Going strong at 100

Most of them were granaries

December 22, 2017 08:10 am | Updated 08:10 am IST - SALEM

A house at Tamaiyanur village near Vazhappadi in Salem.

A house at Tamaiyanur village near Vazhappadi in Salem.

Three unique more than 100 year old houses which stand on stone slabs without base structure are proving major attraction in Tamaiyanur village near Vazhappadi town.

These houses constructed using stones and clay were used as granaries for keeping paddy and other crops in safe custody.

These houses stand testimony to the excellence of the people involved in the construction activities in the past, when there were no specialists and latest equipments. All the constructions, whether small houses or multi-storeyed apartments, all stand on strong base structures. But the old houses in this village are proving a construction marvel to the visitors.

The major occupation of the residents of this village was agriculture, thanks to the favourable climatic conditions experienced round the year.

The major problem that confronted the farming community in the villages was the damage caused to the paddy and other crops stored in the houses by rats and other creatures.

To protect the crops from the creatures, the farmers decided to construct structures without base structure. As such, big stone slabs were laid on the ground and later walls were raised over these slabs. Since only few granaries existed, the neighbours too stored their harvested crops here. Now farmers have stopped using these granaries and owners of these buildings have started living there.

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