All About Andhra Traditional Home

Traditional Home

The built and the make of a traditional home in Andhra Pradesh has evolved with time, although most of the old, independent homes in the state are mostly built in the same fashion. Traditional Andhra homes in the villages and the towns are unalike, differing in style, make, and build but they all have the same home culture everywhere.

Make and build

Local village houses in the small clusters of village communities in Andhra Pradesh are referred to as “Chuttillu” (Chutt – small, illu – house in Telugu), which essentially means a round house. In cyclone-prone areas, agricultural and fishing communities usually build such homes, the shape of which helps them battle against the raging winds. The house has an outer circular space which envelops an inner circular room that serves as a storage area on one end where the grain for the family is stored, and the kitchen on the other. Another cooking area (called the vantsala) and a shelter for the bullock cart (called the aedul bandi jaaga) lies on the outside. The roofs are either flat (mud, timber) under an outer, sloping thatched roof made with Palmyra timber for the finish. The walls are usually made of mud using the cob wall technique and lime washed for the finish.

An urban traditional home in Andhra has a rectangular floor plan with a south-facing entrance. Compound walls and trees shade and protect the house and the area around it. The house is a joint plan of three linear, individual homes with separate toilets, bathrooms and kitchens, common courtyard and verandah and thresholds at every door. The build makes cross-ventilation easy, allowing the flow of air throughout the three structures. The house is characterized by thick walls, cuddapah tiles (now unpolished rough tiles) for the flooring and a sandy outer finish with little vegetation around the house that minimizes radiation and absorbs the excess heat.

Culture

The culture of traditional Andhra homes usually remains the same across the state. The thresholds of the doors are decorated with green, red and yellow colors, having evolved from the custom of applying turmeric to prevent the entry of insects during the harvest season. The thresholds are given much importance and the decoration is done to highlight them and make them prominent. Homes usually have narrow staircases, the space under which is used for storing frequently-used items. There are cuddapah stone benches between every adjacent gate of the house, and are used by family members to sit and chat with friends and neighbors during evening time.

The terrace of a traditional home in Andhra is an important space. Used by children to study during evening time, it is also used for daily household activities such as drying spices and clothes. An important feature is that the family sleeps outdoors or on the terrace during summers. Lastly, a well in the courtyard was the only source of water (in older homes) and all related activities such as washing and bathing usually happened happen around the well.

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by Balaji R via Visakhapatnam, Vizag | Apartments, Flats, Homes, Houses, Plots, Property, Properties, Real Estate, Villas | for Sale | Shriram Panorama Hills