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Kerala
has made its notable contributions to the science
of architecture, both secular and religious.
The Tantrasamuchaya, Vastuvidya, Manushyalaya-Chandrika
and Silparatna are well-known treatises
on the subject. The Manushyalaya Chandrika
is a work devoted to domestic architecture.
The
traditional Kerala house is a quadrangular
building called Nalukettu constructed
strictly in accordance with the principles of
Tachu Sastra (Science of Architecture).
It was located in a self contained compound
and was specially designed to cater to the needs
of the huge tarawads of old under the
Marumakkathayam (matrilineal) system.
The Nalukettu was so called because it
consisted of four blocks viz., the Vadakkini
(northern block), Padinjattini (western
block), Kizhakkini (eastern block) and
Thekkini (southern block). The house
was generally built of laterite plastered with
Chunam and the roofs were tiled or thatched
with the leaves of palmyrah or coconut trees.
The wood work of the building was usually solid
and beautifully carved. It may also be noted
that the old palaces of Kerala represent the
style of traditional domestic architecture.
The most important palaces that deserve mention
are the Padmanabhapuram Palace (Kanyakumari
District), the Dutch Palace at Mattancheri and
the Krishnapuram Palace near Kayamkulam. In
recent times domestic architecture has undergone
significant changes in style and design. The
houses are now built only to accommodate single
households. Cement concrete houses have taken
the place of the traditional houses made of
brick set in either mud or lime.
The
Kerala temple has a district architectural
style which has been acquired as a result of
a long process of evolution. The rock-cut temples
are among the earliest known of the temples
of Kerala and they are assigned to the period
prior to 800 AD. They come mainly under two
groups, the southern group and the northern
group. The former includes the rock-cut temples
of Vizhinjam, Madavurppara, Kottukal and Kaviyur
and the latter of those of Trikkur, Irunilacode
and Bhrandanpara. The Saivite cult dominated
the architectural style of the temples of both
these groups. Those of southern group are of
Pandya origin and of the northern groups. Those
of southern group are of Pandya origin and of
the northern group of Pallava origin. In addition
to these two groups of rock-cut temples, there
is also the rock-cut temple of Kallil near Perumbavur
which is at present a Bhagavathi temple, but
was formerly a Jain Shrine.
The
structural temple of Kerala had its origin during
the 9th century A.D. The Krishna temple at Trikkulasekharapuram
near Tiruvanchikulam and the Kizhthali Siva
temple nearby are dated to this period on the
basis of inscription and stylistic evidences.
The origin of the Kandiyur Siva temple is ascribed
to 823 AD on the basis of clear inscriptional
evidence. In the course of centuries Kerala
evolved its distinctive types of temple architecture
each of which is associated with some area or
other in the State. The Kerala temples have
been built in square, rectangular, circular,
apsidal and elliptical ground plans. The dominance
of the circular shrine is a unique feature of
temple architecture in Kerala. The southern
half of the State has a preponderance of circular
shrines. The apsidal temples lay scattered all
over the west coast up to Thiruvananthapuram
but there is a concentration of this type in
central Kerala. The rectangular and elliptical
ground plans can be seen only in a few temples
in Kerala. As the rectangular plan was more
suited for enshrining Vishnu as Anantasayanam,
the Sri. Padmanabha Swami temple, Thiruvananthapuram,
follows this type. The Siva temple at Vaikom
is built on the elliptical plan. It may also
be noted that majority of the Kerala temples
have walls made of laterite blocks, but some
made entirely of granite except the superstructure
may also be in wood carvings, representing Puranic
stories. The slopping roof and the lavish use
of wood have also invested the Kerala temples
with a distinct style of their own.
In
the early period the Christians of Kerala
seem to have built their churches after the
model of Hindu temples, as is evidenced by the
alleged action of Vasco-da-Gama in entering
a Kali temple at Calicut mistaking it for a
Christian church. They adopted for their churches
the temple plan comprised of a four-sided sanctuary
with a large pillared hall in the front. The
church had also a tower which, like the Sikhara
above the Garbhagriha of the temple,
soared to the maximum height. The indigenous
tradition which influenced church architecture
continued without break till the coming of the
Portuguese in 1498 AD. As part of their policy
of Latinisation of the Church is Kerala, the
Portuguese introduced innovations in the design
of church buildings. The massive arch replaced
the thick entrance door and stained glass windows
were installed to allow more ventilation. The
sanctum chamber (Madubaha) was attractively
ornamented with statues made of wood or clay
as well as with beautiful wall paintings. The
first church to be built in the new style was
Santo Antonio, the present St. Francis church,
Cochin. The St.Francis church provided the model
for the construction or more churches in India.
In
modern times styles of church architecture from
outside have influenced the construction of
churches in Kerala. The Puthen Palli at Trichur
with its arches, vaults, steeples, flying buttresses
and stained glass windows has been built after
Gothic style. The St.Joseph's Cathedral of the
Latin Christians at Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram
and the Kothamanglam church are Romanesque in
their architectural style. The St.Thomas Pontifical
shrine, Kodungallur, resembles the St. Peter's
Church in Rome. The new Orthodox Syrian church
at Kolancherri (the church of St.Paul and St.Peter)
is one of the finest specimens of modern church
architecture in Kerala.
Mosque architecture
which drew inspiration from Persian and Turkish
tradition in north India had no influence on
mosque architecture in Kerala till recently.
The traditional Kerala mosque is a simple two-storied
building with tiled roofs. Its outer walls are
built on a basement similar to that of a Kerala
temple. It has a central hall meant for prayers
with corridors on all four sides. As in the
case of temples and churches wood has been used
profusely in the construction of the Kerala
mosques. But there are a few mosques, like the
Juma Masjid at Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram and
Puthiya Palli at Calicut in Kerala now which
are reminiscent of the Islamic style of architecture
prevalent in north India.
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