Basket weavers' mud houses from Chengleput, Tamilnadu

These houses are two reproductions of simple mud houses occupied by ordinary working class people of the state. Their construction is based on examples found in the Chengelpet district of Tamil Nadu. The interiors of the houses show the lifestyle of ordinary villagers with space for cooking, praying, living and sleeping.

While one house is an authentic traditional house both in structure and method of construction, the other is authentic only in structure, as it has used compressed mud blocks. Compressed mud block construction is an inexpensive, durable and easy-to-do alternative method of building being promoted in villages, where appropriate. The blocks are mud, stabilized with 5% cement, compressed in a simple hand-operated machine and sun-dried. Unlike the original houses, bamboo mats have been placed under the thatch to prolong the life of the thatch.