2001)

Figure 2a Four Sala Figure 2b Vidiksala Figure 2c Illustration of a Principle Principle design and the Superimposed Principles

Figure 2 Structural Principles of nalukettu (redrawn from Achyutyan and Prabhu, 2001)

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Minangkabau Kerala adheres matrilineal diagrammatic elaborations are available kinship and take granary as its elemen- in Table I. tary residential structure (Widiastuti 2013). Type of Architectural Style The study identifies two general

architecture styles in Kerala, namely: 1) METHOD Typology is a study of architectural Travancore Style of the Southern Kerala, type. It assumes a common abstract form and 2) Malabar Style of The Central and governing the variations of architectural Northern Kerala. Travancore is taken from forms (Moneo, 1978). The field obser- the name of a classical kingdom in South vation covered 52 residential compounds, Kerala. Malabar is another name of Kerala, out of which 27 cases were courtyard- referred to an ancient maritime kingdom in houses, belonging to various communities central-north Kerala. Being busy maritime (Brahmin, Non-Brahmin, Christians, and kingdoms both architectures absorbed many Muslim). Typology is utilized as analy- outside influences and yielded eclectic tical tools to draw classification based on expression. Travancore architecture tends to the spatial configuration of courtyard- have moderate size courtyard-house, small house. Conventional typology was merely inner-yard, with open layout interior space. means to classify, and to draw categories It demonstrates very rich timber construction of designs. The contemporary typology and overwhelming hipped gable, and bent emphasizes the analytical significance of ridge roof architecture. Laterite masonry and the relationship between typical elements wooden carpentry characterize Malabar and the whole design (Hillier & Leaman, Style. The masonry allows huge and multi- in Guney, 2007). Hillier & Leaman (in stories buildings, with intensive walled Guney, 2007) use biological terms ”geno- interior and eclectic ornamentation. The type‘ to explain abstract relational models distinction between the two styles is not governing the arrangement of spaces, and clear-cut but gradual, from south to north. ”phenotypes‘ to explain actual realization of genotypes in the different physical Types of Courtyard Configuration milieu. It makes typology as research Courtyard in nalukettu is called instruments that can provide explanations anakanam. Each community has its court- about manifestations, and processes in yard style. However, some common architectural concepts (Djokiş, 2009). The characters prevail. They are: 1) the resulted types yielded by typology analysis courtyard dimension is generally small and is then encountered by indicators of Indo- generally varies from 1.8 m to 5 m spans; nesian architectures as elaborated in litera- 2) courtyard-house has outer wall and tend ry review, to assess aspects that signify to have at least one hall opened; 3) common genotypes of Indic and Indone- regardless of religion and communities, sian architectural characters and highlight most of the houses give importance to the spatial phenotypes. kitchen, well, and orientation toward river;

and 4) most courtyard-houses has a walled RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The typological analysis brings wooden hall containing raised granary in the middle (ara), semi basement storage- up two discussions about typologies, pedestal or nilavara for storing utensils and which are: 1) type of architectural style, farming tools, and one or two supporting 2) types of courtyard configuration. The rooms (kalavara) next to ara.

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TABLE I SIX TYPOLOGY OF COURTYARD CONFIGURATION IN KERALA‘S ARCHITECTURE

All relates to paddy farming activities. nilavara-kalavara. The dimension of the From these common charac-ters, more courtyard could reach as huge as 10 m specific designs appear and classifiable widespan. The courtyard house generally in 6 (six) typologies of courtyard confi- maintains the south hall as open and guration with the follow-ing percentage floor raised for living space. This type among the samples as elaborated below. occupies 25% of the samples. Type 1. Nalukettu with four Proper Type 2. Nalukettu with Open Halls. Courtyard-house type 1 persistently Living Space. Courtyard-house type 2 follow the prescribed text of, Manusya- appears as nalukettu with open layout layachandrika, regarding geometrical ori- interior space and fixed wall only in the entation, structural principles of nalukettu. perimeter of the house. It has one or two It may be obvious considering courtyard- enclosed wooden halls containing ara, house of this typology usually belongs to kalavara and nilavara, and a small pit in Brahmin communities. It has ara- the middle of the interior approximately

