Yelagiri Hut Shelters

Over 200 years ago, the Malaiyali tribe settled on Yelagiri hill in Tamil Nadu, building clay huts for various purposes. Today, only one old hut remains as a symbol of their transition from foraging to a more modern lifestyle.

• The hut is formed of red clay on a teak wood structure.
• Made of dry bamboo leaves, the thatched roof is waxed with cow dung to prevent it from leaking during the monsoon season.
• This covering tends to make the house appear deceivingly small from the outside, but it has enough space to house eight people and a paran (attic) ....