Ancient Kerala has made its notable contribution to the science of architecture. The Tantrasamuchaya, Vastuvidya,Manushyalayachandrika and Silparatna are well-known treatises on the subject.. Kerala developed its own indigenous style of domestic architecture, The architecture of Kerala is a unique amalgam of external influences that are both foreign and Indian, in origin.
Kerala Archetecture may be studied under two broad heads,
1 Domestic architecture represented by Nalukettu Nalukettu wer builinaccordance with the principles of ThachuSastra. The outer verandahs along the four sides of the 'Nalukettu' are enclosed differently. While both the western and eastern verandahs are left open, the northern and southern verandahs are enclosed or semi-enclosed.
2 Religius Archetecture include the Archetecture of temples, churches, mosques etc.
The history of the construction of the temples of Kerala dates back to the Cheras of the 3rd century BC. The temples of Kerala are referenced in the works of the Tamil Alwar Saints and the Nayanmar Saints. Several works on the temple architecture were written in Kerala during the 15th and the 16th centuries AD. The Bhakti literatures of the 16th century played an important role in the temple culture of Kerala.The Maharajas of Travancore were ardent patrons of temples.
Temple architecture in Kerala is different from that of other regions in India. Largely dictated by the geography of the region that abounds in forests blessed with the bounties of the monsoons, the structure of the temples in Kerala is distinctive. The roofs are steep and pointed, and covered with copper sheets. The Kerala roof resembles those found in the Himalayan regions and those in East Asia. The central sanctum of a Keralite temple is referred to as the Sree Kovil. It is surrounded by a cloistered prakara, pierced at one or more cardinal points with a gopuradwara. The cloistered prakaram has a namaskara mandapam located directly in front of the sanctum. This prakaram also houses subsidiary shrines. A kitchen is located in the south eastern corner of ths cloistered prakaram. The mukha mandapam is integrated with the gopura entrance. The Kuttambalam or the theater hall of the Keralite temple is located either as a part of the inner prakara, This is the site of the performance of Kathakali or Chakkiyar koothu recitals.
A few temples of South Kerala like the Sri Padmanabha Swami temple, Trivandrum and the Parasurama shrine at Tiruvallam bear evidence of the fusion of the Dravidian and Kerala styles of architecture. The influences of the Pallava, Chalukya, Pandya, Chola, and Vijayanagar styles may also be seen in the sculptural representation in Kerala temples. Some writers have sought to discover traces of resemblance between the architecture of Nepal and Tibet and that of Kerala in so far as wood is used in abundance in the construction of temples and buildings in all these places. Fergusson, an authority on Indian and Eastern Architecture, finds the resemblance so glaring that he finds in it unimpeachable proof of intimate contacts in the past between Nepal and Tibet on the one side and the Kerala coast on the other. Moreover, some have sought to find in the architecture of the buildings and temples of Kerala strong evidence of Chinese influence which is said to have sprung from early Chinese trade relations with Kerala. The particular pattern of roofing of houses (the gabled roof) which is seen all along the coastal tract from Quilon to Cochin is alleged to be the product of Chinese influence.
The "Dutch Palace" at Mattancherri originally built by the Portuguese in 1555 shows a synthesis of Kerala and Portuguese styles. The Portuguese built many handsome and spacious buildings of the European type for their churches, monasteries and convents. The St. Francis Church, Kochin, the St. Teresa's Church and Convent at Ernakulam, the Kanjur Church, Vellarappilli and the St. Mary's Church, Vallarpadam represent new architectural designs. There are also a number of mosques in Kerala built after the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.
.
|
