TALES FROM TRAVANCORE...

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XXIII

2012-01-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

IN THEBANKS OF PADMATHEERTHAM

February 6, 2000; it was a Sunday, the day for going toChitrakalamandalam for my drawing classes. Chitrakalamandalam, the art schoolwas then housed in an old ottupura on the northern side of Sree PadmanabhaSwamy temple. As a history freak it was an experience studying there in the oldbuilding. I still remember the dark cellar by the side of the courtyard, wherewe kept our drawing paper and paint brushes, the huge kalthotti and the wooden bed with beautifully carved legs. Many ofthe rooms were closed and were accessible only to the temple and palaceofficials and we kids used to peep through the key hole, hoping to find sometreasure chest inside the dark rooms.

Yes, it was February 6, 2000 and that day I was not in amood to attend the drawing lessons. I went to my father’s studio and in theafternoon I coaxed him to take me inside the Fort, to the banks ofPadmatheertham, where there was an old man who sold coins and other interestingstuff. As we entered the Fort premises we could sense some trouble, a crowd hadgathered around Padmatheertham tank, some of them seemed sad, some of them werearguing with others. The police were trying hard to remove the crowd from thebanks of the tank. On one corner stood a group of old men, silently staring atthe tank, I could see deep sorrow and disbelief in their eyes.

By then someone told my father that a man was drowned todeath in Padmatheertham!

The next day newspapers carried the shocking news in thefront page, with pictures. We, the residents of Thiruvananthapuram had notrelieved from the shock. For us Padmatheertham was the most sacred tank, anembodiment of spiritual purity, and now a man was cold bloodedly murdered inthe same sacred tank.

The temple and the tank in 1900s - Photograph taken by Royal Photographer
J.B. D'cruz.

The old folk of Thiruvananthapuram who live in theprecincts of the temple had an intimate association with the temple tank. Forsome, the tank and its banks were a favourite ‘hangout’, where they wouldgather with like age group to discuss about all things under the sky. Yearsback when the temple tank was free from the ugly railing surrounding it, theold folk used to spend hours sitting in the steps and the small mandapams around the tank. The serene waters of the tank, with the reflection of the pagoda andthe smell of camphor and incense put on a divine ambience. Later theauthorities installed iron railing all around and the pilgrims and visitorswere charged to enter the mandapams and to take a dip in the tank. This physicalbarrier brought about a distance between the tank and the people. The newergeneration did not have the ‘intimate’ relation the seniors had with the tank.Times were fast changing; the tank which was once known for its purity hadbegan to stink!

Seniors 'hangout' in the banks of Padmatheertham (1970s)- Photograph from the private collection of K. Hari.

How old is Padmatheertham?

No one seems to have a correct answer; however, noone is doubtful about the antiquity associated with the tank, for it findsmention in ancient works regarding the temple and the temple town. The tankmust be as old as the temple itself.

Ananthapuravarnanam (12th-13th century work) gives us a longlist of sacred ponds once associated with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple andother sacred shrines within its precincts. Indratheertham(Attakulam), Brihutheertham (ManacaudSree Dharma Sastha temple pond), Agnitheertham(Agneeshwara temple pond), Varahatheertham(Sree Varaham temple pond), DakshinaGanga (Thekkanamkara canal), Agasthyakundam(Mithranandapuram temple pond), Kanvatheertham(Chettikulam), Varunatheertham(Karippukoikkal pond), Rudratheertham (Chirakkulam),Somatheertham (Manjalikulam) Ramatheertham (Vaniyankulam), Ananthatheertham (Padmatheertham), Ēshanatheertham (old Nandavanam pond),unfortunately many of these water bodies have vanished from the topography ofThiruvananthapuram (Prof. A.G. Menon, History ofthe Sree Padmanabhaswami Temple).Padmatheertham was a small tank in its early days, with may be a modest flightof steps leading to the water. Later it was during the reign of AnizhamThirunal Marthanda Varma(1729-1758) that the area of the tank was expanded and the ghatswere added (Shasi Bhooshan M.G., Dr. Raja R.P., Charithramkuricha Sree Padmanabha Swamy Kshetram, D.C. Books (2011).

