Extract

Abstract: Mysuru a city in Karnataka, India, renowned for it’s stately monuments and urban planning,
has a horde of little known residential buildings that are indicative of the cultural and societal makeup of the populace contributing to the architectural heritage of the city. One such residential typology fairly ubiquitous in Mysuru, the “agrahara” is quintessential to the Brahmin community and consists of
houses that are relatively simple in style compared to other residential typologies found in the city, but the dynamism that comes to the fore when organized as a settlement is of considerable social
dimension. The houses impose close proximity of the neighbours but there exists clear boundaries
between them, which are defined by physical or visual architectural features. This paper looks at the
influence of social customs on spatial composition of the “agrahara” and the architectural
manifestations that in turn promote human relationships, religious practices and interaction with
natural environment. The research shall focus on the relation of the public street to the private house
addressed by a transitional space called the “jagali” that plays an important part in extending the house
to the street, which in turn becomes an integral part of community life.

Keywords: Mysuru; agrahara; jagali; community.

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