"Kerala is the worst example of the decay of the country," says Ramu Katakam. He is referring, of course, to the state's apathy towards the rich, timber architecture seen in its temples. An indifference that has birthed modern homes with concrete roofs, lacking proportion and harmony.
Architect and part-time philosopher, formerly involved in projects like the restoration of the Golkonda fort, Katakam was introduced to Kerala through his wife. It is here that his quest for inner peace came to an end, at the Ettamannur temple with its "wall of flames" (thousands of lighted lamps). "Buildings are a microcosm of one's mind," he says, trying to describe his moment of epiphany and explain how each person views a work of architecture differently.
Well-produced with decent pictures by Joginder Singh, Katakam's Glimpses of Architecture in Kerala does not try to delve into styles, rituals or the history of the buildings. For that you'll have to check out works by H Sarkar or the American scholar Ronald Bernier. Instead, this here is a journey, undertaken mostly in solitude. A three-year journey that includes more than 40 temples, uncrowded and therefore intimate.
Highlighting circular roofs with beautifully-aged copper tiles, doors and chests in rich jackfruit wood, and Kaviyur's murals, Glimpses of Architecture is a window for non-Hindus (Kerala's temples admit only Hindus). For Katakam, it is "a form of protest" against buildings that have no geometry or simplicity. "I don't know where the sensitivity has gone," he says. We think it's a marked improvement from the architect's earlier attempt for Penguin, Great Buildings of India.