The tank had a companion, the Patrakulam, anothertank which has disappeared from the geography of the Fort area. MarthandaVarma, who built check dams and tanks in Nanjinadu to irrigate the farmlands,had developed an excellent drainage system for Thiruvananthapuram also. Thetemple tank was constantly kept clean with the water from the Killi Ar, broughtin by a small rivulet. The spillover from the Padmatheertham would flow to thenearby Patrakulam and then the water from the pond was in early days directedto the other ponds and to the gardens around the temple. Later the Thekkinakkaracanal drained the water to the Parvathy Putten Canal, to the west of the Fortarea. When Patrakulam vanished, the old drainage system also become partly defunct.

The temple premises during early quarter of 20th century.

Padmatheertham, Patrakulam and the drainage system highlighted in dark blue - The map used here is a cropped portion of the 'Trivandrum Guide Map' (Survey of India 1968-69)

Padmatheertham and Patrakulam during the last quarter of 19th century - engraving from ' Native Life in Travancore' by Rev. Samuel Matteer.

In the old days, in a society segregated by caste, Padmatheerthamwas always reserved for the use of the elite communities. Only royals, noblesand the Brahmins were allowed to use the tank. Every morning the residents fromthe nearby agraharams would gather there to perform the ambulation beforeentering the temple. This traditional system had a periodic way of keeping thetank clean. The tank was cleaned in every six years for the Lakshadeepam ceremony associated withthe Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. During murajapamthe temple and its precincts would be crowded with Brahmins and certain ritualswere also conducted in the tank.

The tank has a small vault in its center where theleftover sālagramams used to make theidol of Sree Padmanabha Swamy is stored. It was during the time of Sree MoolamThirunal Rama Varma (1885-1924) that the Maharaja kept inside the vault thewater from the sacred rivers from all over India, thus adding to its sanctity.The tank holds in its depth several interesting tit bits of history. WhenTravancoreans were shocked to hear about the murder in the temple tank manyrecalled a similar incident which took place in the days of Karthika ThirunalRama Varma (1758-1798). Once Tippu Sultan send a spy disguised as a sanyasi to the Travancore court, the man with his exceptionaltalents soon gained entry inside the Fort. He is said to walked over the sacred tankwith his yogic skill, however, the sanyasi was drowned in the same waters byMakayiram Thirunal, the younger brother of the King who found out that the sanyasiwas a spy from Mysore.

The famed vocalist Sreekanteswaram RatnakaranBagavathar shared with the author his feelings for Padmatheertham. RatnakaranBhagavathar who came to Thiruvananthapuram in 1940s started his career as anivory carver. He worked in a private firm in Palayam. Ratnakaran hailed from afamily of craftsmen from Kadakkavoor. Some of his ancestors and relatives werewell known artists and musicians. Ratnakaran who had the affinity towards musicdevoted his free time listening music and attending concerts. One of hisfavourite hangouts in the city was the banks of Padmatheertham, there he wouldspend his evenings sitting in the granite steps, with his feet in the water andlend his ears to the music from the nearby small shops. The tank and its sereneenvironment had helped in surviving the artist within (Left - Picture from Life Collections, 1950s).

The tankin its present state is a ghost of its glorious past; the old drainage systemhad once kept the water clean. Now the choked drain keeps the stagnant water inthe tank itself, infested with dirt and algae. The temple authorities oncetried to pump the water from the depths to aerate the murky water throughsurface agitation, thinking that it would help in improving the tankscondition. But looking back one wonders how effective the whole process was.

SharatSunder Rajeev

28-01-2012.

Forfurther reading:

http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/09/stories/2007060921560300.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/01/stories/2006080121810300.htm

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XXII

2012-01-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

THE ‘GUSTHI’ TRADITION OF MANACAUD

Sitting in front of the thekkath in my grandmother’s ancestral home in Manacaud is a stone idol of Lord Hanuman; a relief carving in white stone. Until recently my grandmother's younger brother Kumara Swamy had maintained the thekkath, which was originally setup by his grandfather’s younger brother, a famed occultist of his time, Valiya mandravathi Govindan Achari (1850s-1944). The thekkath houses a small idol of Lord Ganesh, a small ‘Vel’ representing Lord Subramanyan and a cane that belonged to the mandravathi himself. The Hanuman idol was carved by the local stone masons, who lived in Manacaud and Kuriyathy regions. These craftsmen were associated with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and the Valiya Kottaram. The ‘chellam vaka’ associated with the temple and the palace was in old days headed by the Kallampally karnavar. This section employed skilled craftsmen from all fields.

