CHAPTER 2Village of waterways- Kuttanad in Alappuzha
Alappuzha is the only district which is fully under low lands and midlands. Kuttanad is the 75 km stretch of low lands in the district, starting from the coast, accommodating the backwaters, low lying farmlands and the settlements within. Waterways form the backbone of its layout and planning, and are natural in form, varying in width from 5 to 100 meters. Compared to the water towns of China and Venice, the settlements here are not entirely waterfront. Here the water penetrates through, and is an active part of the village interiors with wide to narrow backwater branches through the fields and grooves. People made good use of these waterways, organizing them into systems for the transportation of goods and materials. The settlement prospered as a result of these activities and gradually, teashops and houses were built along the banks. These activities not only provided services to the village residents but also became the focus of village life. The dwellings are strongly connected to the water, yet following Kerala’s segregated dwelling system. People, who live here cohabit with water, walk along and cross canals every day and travel in boats of many sizes. They have no centrality or axes, no ceremonial or defense patterns but boundaries marked by water channels which allow continuous communication. The streets are closely linked to waterways, since they have to facilitate the loading and unloading of commodities and transshipment between road and water traffic. The development of these settlements occurred in natural ways. The formations were usually decided by the structure of waterways- sometimes along the banks, sometimes at the corners or around the intersection of waterways. Narrow bridges of single or double coconut trunks served as connectors of circulation in the interiors.
Alappuzha is the only district which is fully under low lands and midlands. Kuttanad is the 75 km stretch of low lands in the district, starting from the coast, accommodating the backwaters, low lying farmlands and the settlements within. Waterways form the backbone of its layout and planning, and are natural in form, varying in width from 5 to 100 meters. Compared to the water towns of China and Venice, the settlements here are not entirely waterfront. Here the water penetrates through, and is an active part of the village interiors with wide to narrow backwater branches through the fields and grooves. People made good use of these waterways, organizing them into systems for the transportation of goods and materials. The settlement prospered as a result of these activities and gradually, teashops and houses were built along the banks. These activities not only provided services to the village residents but also became the focus of village life. The dwellings are strongly connected to the water, yet following Kerala’s segregated dwelling system. People, who live here cohabit with water, walk along and cross canals every day and travel in boats of many sizes. They have no centrality or axes, no ceremonial or defense patterns but boundaries marked by water channels which allow continuous communication. The streets are closely linked to waterways, since they have to facilitate the loading and unloading of commodities and transshipment between road and water traffic. The development of these settlements occurred in natural ways. The formations were usually decided by the structure of waterways- sometimes along the banks, sometimes at the corners or around the intersection of waterways. Narrow bridges of single or double coconut trunks served as connectors of circulation in the interiors.
3 comments:
intro to main body oru break vanna polle - enthoru link missing undu - connecting bridge construct cheyyamenello!
a well written piece - would you want to talk more about their houses too? the structure? the style? would it be any different from other places? in what forms? to what extent? has the physical constraints of having water all around forced them to build their structures differently or adapt to the existing conditions?
do u mean, i need to compare dis wth other regions of varied climatic conditions?
i'm adding a comparitive stdy wth the architecture of south east asian countries- to prove the role of rain in shaping them..
Post a Comment