Kurnool: Curious Custom Of Kadirikonda Villagers Who Build Houses Without Foundations

KURNOOL: India is a land of different customs, traditions, and cultures which form the basis of its foundation. Speaking of foundations there is one village in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, where the people here build houses without foundation pits necessary for a strong dwelling. This might come as a surprise to you but these people have been following this tradition for 70 years.

As per reports in Sakshi newspaper we are sharing this interesting custom that is followed in Karidikonda village, where houses are built without foundations and people have no problems with such constructions.

Karidikonda village is situated four kilometers away from  Devanakonda mandal in the district. There was an old village existing till 1952 in a flattened area between the hills, where people lived in thatched huts and were eking out a living through farming. It is said that the mighty elephants once roamed here. The town was called Kannapukunta earlier because it was located between the hills with a lake in it, where elephants used to come to drink water here. Elders claim that over the years the village name was gradually changed to Karidikonda.

The village has three temples -Anjaneyaswamy, Chennakesavaswamy, and Thippeswamy. There is also huge a boulder that rests on smaller stones for support, which is worshipped by the villagers as the ‘Bomma Devatha’ deity. Due to the outbreak of the plague, the old town was evacuated and many families left the place and settled in neighboring villages.

Only the families of two villagers Thimmappa and Ramappa went to the top of the hill and built houses without foundations, and would have started this tradition. Seeing them, the others also returned and built homes there- without foundations. There are currently 2,450 people living in the village.

The village depends primarily on agriculture and also locals here earn a living by breaking the rocks from the hill and selling them for construction purposes. Onion, cotton, and groundnut crops are cultivated on 1,619 acres here. Villagers believe that ‘Bomma Devatha’ is protecting the village and conduct special poojas for the deity in the holy month of Shravanam.

With small hillocks and greenery all around, it makes for a picturesque sight for one to witness in Karidikonda.

Villagers say that building a house without foundations saves them up to Rs.3 lakhs. There is not a single thatched hut anywhere in the village and all houses are built with stones obtained from the hills near the village. Earlier there were 80 houses in the village, now the number has reached 210.

Speaking to Sakshi, Assistant Engineer Avinidh from the housing department said that houses in Karidikonda are built without foundations and there have been no problems so far. Since it’s a hilly area there are fewer chances of houses collapsing and construction here is undertaken directly, he said.

“Building a house is very easy for us and we have been living here for several years. We built a house without a foundation pit. There is no drainage problem in the village also and it is very easy to build a house in our village as we have plenty of stones nearby," said Peera, a native of Karidikonda.

Another villager Nagesh proudly stated that Kadirikonda village had all facilities and the AP Government also built CC concrete roads for easy access.“ Our village is a special attraction as it is located in the hills. We are also providing stones from Karidikonda for house constructions in many villages of Devanakonda mandal," he stated.

Also Read: Viral Video: In Flood-hit Andhra, Bride Takes a Boat Ride to Groom’s Place