A pyalwan (?) - from the private collection of
K. Ramakrishnan Achari.

During last century the fame of Manacaud spread all over India with the name of a single man - ‘Pyalwan Narayana Pillai’. Better known as ‘Kerala Gamma’, Narayana Pillai was one of the best traditional wrestlers Travancore has ever seen. Travancore has a long tradition of maintaining wrestlers, locally known as mallanmar. In the old days many of them served as personal attendants and bodyguards to the Kings. Swathi Thirunal’s reign was the golden age of artists, musicians, and wrestlers. Many eminent wrestlers from far off lands came and performed before the King. ‘A number of native boxers from Travancore and other parts of Malabar skilled in the art of fencing, single combat, sword, stick, and other exercises, were entertained for the amusement of the court. To witness the mode of champion-fighting in other countries, the Maha Rajah got from the court of Mysore a few sets of trained athletes called Mullaga Chettis, who fight in single combat, till the combatants bodies are bathed in blood….A set of pyalwans (Mussulman champions) from Hyderabad who perform wonderful feats and exhibit extraordinary powers of muscle, were entertained at the court for some time. The performances exhibited by these men would be considered exaggerated, even if correctly related. One of them, a young man of about thirty years of age, with a strong-built body, used to lie on his back and allow a thick granite stone slab to be placed on his breast, and have the same split into pieces by pounding it with a thick iron pestle. He used to throw large iron cannon balls into the air and receive them on his head, back and breast’ (Shangunni Menon). C.V. Raman Pillai in his epic work 'Rama Raja Bahadur' gives a vivid description of a wrestling match between Azhakan Pillai and Kandiravarayar. V. Narasimhan Thampi, another historian of the royal family writes about the turbulent days of Dharmaraja’s reign when spies, disguised as wrestlers and magicians had gained entry inside the Fort. In old days Gatta gusthi, a form of wrestling was common in Thiruvananthapuram. Manacaud Narayana Pillai was one among the last famed wrestlers of Thiruvananthapuram. However, the wrestling community once patronized by the royals has now become almost extinct.

The Ganesh idol, Vel and the cane inside the thekkath and the Hanuman idol.

Once the name and fame of the Narayana Pillai spread all the way from Aarulvaimozhi to Kannur. He defeated several famous wrestlers such as Chotta Thimmayya, Gourimutthu, Ashique Hussain, Bhima Rao and Periya Pillai. During the 1940s many famous wrestlers camped in Narayana Pillai’s house in Manacaud. Children from the surroundings would crowd around the house to get a glimpse of the wrestlers. A senior resident of Manacaud says; “As children, we would assemble near the house of Narayanan Pillai to see the wrestlers who have gathered there. In the evenings they would all march to the nearby Shasta temple, with a group of children following them”. Matches would be conducted in the large grounds of Palayam. The Goda (arena) would be prepared and soft red soil from Thiruvallam was spread all over. The soft soil prevented injuries. The majority of the Pyalwanmar were worshippers of Lord Hanuman; some of them carried with them the idol of their favourite deity where ever they went.

Kerala Gama Manacaud Narayana Pillai - in his younger years and during his last years - Picture courtesy - Kala Kaumudi Magazine, Issue 429, from an article written by Kallikadu Ramachandran.

