Traditional Entrances and Decoration - 1

The discussion in the earlier chapter reveals that certain occasional practices performed at the entrances of houses are based on concepts which are related to religious beleives and customs. These can be summerised into the following points.

1. The entrances are transition spaces between two opposing domains, in common terms, in and out, private and public and so on. According to Hindu believes the attributes of these opposing domains include pure and polluted, the space where favourable spirits and deities like to reside and the space where they like to evade.  The entrances are mere one step away from either of these spaces and need continuous sanctification to prevent unfavourable and evil spirits entering inside the house.
2. It is believed that such protection can be acheived through certain practices which symbolically invoke Laxmi the goddess of wealth and prosparity or other auspicious symbols at the entrances.
3. Hindus believe that  worshipping the elephant headed god Ganapathy, before starting any work, is benifficial  for a trouble free completion of the undertakings.
4. Guests too are received with greetings communicated by symbolic expressions which genarally indicate that the host wish them a prosperous living.

Such concepts related to the relationship between house and the prosparity of the residents, hospitality, religious believes etc. reflected in the permanent decoration of the entrance doors of the Traditional houses too. Fig. 1 shows the elevation of a traditional door indicating its various components.

Fig: 1 Typical Entrance Door - Traditional Courtyard Houses

Doors of the earlier types represented by vannarponnai houses had very thick solid timber door frames with groups of mouldings carved on it. These were generally double doors and decorated. Above the door sashes there is a narrow horizintal decorated plank named as "sedippalakai". This plank was generally carved with various auspicious symbolic representations.

	Fig: 2 Some of the auspicious symbols found in Traditional Houses of   Jaffna

Some of the most frequently found motifs at the entrances to the Jaffna Tradutional Houses are:

• "Niraikudam" (full pot)
• Elephants
• "Annappadchi"  (A mythical bird) and
• Lotus Flower

Symbols depicting Sun and Moon also have been noticed in some houses.  Fig.2 and 3 shows variations of some of these symbols as found in the Jaffna Traditional Houses.

	Fig: 3            Various Lotus Motifs found in Jaffna Houses

It should be noted that all these are very common symbols found in Hindu and Buddhist art and architecture of India and Sri Lanka. It is interesting to note that some of these symbols had been used in medieval buildings of Southern Sri Lanka in the same manner and combination as used in Jaffna Houses. This does not mean that the Jaffna buildings had been influenced by Southern Sri Lankan buildings. In fact during medieval times South India, specifically, Tamilnadu had a strong influence on the art and architecture of the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka. It is also safe to assume that the same influence would have been there on Jaffna buildings too. However after the fall of Jaffna kingdom to Portuguese and the subsequent Dutch rule would have wiped out the Hindu

	Fig:4     Simillar symbolic representations on door frames on from a Jaffna House and other from Dravidian influenced Sinhalese  door frame

relegious art from Jaffna.  Therefore any continuity from previous period on this aspect can be easily rulled out. The Jaffna houses, which we are talking about now, had been built during British period, based on the style that reentered Jaffna from Tamilnadu after a long 175 year suppression of Hindu relegious art under the first two Europeon rule. Most probably this revival could have been coincided with the building of Temples, including Vannarponnai Vaiththeeswaran Temple, with heavy cultural and personnel support from Tamilnadu during the last years of Dutch rule. 

	Fig:5 This "sedippalakai" from a Jaffna house is a victim of improper maintanece, a common phenomena that can be seen in many old buildings of Jaffna, however the "Gajalaxmi" where two elephants attending the goddess "Luxmi" on either side and two "Annappadchis" at the ends can be recognized.

The above symbols are usually found in combination on "sedippalakai", generally with a central figure combined with other secondary auspicious symbols. The main figure is always a symbol of prosparity, such as "Gajalaxmi",   "Niraikudam" etc. . These two figures too are very commonly found in South India including the doors of Mysoor palace, simllar features are found in several medieval Sri Lankan entrance door ways  as well.

	Fig:6 Combinations of symbols found in three Jaffna houses. First two have "Niraikudam" as the central figure. In the first panel two elephants had been placed on either side of the "Niraikudam", which resemble "Gajaluxmi" not only in its form but also in its concept. In the second panel note that the "Niraikudam" had been carved to resemble the god "Ganapathi".