I started this article to showcase a house designed in Rayalaseema style aesthetics. But now I want to dedicate an article about the house architecture and designs of old and traditional Rayalaseema region where I spent my holidays during childhood.
Every region has its own style of interiors which depends on weather conditions, locally available raw materials and people needs.
Rayalaseema, a drought prone region in the southern part of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is known for its rich and unique cultural heritage with distinct architectural style.
Hailing from Rayalaseema region, feel so nostalgic to share few unique interior design concepts which can be found only in the villages of that region.
Cow Sheds inside the House:
Our houses architecture is different from other regions. A must mention here are the animal shelters known as Gaadipaadu in our local telugu language. Usually animal shelters will be outside the houses in all villages but in Rayalaseema region we have them inside the house. House interiors begins with Gaadipaadu (animal shelter) in the front part. After the shelter the actual house interiors begin with hall, dining and kitchen.
Some experts claim that it is not healthy to live along with animals under same shelter and breath same air. But not sure how our ancestors lived along with animals and stayed healthy.
My husband’s village is in the western part of Rayalaseema. The house was 130 years old in 27 cents spacious land. It had a very big Gaadipaadu inside the house. Showcasing some old pics of my husband’s house before demolishing the house. The house was in a very bad condition while demolishing. It is demolished now. Five generations have gathered some lifetime memories under this roof. Feels so downhearted to see barren land in place of this big house after demolishing.
If you love old houses you will definitely like these pics.
Every wooden door in olden days used to have hourse faces at the corners. Also you can see Sun and Moon shapes on either side of a Chakra on the top of the door.
This is a big wooden trunk used for storage in a very bad condition.
Agriculture Equipment can be seen in the above pics. People used to store agricultural equipment in Gaadipaadu area in olden days.
Got the below random pic of Gaadipaadu after lot of search in google. Couldn’t find the source of the picture to give credits.
My father’s village is in the eastern part of Rayalaseema near Koilakuntla (south-east part of Kurnool District). Kadappa stone is seen as flooring on village roads, compound walls, house constructions and everywhere in his village. We can see more stones than trees in this eastern drought region.
What are Kadappa Stones?
Kadappa stone or black limestone is a naturally-occurring sedimentary rock sourced from Cudappah and its nearby places. This stone is highly impervious and durable stone which needs very little maintenance.
Also a must mention here are the compound walls in and around my father’s village. All the villages near his place have very unique compound walls for houses and farms. I have not seen such walls except this place. They use thin kadappa stones (nalla naparayi bandalu in telugu) to build the wall. I guess they don’t use any binder while constructing the wall. These kind of walls are used around the houses, farms, kallamu (small open place near house to store animal fodder, hay and other agricultural items).
This black limestone also known as betamcharla stone is available in abundance in this area, hence it is used vigorously for flooring and building walls. Surprisingly those naparayi bandalu (black limestones) are used for roads as well inside the villages without thar or concrete roads. Owing to its hardy and long-lasting nature, this beautiful black stone is used to accentuate home interiors as well as exteriors.
I don’t have accurate photos showing such walls. But after a lot of search got below pic (taken from Google) of a compound wall which is similar to such kind of walls.
The house walls are built using this black limestone and they don’t even plaster it with cement on the outer side as shown in below pic. These kind of houses are seen all over the villages in the east part of Rayalaseema.
If you like above kind of traditional architecture, please check below video. It explains the details of a typical rayalaseema traditional house.
How can use these Kadappa Stones in Modern Home Interiors?
Due to the quality and price of these stones they are used in interiors and exteriors these days all over the world. Even renowned Interior Designers in India are including them in their projects. Showcasing few pics for your inspiration and ideas.
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