Narayanan Pillai was a friend of artist K. Ramakrishnan Achari (my paternal grandmother’s father) and often visited the house. In front of Putten Veedu (another related house) in Manacaud was a large open space where the youngsters of the region assembled under the famous pyalwan Narayana Pillai to learn wrestling. Sundaram Achari and Lekshmanan Achari of Putten Veedu were his friends and disciples. Soon the ground was transformed into a goda where Narayana Pillai could formally train his students. The stone laying ceremony for the Goda was done by Elayaraja Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma (the present King). Influenced by the wrestling tradition of Manacaud, my grandmother’s eldest brother Krishna Swamy of Pillavilakathu Veedu, his brothers and friends started a gymnasium in the 1940s. It was situated behind the studio building, situated opposite to the house. During those days a ‘pyalwan’ came there to train the youngsters. On special occasions the famed pyalwan of Travancore, Narayana Pillai himself came to the goda and gave instructions. The idol of Lord Hanuman carved out of white stone was worshipped there. Once as a small boy Kumara Swamy kicked the idol, only to find that his foot had swollen up and he could not walk for days!

The Hanuman idol - Sketch by the author (2007).

Note:

Thekkath - place of worship.
Karnavar- male head of a joint family.

References:

Narasimhan Thampi. V, Travancore Royal Family and Valiakottaram,1976.

Shangunni Menon P, A history of Travancore from the Earliest Times, Volume I,Higginbotham, 1878.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XXI

2011-12-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

KALLANA - THE GUARDIAN OF THE TEMPLE

Not everyone who visit East Fort would notice the granite elephant resting in the shade of a huge banyan tree on the banks of the Padmatheertham. The vendors who line the sides of the narrow street are the only friends of the elephant. Among the cluster of the hawkers who rest in the shade of the banyan tree, one finds it difficult to spot the elephant, though it hasn’t moved a bit in the last few centuries. A street hawker leans to the belly of the elephant for an afternoon nap, another man sits on top of it, and the elephant sits silent as ever; a silent witness to the many historic events of Travancore.

The 'kallana', in the shade of the banyan tree - Photograph taken by the author.

The figure of an elephant, carved in a single piece of granite and known to the locals as ‘kallana’ (meaning ‘stone elephant’ in Malayalam) has a mystery surrounding it. Like the great Sphinx who guards the Pyramids, this small elephant sits under the cover of the old tree, with his gaze fixed to the towering gopuram of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. Some are of the opinion that the elephant was installed there during the reign of Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, the famed Dharma Raja (1724-1798) during whose reign the fame of the State spread far and wide. It was Dharma Raja who completed the renovation works of the temple which was initiated by his predecessor Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-1758). The Gopuram (temple tower), the Sheevelipura (circumambulatory path) and the famed Ottakkal and Kulashekara mandapas bear testimony to the craftsmen who have participated in the renovation works of the temple. According to popular belief, the elephant was also carved during the same time. However, the skill of the craftsmen exhibited in the intricate works of the temple fail to make its mark on the elephant. Was the work done by an unskilled apprentice, or is it the ravages of time that had rubbed away the details? No one seems to have an answer.

Sri. C.V. Raman Pillai, the author of historic novels like Marthanda Varma (1891), Dharma Raja (1913) and Rama Raja Bahadur (1918) was a person who knew every nook and corner of the capital city. The kallana finds a place in his novel Rama Raja Bahadur, where one of the characters in the novel named Azhakan Pillai hides behind the elephant. The mention of kallana in this famous novel might be the reason why most of the Travancoreans relate it with Dharma Raja, the main character.

Like any other historic object/structure inside the fort, kallana too have some intriguing stories associated with it. Uma Maheshwari, the author of the biography of the present Maharaja Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, an expert on the history of the fort and the royal family is of the opinion that the kallana has much longer history than we often attach to it. According to Uma, the elephant was made perhaps during the period when the foundation stone for the gopuram was laid, during the reign of Aditya Varma (741 ME-1566 AD.). But what was the association of the elephant with the construction works of the temple? Well, according to Uma there is a long standing tradition to offer prayers to Ganapathy (the elephant headed God) -before executing a major work, thus an elephant was installed before commencing the work for laying the foundation for the gopuram. If this version of the story is true, then the kallana is more than four centuries old.

However, there is one thing about the elephant that always perplexed me; a keen observer will surely notice that one half of the sculpture is more embellished than the other. What was the reason for it? Was it due to the wear and tear the sculpture faced in all these years? It might be possible, if one takes into account its age and condition, unlike an exhibit inside a museum, the elephant has been exposed to the elements of nature. But why one side of the elephant suffered much more than the other? Did the craftsmen who were engaged in the work left the work in half way?

