Syrian Christian House from Kottayam District, Kerala

This house from Kuttattukulam, near Kottayam represents the culture of Kerala’s Christians, who make up 23% of the State’s population. This house (circa 1850) is representative of many 19th century homes found in and around Kottayam and its backwaters. The Syrian Christians were traders by tradition, dealing in Kerala’s commodities such as timber and spices, and later on, tea and rubber. They controlled the trade from the nearby mountains and the coast up to Cochin.

The distinctive feature of the Syrian Christian house is its layout, with the entrance of the house leading directly into the granary. Prayers are conducted in front of the granary, identified by the small cross above the door, and not in a separate room for prayers as in a Hindu house. The addition of a masonry structure, in 1910, which includes a living room, separate dining room and kitchen, is a sign of the early westernisation of the community and the social trend of entertaining guests in the family home. The original house was west facing with the kitchen in the northeast.

The basic features of the house are the wood craft and joinery, using jackfruit and palmyra wood; the underground storage and general emphasis on storage of food items; the well in the kitchen; living around a single room; and the deep verandah. All these features are common to houses of all communities from the Travancore section of Kerala in the mid 19th century. To replace the damaged timber of the present house a similar house from Puttupally was purchased.