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1.5 to 2-meter span inner-yard. The 2001). The numbers covers 5% of the structural principle is not faithful diksala- samples. The type is a regional style and so vidiksala principles, but they keep the geo- far, only found in South Kerala, among the metrical orientation principles. The basil Christian Syrian community, generally flower occasionally put in the center of adhering to patrilineal and nuclear family. ankanam, or the front of the house facing Type 5. Mapilla Manzil. The Mapil- eastward. In Kanyakumari district South las are major Muslim communities prac- Kerala, this typology is called arapura ticing matrilineal kinship. The house dedi- (paddy-house) (Widiastuti, 2013). Under- cates their rooms for female members. They lining the dominant use of timber, call their house manzil. A manzil is generally Thampuran (2001) considers this type huge bungalows with many rooms, like indigenous South Kerala and Pre-Hindu. apartments. Their designs do not refer to However, concerning spatial configura- Manusyalayachandrika with regards to tion the typology 2 are available in the geometrical orientation, and structural prin- entire Kerala, generally among the middle ciples of nalukettu, but like other commu- to lower class landlords, but using laterite nities they put kitchen and female space in material. The numbers of this type com- the most auspicious place inside the house. prise 15% of the samples. They also have no ara-nilavara-kalavara Type 3. Nalukettu with rooms inside the house. However, the rear of the and one hall opened. Courtyard-house house has rooms arranged the way of ara- type 3 persistently follow the geometrical nilavara-kalavara. It is also considered orientation, and availability of ara- auspicious and only for female entry. They nilavara-kalavara. However, the struc- have separated granary house outside the tural principles relatively ignore dik- house. The courtyard is very small and vidiksala. The type has three halls and insignificantly placed, but the space surroun- one open-hall in the western or southern ding the courtyard is wide, considered side, encircling a small rectangular yard auspicious, and designated for female. The (ankanam). They are likely typology 1 of male space is in the front veranda, namely smaller size, with moderate inner yard kinanthara. Kinanthara is a front raised- span of 2 meters wide. This type is space, usually used for social space, and a perhaps the mostly found nalukettu in the processional limbus, where functions, mar- entire country regardless castes and riage and feasts are held. It makes kinanthara communities. It covers 40% of the sam- of the Mapilla as important as courtyard in ples, and mostly found in Central Kerala, nalukettu. They are mostly in Central-North Type 4. Kuzhikettu. Courtyard- and available of 10% of the samples. house type 4 is not a proper nalukettu, but Type 6. . Courtyard- single hall house with annex connected by house type 6 is residential units standing in two parallel passages that consequently arrays of units, like town house, called leave an inner-pit (kuzhi) which is consi- agraharam, belonging to temple-commu- dered as a courtyard. The single hall nity and available in temple quarters. It contains ara-nilavara-kalavara with living existed in Kerala but considered Tamil space surrounding it, but has no orientation Nadu‘s origin. Generally, it appears as a towards the courtyard. They keep marmam small-elongated unit, fronted by a veranda and principles, but ignore structural prin- with a raised floor for sitting, called ciples and orientation of nalukettu. Tham- thinnai. The courtyard is at the back of the puran regarded this a pseudo-nalukettu, house, more as living space. As they are and named it kuzhikettu (Thampuran, not original from Kerala, they do not refer

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TABLE II ANALYSIS OF INDONESIAN CHARACTERS OF THE SIX TYPES OF COURTYARD HOUSE IN KERALA‘S ARCHITECTURE

Type of Timber Hipped or roof Hipped gabled-bent Space under Open lay out Granary as center Space with courtyard construction roof protruding eaves or living space gravity of dwelling few walls veranda space

Nalukettu1 V V V V V VV 0 Nalukettu2 VV VV VV VV VV VV VV Nalukettu 3 VV V VV VV VV VV VV Kuzhikettu VV VV VV VV V VV VV Manzil 0 V 0 V VV V 0 Agraharam 0 V 0 VV 0 0 0 Note: VV = exist, V = exist in few places, 0= no existence