Uma is of the opinion that the turbulent political scenario that followed the stone laying would have affected the fate of the kallana too. Records say that the construction works of the gopuram was stalled due to the conflict between the King and the madampimar, so the kallana was also rendered unfinished. Later Veera Ravi Varma Kulashekara (1592-1609 A.D.) gave orders to reconstruct the nalambalam and balikalpura using stone, however, the work that commenced in 781 M.E. (1606 A.D.)[1] ended abruptly with his death in 1609 A.D. The later rulers also carried on the construction works. Finally the temple was reconstructed to its present form during the reigns of Marthanda Varma and his successor Dharma Raja.

Two years back while doing a project on Thiruvananthapuram I came across many local people who narrated to me a wonderful story about the kallana, linking it with the ‘evergreen’ villains of the kingdom, the Ettuveettil Pillamar. According to the elders, long back in history when the madampimar wielded more power than the royals, one of the prominent members of the madampi clan named Ramanamadham Pillai had his house constructed on the banks of Padmatheertham. In those days the sacred pond was much smaller in spread. The powerful madampi also constructed a small shrine on the banks of the pond, dedicated to Lord Shiva, his family deity. According to the story, during the clash between the Ettuveettil Pillamar and the King, the madampimar were finally vanquished and all their property was confiscated to the royal treasury. The King, in order to fulfill his vengeance ordered his soldiers to demolish the houses of the Pillamar and excavated ponds in their place. In the case of Ramanamadhom Pillai’s property, the house situated on the banks of the pond was demolished and instead of making a new pond, the existing Padmatheertham was expanded, however, the small temple was left untouched. The final twist to the story came when a senior member mentioned about the kallana which was actually a part of the sopanam of the house. According to him the kallana had a similar counterpart and both of them adorned the two sides of the main steps leading to the palatial mansion. And to my amazement he went on saying; “Have you closely observed the elephant?” he asked. “Only one of its side is carved, the other side is left unfinished as that part would not be visible when the steps where there”. So, where is the other elephant? The old man is of the opinion that it might have been destroyed by Marthanda Varma’s soldiers.

Padmatheertham pond and the temples and mandapams around it - the small shiva temple can be seen in the left.

The above mentioned story may answer some of my doubts, but is it a true story? Dr. S. Hemachandran Nair, Superintending Archaeologist of the State Archaeology Department rules out the story as a mere local legend associated with Marthanda Varma and the Pillamar. “In Thiruvananthapuram everyone has a story connected to Marthanda Varma and the Pillamar”, says Hemachandran; “These stories seem to be true when we hear it for the first time, however, when we look for details there are discrepancies and lack of records to prove them”. According to Hemachandran there are no records to prove the above mentioned story and once again the kallana pulls over the veil of mystery.

Before coming to conclusions one should go through the ‘mathilakam records’ chronicling the history and day to day activities of the temple, there we may find the true story of the kallana, until then history/stories can be made and undone in the mind of the people. Even the street vendor who now curls beside the kallana will have his own version of ‘history’!

[1] Important Mathilakam Records, Published by Ulloor S. Parameshwara Iyer, 1941, Document no. 211, Curuna 1719, Ola 34.

For more information:

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2321135.ece

http://www.thehinduimages.com/hindu/photoDetail.do?photoId=7813281

Sharat Sunder Rajeev

December 2011.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XX

2011-11-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

SWARUPATHU VEEDU

Swarupathu Veedu*, now known as ‘Kaniyan Vilakam’ is an old aristocratic Nair tharavad situated in Thiruvananthapuram. The ancestral house of this family is located near the famed Mukkolakkal Devi temple in Sreevaraham, near Muttathara; to the south of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple.

There are no authentic records on the origin of the family, and going by the local lore and family traditions one can come to the conclusion that the family and its members were associated with the ancient Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple from times immemorial. There are many references of the family and the services rendered by them in the temple records, the Mathilakam Churuna, chronicling the history of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. Princess Lekshmi Bai of Travancore royal family in her book ‘Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple’ has expressed her gratitude to numerous old aristocratic families, located in the capital city that had rendered valuable service in managing the day to day activities of the temple; Swarupathu Veedu is one among them.

