Dr. Indah Widiastuti, ST., MT
Lecturer – Department of
Architecture
School of Architecture Planning
and Policy Development
Institute of Technology Bandung
INDONESIA
Abstract
The vernacular architecture of Kerala
in India is explored to demonstrate an architecture with Southeast Asian
characters but situated beyond the agreed (modern) boundary of Southeast Asia. In
this paper I would argue that, the architecture of Kerala reflects a
combination of Indic and Southeast Asian characters and it leads to critical
questions on the relevance of geo-political distinction between Southeast Asia
and South India, the Colonial assumptions of ethnic and nationality and the
paradigm of Indianization, on the
development of knowledge about Southeast Asian architecture. The discussions would be drawn in three
sections: 1) evidences of general convergence and divergence of the building
typology; 2) evidences of shared social-spatial organization of the habitations
that specifically brings up the importance of women; and 3) discussions on the
shared claims of pre-Hindu characters and maritime culture. The study would
principally suggests that for the case of Southeast Asia, with its unique
cultural dynamic and multiplicity, it is also important to explore knowledge
about the processes of becoming that lend base to the emergence of the people,
its habitations and the architectural traditions. In understanding the process, the geographical
framework should be taken in rather flexible manner, because the discussion
about Southeast Asian architecture seem to be extendable beyond the territorial
boundary. Kerala architecture is one of the case. With regards to Southeast
Asian architecture, Kerala architecture reflect the pre-modern vernacular
architecture in the crossroad between Western Coast of India and the West
Southeast Asia.
Keywords: Kerala, South India,
Vernacular Architecture, tattakam, tara,
taravad, Indianization, Network
of Asia.
