Ballachanda Ainmane

The ainmane is a traditional Mund Mane and is regarded as the original ancestral house of the Ballachanda Okka. The present structure is more than 200 years old and has undergone renovation while retaining several traditional architectural and ritual features.

Location

The Ballachanda Ainmane is situated at Kadanga-Murur, approximately 2.5 km from the Kadanga–Kakotparambu road.

Architecture

The Ballachanda Ainmane is a Mund Mane, characterised by a central courtyard or mund. A bridge over a causeway leads to the entrance of the house, which is a large tiled-roof structure with a gateway.

The house faces east and contains approximately 14 rooms, including the kitchen. The pillars surrounding the mund are made of stone and are painted cream. The main doorway has intricate traditional wood carving, while the verandah contains a simple barred window.

The nellakki, the central sacred space of the ainmane, contains a wooden bhasma kutt used to preserve sacred ash associated with the Baithurappa temple. A small triangular gud is used for the sacred lamp.The flooring includes granite and marble steps, modern tiles in parts of the verandah and ceramic tiles in the passage and Kanni Kombare,. The mund and passage leading to the kitchen retain black stone paving, while some other rooms traditionally have cow-dung-washed mud floors.

The roof was tiled approximately 150 years ago. The present ainmane was renovated around 2003, while retaining the essential character of the original structure. The road to the left of the ainmane has a tomb of Ballachanda Ponnappa with a tank to the right side.

Kaimada and Sacred Features

The kaimada is located to the left of the approach to the ainmane. It contains a simple gudi with a bell-metal lamp.

The ainmane has three kall botis. One is situated in the front yard, another within the kaimada enclosure and the third near the entrance to the kala. The front kall boti has a carved basava figure.

A deva kaad associated with the Okka is located nearby and is recorded as covering approximately 40 acres,

Aruva

• Ammanda