The poomukham of the house - Photograph taken by the author.

The family was in existence from very old days and the ancestors of the family may have been associated with the Ettarayogakar, the potty families who controlled the temple affairs. Travancore, before the period of Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (b.1706-d.1758) was under the control of feudal lords, the Ettuveetil Pillamar, Nair chieftains who were the feudatories of the Potty families. However, later they gained prominence in the society and allied themselves with the Ettarayogam and thus became the uncrowned kings of Thiruvananthapuram. Some prominent Nair families assisted the Yogakkar in running the temple such as Mathilakam Pillamar. According to the present family members, their ancestors assumed the title ‘Mathilakam Pilla’ and supervised the day to day activities of the temple. They were also assigned the duty of taking care of the 'Pandara vaka' estates owned by the royals and the temple.

Mathilakam Pilla:

Thiruvananthapuram, the small temple town developed into a capital city during the reign of Veera Marthanda Varma and his illustrious successor Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (Dharmaraja). Marthanda Varma shifted the capital from Kalkulam to Thiruvananthapuram and started with the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple followed by large scale development activities. Dharmaraja, his successor followed his uncles footsteps and thus during his reign Thiruvananthapuram emerged from its status as a 'temple town' to a powerful 'capital city'. The city comprising of the temple and a small population around it transformed into a city during the latter half of eighteenth century, a fort was created which sort of defined the boundary of the settlement of the elite class and people belonging to lesser castes and profession began settling around it, they were allotted land in accordance with their social positions.

The name Mathilakam Pilla is seen in many records preceding the time of Marthanda Varma, so the mathil or wall mentioned here must be the temple wall, the prakaram which surrounded the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. There are references of a mud wall surrounding the temple in the old records. Later during the reign of Marthanda Varma orders were given for complete renovation of the temple and a new granite wall occupied the position of the old mud wall. Therefore, as the name suggests, the members of the family supervised the works inside the mathilakam, i.e., the temple.

Social position:

The title Mathilakam Pilla was a significant post that demanded much respect and the family’s alliances with other aristocratic families including the famed Chittaloor Elankom strengthened their roots in the capital city. The connection with temple administration and their loyalty to the royal family made them prosperous. The family also received vast areas of farming lands free of tax from the rulers of Travancore.

In addition to this they received mada choru, cooked rice from the temple everyday and that too in large quantities. According to the present head of the family Mr. Sreekumaran Nair, in old days the karnavar of the family made arrangements to sell this rice and to distribute the rest to the poor.

Locality:

The family is located behind Mukkolakkal Devi temple, on the outskirts of the old capital city; the surrounding regions are marshy farming areas, with many canals and culverts for irrigation. In old days this area was known by the name Thottam, meaning garden. It was common for large temples like Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple to have farming lands in its vicinity, supplying flowers, fruits, grain and other raw materials for the day to day activities of the temple. Padmanabha Swamy temple had numerous paddy fields and gardens surrounding it. Ananthapuravarnanam, a 13th century composition by an unknown poet provides us with a beautiful description of the temple town. Syanandoorapuranam, another work mentions the temples, sacred groves and numerous ponds of this town. To the southwest of the temple was a temple sacred grove known as Padinjarae Nadakkavu. The author of Ananthapuravarnanam has compared this grove to the nandavanam. According to the elders of the locality, Mukkolakkal and the nearby Thottam regions were ‘gardens’ or rather farmlands which supplied flowers, banana and coconut to the temple and the settlements around it. The members of Swarupathu family were the feudal lords who were the caretakers of these fields and it may be the reason why they settled near Thottam. A large pond by the name ‘Pookulam’ was in existence till recently next to the house, however now it has been filled and is used as a play ground.

Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and its precincts, with the old 'garden' marked in green**.

Thottam is well known all over Travancore for its Ezhava and Vishwakarma settlements. Many prominent Ezhava families like Vellutheri, Perunelli and Perumpadsherri of the region has produced many gifted poets and scholars, many illustrious members of these families were well known physicians, and were appointed as Kottaram Vaidyanmar to the Kings of Travancore. Many Tamil Vishwakarma guilds such as Thavalodu and Thuppini were engaged in the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and later they also settled in Thottam.

