DakshinaChitra — A glimpse of traditional homes from South India
The architecture of Indian dwellings has changed dramatically in the twenty-first century. The majority of the Indian population lived in houses built according to traditional principles until a few decades ago. To suit the environment and customs of their owners, homes were built utilising local materials available in the area. However, in our effort to find effective ways of utilising land and making dwellings smart and contemporary in recent years, we have overlooked a subtle point: our homes formerly served to define our cultural diversity. I’m not sure whether the young and future generations will ever understand that each Indian state and religious community had its own unique and culturally rich home.
DakshinaChitra- A historical museum 35 kilometres south of Chennai is a once-in-a-lifetime endeavour to reproduce and conserve traditional ancestral residences from around South India. It’s best described as a living museum, with 18 houses — each with a remarkable cultural affinity to the location where they first existed — presented in full scale across 10 acres of ground. DakshinaChitra’s dwellings aren’t just model homes; they’re real residences
that were taken from all around South India and restored on the site. The once barren site has been transformed into a lovely setting of trees, stone paths, an amphitheatre, and an adobe to 18 adorable homes because to the magic of visionaries like Laurie Baker and master architects like Benny Kuriakose.
In May of 2014, we went to DakshinaChitra. It’s in Muttucad, along the beautiful East Coast Road. Visits to DakshinaChitra and Mahabalipuram can easily be combined. We did the same thing. In May, it was scorching hot, but as soon as we entered DakshinaChitra, we forgot about the heat, thirst, and exhaustion.
DakshinaChitra is divided into four divisions, each symbolising one of the four states of South India. Tamil Nadu was the first stop on our heritage tour.
