[aaggoswami]

This touches heart, it looks so good. Here I would like to add that my maternal relatives were a part of " Rajwada " and their home was around 200+ years old. The main room was larger than the entire plot on which our present house is. Very very large. It had some piano, which was very old and some officials from museums located in Germany offered very handsome money for that. It was a very, very large house that eventually came down during Gujarat Earthquake. A couple of my relatives just about managed to survive, but the memories are still in my heart. The pillars had some sort of design on them all and the overall attention to detail was excellent, something we rarely see today.

@samurai : Very nice pictures.

[shivred]

love that shot in the kitchen, which lens were you using? and which f stop?
Thanks

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by shivred

love that shot in the kitchen, which lens were you using? and which f stop?
Thanks

All images have full exif, you can save and check the property. The lens should get major credit, it is the 12-60mm lens, one of the finest ever made by any lens maker, according to DPReview.

[shivred]

Originally Posted by Samurai

All images have full exif, you can save and check the property. The lens should get major credit, it is the 12-60mm lens, one of the finest ever made by any lens maker, according to DPReview.

got it. thanks a bunch,

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I am renaming this thread so that members can post other ancient homes outside of coastal Karnataka.

Here is my contribution - my friends house in Kanzhangad (pic 2), its anithesis (pic 1 - just to bring out the differences and impact of NRI's) and the object of desire in our childhood days (pic 3).

Just close your eyes and bring the aroma of idlis steamed in jackfruit leaves......... I am practically drooling at my desk

[maddy42]

Well no idea how i missed out this thread. I love such architecture style and believe that people who own such houses should not give it away or break it but change abit of it and retain the original look and feel. I am searching for my grandpas house pics but not able to find it.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by Samurai

The first one was Shettybettu house, this house was used in the period Bollywood movie Utsav. I had never been there before. So we asked around and finally found the place. We didn't know the people there, but knew some mutual acquaintances. So we were able to identify ourselves with the lone resident of the house, who was happy to show us around.

Lovely thread Samurai, Are these places open for visitors?

The first pic of the Kitchen is stunning, loved the way the rays have been caught

[Roameo]

Wonderful! Samurai, Thank you for starting this thread. This is going to be a feast for those who like ancient houses.

My contribution:

Kannada Poet Kuvempu's ancestral home in Kuppali, near Teerthahalli.
Can be visited as it is converted into a museum and very well mainatained.



See my earlier thread for more info:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...d-route-3.html



Doddamane in Agumbe where some episodes of 'Malgudi Days' was shot. House is dilapilating and not well maintained. Very hospitable owners. You can even drop in for a hot lunch of Konkani Cuisine.



See thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...d-route-4.html

[Samurai]

Roameo, the lawn in front of Kuvempu's home is totally out-of-sync with the house. I wonder why they didn't grow something authentic to match the period of the house.

[Ramsagar]

All the pics are mouth watering. Reminds me of ancestral home in AP.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Lovely thread Samurai, Are these places open for visitors?

Not really, you have to know the residents in some way.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Man, I gotta photograph my dad's ancestral home soon, before MRPL or Mangalore SEZ makes complete mess out of it.

Originally Posted by Samurai

There are couple of other much bigger houses which I really want to cover. One is my father's ancestral house, I haven't been there since 1996, I should visit soon.

Few months back I did manage to visit my father's ancestral home, but I didn't have my dSLR, so I had to manage with my ultra compact P&S. Only issue was it doesn't look as ancient as before since my cousins have modernised it a bit, the entrance has massive amount of granite slabs, interlocking blocks & brick pillars instead of the original wooden pillars, red oxide and cow dung flooring.







This house has a boota sthana (diety place) right in the hall.







Entrance to the inner house.



Check the design of the hinge of this door. It is completely wooden, not metal part.







This chair is special, only the designated person who is the religious figure head of the family can sit here. If I am not mistaken, this seat is vacant since 18 years. There are many restrictions on the lifestyle of the the person who takes this role, therefore none from the recent generation have volunteered for the post.





Let's get inside.
































When my mother entered this house as a new bride in the early 60s, there were 59 residents in this house. It had 5 kitchens facing one dining rooms. Each kitchen belonged to a sibling as the house partitioned over generations. Now only 3 people live here.

Four kitchens can be seen here, the common passage is the dining room. I still remember the 70s when all kitchens were active.



Inside of an unused kitchen.



Rear side of the house.



I have to say this is the mere shadow of the house I remember from before. There used to be an additional building encircling this building which housed all kind of utilities including cattle sheds, store rooms, warehouses, etc. Those were destroyed in a fire and never rebuilt.

[KMT]

Samurai, what a great thread.
Thanks to all who have contributed, it brings back so many memories about growing up in rural India, such buildings used to be a part of mainstream life.

It is so different from the picture of India that is portrayed now, such houses are just a 'special interest' or niche topic.

It is a pity that we/India does not not draw more heavily from this architecture while building the 'modern india'.

[Samurai]

Thanks KMT. I also happen to witness the famous cockfight during this visit. I even got to take photographs to my heart's content (wish I had my dSLR) thanks my dad's connection. Otherwise it won't be allowed. But I can't post them here since cockfights are illegal.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Was following this thread. Thanks for the latest pics.

Now I know why you need a dSLR <just joking>.

I remember reading in a magazine about some guy in Manipal / Udupi who built an house using components from demolished houses like the ones featured here. This was in early 1980s.

Any clue about that house?

Edit - the 5 kitchens - I guess they simply partitioned one single, huge kitchen? Unlikely that the original construction intended multiple kitchens.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Now I know why you need a dSLR <just joking>.

It is a very basic camera, absolutely no manual control.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

I remember reading in a magazine about some guy in Manipal / Udupi who built an house using components from demolished houses like the ones featured here. This was in early 1980s.

Any clue about that house?

That person is Vijendranath Shenoy, he sold it to Manipal group I heard. I think it is in the heritage village, which is strictly out of bounds for tourists or even locals. Only VIPs are allowed to visit it now. Unless you have some clout with the Manipal group, you are out of luck.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Edit - the 5 kitchens - I guess they simply partitioned one single, huge kitchen? Unlikely that the original construction intended multiple kitchens.

Must be, I am not too sure how it came about.