Typological features of Tanchangya House

Front view of Tanchangya house

The Tanchangya tribe in Bandarban builds a unique type of house, which is now increasingly disappearing and being replaced by Bangali- style houses.  Their unique characteristic is that one wall of the house in the main living area is built slanted, to allow reclined sitting for relaxation.

View showing location of house on slope

 Floor construction detail

Indeed, in the settlement visited, there was only one such house left, which was thus documented.    This house is built on a sloping site and accessed by an entry platform almost at ground level, while the remaining part of the house is built over the slope by raising it on a wooden/bamboo machang with wooden and bamboo posts.

Slanted wall in main living area 

The space underneath is used for rearing pigs.    After entering the house, there is a small cooking area on one side, and facing the entry is a private bedroom where items such as grains are also stored.    On the left from the entry is the main living area with the slanted wall. While there is one main thatch roof over the house, the space with the slanted wall has a thatch lean-to roof.

 

Kitchen area and private bedroom next to entry

This house from the same settlement as Tanchangya is an example of the changes that are taking place in vernacular Pahari housing. It was built in the Bangali style — plinth instead of the traditional machang and earthen walls instead of traditional bamboo walls — in contrast to Tanchangya.

Fig. 4.18 Drawings of key aspects of the Tanchangya (1) house.

 Front view

 

The roofing is of CI sheet instead of traditional thatching, again an indication of change. Inside the house is further evidence of Bangali influence: posters of popular Bangali movies and ‘modern’ furniture.    There is, however, an annex to the house built somewhat in the traditional style on a machang and with materials such as wood and bamboo. This is the room of a son, and is also used for storage.

Fig. 4.20 Drawings of key aspects of the Tanchangya (2) house.

The main earthen-walled structure of the house has three rooms — two inner bedrooms and a front living area used for entertaining guests and also sleeping, somewhat similar to traditional Pahari house layouts, but with strong Bangali influence.

Credit: Iftekhar, Ahmed. 2013. THE VANISHING TRACES    Vernacular Housing of the  Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bangkok: White Lotus, 94-104.