Pallathur House ...Restored back to its magnificience!

This post is pending for quite sometime...Long time readers of this blog may remember about my post on a Pallathur House.I had visited this beautiful Chettinad house in 2010 and had lamented about its slow death in my post. But then, Mr.Ramanathan, the proud owner of the house contacted me earlier this year and informed that, he along with his brother, had renovated and brought back the house close to its former glory. I felt elated to see the snaps he had shared.Congratulations Mr.Ramanathan !

The house in 2010...

There are many such magnificent chettinad houses that are not as lucky as this one. I hope their owners take pride like Mr.Ramanathan and renovate and maintain these architectural heritages. I know its not easy to maintain such huge houses. The cost of maintenance has gone up drastically while the know how of the construction technology used for such houses has dwindled over time. In many cases,the owners have moved to the cities or abroad and have little time and energy for their ancestral homes. The inheriting generations take the easy root of dismantling these houses and building something 'modern' in their place. This is very lucrative as the wooden pillars, carved doors, wood work etc are in high demand in the cities. People buy and use them like fancy elements in modern houses. There is so much to learn for Architects from these Chettinad houses - the right architecture and building technology for our Culture and Climate.

the house in 2013...