to Manusyalayacandrika. They do not keep tion, where on kitchen and well are put. ara-kalavara in their house. The courtyard Despite adherence to Manusyalayachan- is available but very small, and demon- drika, this orientation coincides with the strate no proper geometrical order, as in position of the adjacent river, and water nalukettu. Nevertheless, in Kerala they source in the highland of Western Ghats come from different traditions. mountain ranges. Conclusively, the study unravels Analysis of Commonality with South- six typology of Kerala courtyard houses. east Asian Architecture Except agraharam type, the five types car- The six typologies and two styles ry common genotype of courtyard-house, are examined against the six indicators of which refer to granary, and maintain Indonesian architectures, which are sum- auspicious value to kitchen, and well. The marized as the use of timber construc- following are some conclusions with tion, hipped or hipped-gable roof; bent- regards to the typological analysis. roof, space under the protruding eaves or 1) Type 1 (nalukettu with four proper veranda, open layout living space, grana- halls) and type six (agraharam) consis- ry as center gravity of dwelling space, tently follow pure Vedic traditions. The and space with few partitions (Table 2). indicator of Indic genotypes are the The intensity of commonality increase in incorporation of earthen material other numbers toward the Southern part of than timber (such as laterite and brick), and Kerala, or in Travancore style. space for Hindu ritual and the courtyard itself. However, agraharam conveys strong CONCLUSION Tamil characters that are often considered Nalukettu in Kerala have unique- not part of Kerala architecture. ness in term of: 1) being exceptional 2) Type 5 or manzil contains eclectic Indian architecture in a tropical climate, style, not only local but also Western with the paddy-farming based living; and Style. Manzil specifically belongs to 2) giving importance to female and Muslim and matrilineal society. The femininity. Ideally the formation of nalu- veranda-kinanthara concept exceptio- kettu refer to 1) the book of Manusya- nally reminded of the peringgitan in layacandrika; and 2) tropical-monsoon Javanese architecture. characters that draw the typical sloping 3) The most Indonesian characters of roof, deep eaves, timber constructions, Kerala architecture are hipped- roof, the and raised floor. The idea of auspicio- usness is given to north and east orienta- 372 Jurnal Sosioteknologi | Vol. 17, No 3, Desember 2018 space under protruding eaves, granary sumai.org/: http://www.sumai.org/ concept, and the nature of open living space. asia/refer/sem9102.html on 2nd The most common type of courtyard house December 2018 at 12.15 pm that shared Indonesian architecture are type Sato, K. (2015). Introduction to the 2 (nalukettu with open living space), type manifestation of indonesian three (nalukettu with rooms one hall ope- wooden architecture. The keynote ned), and type four (kuzhikettu). Nalukettu text of International Conference with open living space is the most typical :Manifestation of Architecture that shared characters with Indonesian in Indonesia. Institut Teknologi architecture. They Travancore Style and Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya 2015, ample in Southern region. It is like a different retrieved on 2nd December 2018 at local phenotype but in courtyard formation 12.15pm, from http://www.sumai. in India context, parallel to ancestral houses org/: http://www.sumai.org/asia/ like jabu, , or tongkonan, in refer/its2015.htm Indonesia. The occasional Indonesian chara- Schefold, R. (2004). The southeast asian- cters of full timber construction and hipped- type house œ common features and gabled roof are specifically concentrated in local transformations on an ancient Southern regions. It makes, especially the architectural traditions (pp.19-60), in Travancore style a typological intermediary Indonesian House Vol.1- Tradition that links the architectural concept of South and Transformation in Vernacular Asia and Southeast Asia. Architecture (Schefold, et all, eds.). Singapore: Singaporean University DAFTAR PUSTAKA Press. Achyutyan, A. and Prabhu, B.T.S. Thampuran, A. (2001). Traditional (1998). An engineering commentary architectural forms of malabar coast. on manusyalayacandrika of Vastuvidyaprathistanam, Calicut tirumangalat nilakanthan musat Vladan, D.“ (2009). Morphology and vastuvidyaprathistanam. Calicut typology as a unique discourse of Bhattacharyya, T. (2007). Vastuvidya research. Serbian Architectural systems of indian architecture. New Journey (SAJ) Vol. 1, 2009, No. 2. Delhi: Ajay Book Service P.104-119 Guney, Y. D. (2007). Type and typology Waterson, R. (1997). The living house œ in architectural discours. Journal of an anthropology of architecture in Balikseir University. Volume 9 Issue southeast asia. Singapore: National 1, 3-18 July3-19 University of Singapore Press. Moneo, R. (1978). Oppositions in texts Widiastuti, I. (2013). Arapura: Spatial on architecture and the city. Post configuration of granary house Graduates Centre of Human in kanyakumari south india. Settlements: Katholieke Universiteit International Society of Vernacular Leuven Settlement (ISVS) e-Journal, Volume Randhawa, TS (1999). The indian 2, issue No. 2, 2013, P.50-60 courtyard house. New Delhi: Widiastuti, I. (2013). The living culture Prakash Books and typo-morphology of vernacular Sato, K. (1991). To dwell in the granary houses in kerala. International œ The origin of pile-dwelling in the Society of Vernacular Settlement pacific. retrieved from http://www. (ISVS) e-Journal, Volume 2, Issue No. 3, 2013, P.41-53