 Most
weavers’ houses and other village houses in Nalgonda
and Warangal district follow a style locally known as bhawanti.
The plan used commonly is the chitra sala, with three bays
or sections and a small courtyard in the middle. The building
materials include bamboo reapers, palmyra beams and semi-circular
roof tiles. If the owner can afford it, the house will have
an outside garden, bathroom and utility area enclosed by
walls and a separate entrance. The plinth is made of stone
blocks with mud mortar and the walls are either mud or sundried
bricks.
The weavers’ house plan is an adaptation
of an agricultural house. The outer enclosed area for animals
is absent in the weavers’ house. The small rooms which
would have been on the left side of the house by the courtyard
have been omitted by the weavers to give space for a loom
and for working space. The weavers have also chosen a smaller
courtyard to minimise the effects of the monsoon on their
weaving.
The weavers’ houses have very limited
decorations and all the materials used are commonly obtained
and have a limited life span. The house built at DakshinaChitra
is identical to an existing one of the master weaver, Mr.Janardan.
A village team of traditional carpenters was commissioned
to make the building. The carpentry was carried out in the
village and the house erected in Madras over a five week
period with the help of three masons. The Master Weaver’s
house is a place of residence and of work where ikat weaving
is done. Ikat is the technique of dyeing the yarn with patterns
before the weaving begins.
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