The house:

The tharavad is made in pure traditional architectural style followed in southern parts of Travancore. Exact date of construction is not available; however, from the looks and the style of construction one can easily infer that it is not less than 250 to 200 years old. The house, in its commplete form was an ettukettu, with rooms arranged around two courtyards. However, one nalukettu constructed using laterite had fallen with time and only the portion made of timber exists today.The existing structure is a perfect example of the traditional architecture of Kerala and bears testimony to the high degree of craftsmanship attained by the traditional craftsmen. The construction of the building is in accordance with the traditional Vastu canons, facing East direction. The major building materials used are timber, for walls and furniture, doors, rafters and thatched coconut leaves for roofing. Exquisite carvings of Goddess Durga, the vyali and parrot motifs along with the lotus and other floral motifs display the expertise of local craftsmen. The walls are made of timbre planks which are interlocked. The corner rafters and pillar heads are decorated with carvings. The structure includes a poomukham used by the karnavar of the family; in old days it acted as a transition space in between the main living block and the thekkath, the place of worship. Male guests were entertained in this poomukham, which was detached from the ettukettu. The poomukham has a small sit out space with charupadi and there are rooms on both sides.

The existing nalukettu - Photograph taken by the author.

The intricate carvings - Photographs taken by the author.

The wall separating mens and womens blocks, the small kilivathil used by women can be seen on the left - Photograph taken by the author.

The existing nalukettu block also had an ara that housed the thekkath, where the deities of the family, kalaman kombu (deer antlers) and the ancestors were worshipped. The other rooms were used by the karnavar, in the front verandah there is a wooden cot used by the karnavar with storage space below it, the valuables of the family and important documents were stored there, under the strict vigil of the karnavar. The room near the thekkath served as a store room where the large vessels of the family were kept. The inner space around the courtyard was used by the occupants of the family. The adjacent nalukettu which was in ruins had been demolished years ago and according to Mr. Sreekumaran Nair, it was used by the women and children of the family. That portion housed the kitchen, dining space and bedrooms. A wall, painted red, with an opening in its centre separated the two blocks; earlier, women were not allowed to come near the block that housed the family deities. A small kilivathil can still be seen on the wall, once used by the women to communicate with the karnavar and the male members who occupied the first nalukettu.

Life in family:

The Nairs were matrilineal, with the mother’s eldest brother occupying the position of karnavar, the male head of the family who looked after the family, their land and assets. The power and property passed hands to the sons of the karnavar’s sister and never to his children. Though women had no significant role in the society, she was the fulcrum around which the family functioned, matrilineal system of inheritance ensured their safety and women were respected. The nephews were taken care of by the male head, the karnavar. During post-colonial years, the Land Reforms Ordinance of 1950s led to massive loss of land-ownership by Nair feudal lords and some Nair gentry were relegated to poverty overnight. However, Swarupathu family is financially sound and many of the members are top brass government officials who are sensitive towards their rich heritage.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev

November 2011.

Note: This article was written two years back when I was doing some research on Thiruvananthapuram and the old families there. I would like to thank Sri Sreekumaran Nair, the present head of Swarupathu Veedu, who was kind enough to spare some time with me. He took me around the old house and shared with me whatever history he knew about the house and the locality.

P. Venugopal and L. Madhavan and late. L. Jalaja (Krishnammal) were some of the elders I contacted to know more about the local history of the area.

The map used here is a cropped portion of the 'Trivandrum Guide Map' (Survey of India 1968-69).

* Alternate spelling for 'Swarupathu Veedu', is 'Swaroopathu Veedu'. In old days there were some families of 'Kaniyanmar' (traditional astrologers) who lived near the house, this was the reason why the house and its surrounding areas later came to be known as 'Kaniyan Vilakam'.

