Nicobari Hut of Andaman and Nicobar

The Nicobari hut, also known as the Goal Ghar, is a traditional dwelling of the Nicobarese people, who are indigenous to the Nicobar Islands in the southeast Bay of Bengal. The Nicobari hut has a unique style and construction, and it is an important part of the Nicobarese culture and way of life.

The Nicobari hut is constructed with locally available forest plants such as cane, sticks, and planks. The roof of the hut is made of cane leafs, grass, or special durable leafs depending on availability and preference. The floor of the hut is made of bamboo or wooden planks. The hut is raised on stilts, and it is usually round with a dome-shaped roof. However, some families have switched to rectangular houses for convenience.

The Nicobari hut serves as a community gathering place for various occasions, such as resolving disputes, arranging festivals, distributing responsibilities before harvesting, and arranging marriage functions. There are four types of huts that comprise a village, each for different use. The circular hut, called the “ma patituhet,” is the principal house of a family, in which they sleep, reside and meet visitors. The “taliko” is the kitchen, where the entire family’s meal is cooked. The “patiyongnyio” and “patikupah” are respectively the communal birth and death houses situated in the area along the seashore, a little outside the village, called “elpanam.”

The Nicobari hut has a unique design that is specific to each island in the Nicobar chain. For example, the Nancowry model has a small plank wall with designed windows, while the Car Nicobar, Teressa, and Chowra models have no walls. The interior of the hut is accessed by a ladder of bamboo or notched pole through a trapdoor in the floor. The hut is typically raised above the ground, and residents pull up the ladder after they climb into the hut at night. The Nicobari hut lacks earthquake-resistant measures and shows visible signs of structural stress in disaster, which is otherwise evident in traditional Nicobarese construction.