2. An Agraharam or Agrahara is the name given to the Brahmin quarter
of a heterogenous village or to any village inhabited by Brahmins.
Agraharams were also known as Chaturvedimangalams .
The name originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of
houses on either side of the road and the temple to the village god at
the centre, thus resembling a garland around the temple.
Agraharams: 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 to the village god at the centre, thus resembling a garland
around the temple.

3. TEMPLE
The linear settlement pattern culminated at a
temple or was arranged around the temple in
various concentric rings, as seen in the great
south Indian temple towns

4. AGRAHARAMS: THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF A UNIQUE HOUSING
PATTERN IN KERALA
The Brahmin settlers of south India had migrated to various parts of
the subcontinent and made their settlements around temples.
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.
Wherever they went, the Brahmins made their settlements around
temples, around which their everyday life revolved.
 The Brahmins in Kerala can be broadly classified into two groups–the
Namboothiri Brahmins and the Tamil and Tulu Brahmins. The
Namboothiri Brahmins claim themselves to be the true Malayala
Brahmins of Kerala and the Tamil and Tulu Brahmins who had migrated
to various parts of Kerala at different time periods were termed as
‘Paradesi Brahmins’ by the indigenous communities.

5. 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’.

6. 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

7. 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.
The settlements were often made and donated to these families by the
rulers.

8. Tindappad–the observance of certain distances between the various castes in
order to avoid pollution by contact social position of the community, their
association with the temple and of course, the patronage of the royals.
The settlement pattern followed by the traditional Brahmin
settlers were guided by certain parameters like the:
 The agraharams built around the temples were either arranged along the
three sides of themain temple (e.g. the agraharams inside the Fort,
Thiruvananthapuram);otherwise, themost commonly seen pattern is the
concentric circles around the temple (e.g. agraharamsof Srirangam).
The agraharams were often built on land donated by the royals and often
the land was divided amongst the migrant Brahmins based on the social
hierarchy existing within their caste group.
The highly regarded families, the priests and the scholars acquired
the position near the temple and the palace complex; the others
occupied the outerfringes.

9. The agrahara were usually followed a linear planning, quite in contrast
to the arrangement of rooms around the courtyard as in the traditional
Kerala houses.
PLANNING
Layout of the Nalukettu and Courtyard Layout of the agrahara and Courtyard

10. 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.
COURTYARD
The courtyard houses of Agrahara show a direct
response to the climate conditions of the place.
In the hot humid climatic conditions of this
region, the courtyard ensures easy ventilation .
The opening in the roof provides light to the
windowless rooms.
A well ventilated spaces

11. 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.

12. 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.
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.

13. 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

14. The various components of the
agraharam are the following:
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 in this place.
thinnai
living area

15. 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.
Thalam
Mittam
kitchen

16. Machil
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. 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

17. THE PLAN ANDSECTION SHOWING THE SPATIAL PLANNING OF THE AGRAHARAM.
Rezhi
Courtyard Thalam
AdukkalaPuramthinna Akamthinna
strairway
Well Kuchil
Toilet
Toilet Room

18. 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.
Brahmins being a priestly
class were less familiar with
farming techniques.

19. The agraharam settlements, the linear division of the plots and the houses
which covered almost the whole of the plot area did not allow its settlers
to have the luxury of a separate pond for each house.
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.

20. They have bhajana madhoms (prayerhalls)
which also was a place where the people
from the settlement gathered for the
festivals and during important occasions.
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.

21. THE TRADITIONAL PLANNING OF A TEMPLE TOWN WITH THE TEMPLE
OCCUPYING THE DEVA STANA THE LAYOUT OF THE OLD TEMPLE TOWNS OF
MADURAI AND SRIRANGAM.
The planning of a
temple town, we can see
that the agraharams were
constructed in the Veedhis
which were assigned for
human habitation.
In a traditional temple
town, the temple is the
nucleus, around which the
settlements are made, i.e.,
the temple occupies the
brahmaveedhi.

22. 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. . Theses 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. However, few coconut trees can be spotted in the backyard
spaces. People belonging to different castes ranging from bangle makers, the
‘Vala Chettis’, to basket makers came there to sell off their products. However,
no one from outside was admitted inside the fort after 10pm. There were
guards at each opening checking on those who enter and leave the place.

23. 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.
DRAINAGE

24. 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.

25. All houses shared a common
wall and were made of
‘Cheekkal katta’, a strong
locally available building
material, these blocks were
cemented with lime plaster
and the plinth in which the
house stood was made of
large granite blocks, which
were laid in a special manner,
which according to the him is
very efficient that the
centuries old houses had not
been affected by the
earthquakes.
In old days the roofs were thatched and the
supporting pillars and mezzanine floors were
made of timbre. Later thatch roofs were
replaced by Mangalore tiles when they were
made available in Travancore.

26. Valiya Sala which is the lengthiest
Agraharam in
India.(Thiruvananthapuram)
Agrahrams in Kalpathi -
Palakkad
EXAMPLES :

27. AT PRESENT-
Agraharams the traditional
row houses, are today a
vanishing part of architectural
heritage.
 The few surviving examples
are either owned by the temple
trusts or by individuals who
haven't had the heart and/or
the finances to raze them
down.
Some are restored and make
use of apartments.