** Since I was not able to come across any proper records showing the extend of the old garden, I have conjecturally marked it in the map.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY -XIX

2011-06-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

STONE MASONS OF CHITTATINKARA, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Killi Ār*, the chief tributary of Karamana River flows to the east of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. Built across this water body is the famous ‘Killipālam’. The King of Venad dynasty, Veera Marthanda Varma (1706-1758) who personally supervised the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple ordered his workmen to find a suitable monolith hill from where he could get a chunk of granite, so big to make a monolith ‘mandapam’ in front of the main shrine at Padmanabha Swamy temple. The workers located a small granite hillock not far from the temple. Thirumala, as the place is now famous, indicating its connection with the sacred hillock, was at that time a part of Chittatinkara in ‘Anjam mada’ village (‘mada’ means drain). Anjam mada or ‘Anchamada’ - were the five madas dug for draining water to Karamana and Killi River. Kaduvetty, Maruthankuzhi, Pangode, Kundamankadavu and Vallakadavu were the five madas and these areas are still known by the names of the respective madas.

Stone masons were employed to cut the large boulder into required size and the mathilakam records states that Nair and Ezhava labourers toiled for days to get the large boulder to the worksite near Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. A large cart with huge wooden wheels was made for the purpose of transportation and the stone was hauled by elephants. A new road was made by the labourers, connecting the granite quarry to the temple. The road running through Poojappura, Karamana, Aranoor, Chalai and connecting to Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple is still in use. A small guild of stone masons was located near the quarry and they were assigned the task of hewing granite blocks into required size for making the pillars and roof slabs. The descendants of these masons still live there.

On top of the hillock is a small temple ‘Trichakrapuram’ Sree Krishna Swamy temple (also known as 'Parakovil') dedicated to Lord Sree Krishnan. It is said that the hillock got its name, ‘Thirumala’, meaning ‘sacred hill’, due to the presence of this ancient temple.

Trichakrapuram Sree Krishna Swamy temple, on top of the granite hill - Photograph taken by the author.

The spot from where the large boulder was cut for the 'ottakkal mandapam'
- Photograph taken by the author.
The huge granite boulder, in its journey to the worksite passed through Karamana before reaching the Killi River, in those days there were no means for transporting the huge stone to the other side. Marthanda Varma gave instructions to divert the river. The course of the river was changed and thus the boulder reached the other side of the river. There are many stories circulating amongst the local population about the King and the divine assistance he got from Sree Padmanabha Swamy to get the boulder to the other side of the river. One of the senior members of Chittatinkara guild narrated such a story that he has heard from the elders. The labourers on reaching Killi River found it impossible to transport the boulder and their leader went to the King and told him about the situation. The King after thinking for a while took a palm leaf and the stylus in his hands, wrote something in it and handed it over to one of his ministers. In the leaf was written the number ‘six’ (6) in the Malayalam numeral and there was a cut across it. The clever minister got the point and asked the labourers to build an embankment across the river. In Malayalam the numeral six (6) is pronounced as ‘Ār’/‘Āru’, the same word for river. The line drawn across meant that an embankment was to be constructed across the river.

The Malayalam numeral 'six' (left) - Ar and the sign given by the king to built an embankment across the river (Ar).

The granite boulder being hauled to Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple - Sketch by the author.

Vettamukku Vilakathu Veedu (Shiva Bhavanam) an old Tamil Vishwakarma family of stone workers (silpins) is settled in Chittatinkara. Padmanabhan Asari (b.1850s), an early ancestor of the family owned large areas of land near Trichakrapuram Sree Krishna Swamy temple, his son Shiva Thanu Asari (d.1940s) was a well known figure. Senior citizens say that in old days there were three Tamil silpin families in Vettamukku, associated with the renovation work of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. Thirumala and the surrounding areas like Edapazhinji and Vattiyoorkāvu had large rock boulders. The large rocky hills in Thirumala region provided enough granite for the construction of the temple and the fort walls. According to present family members, Uchudamakali Achari, son of Shiva Thanu Achari used to say that the granite panels, used as roofing for the ‘Sheevelipura’ of Padmanabha Swamy temple were made by his ancestors. Going by the popular family traditions and hearsay the ancestors of this family had settled in Thiruvananthapuram during the reign of Marthanda Varma (c.1730s). They were stone workers associated with the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. The present descendants claim that their ancestral family was located in Dhanushkodi, near Rameshwaram. The ancestors of this family had initially settled in Karamana and Choorakattupalayam, where many of the Vishwakarma families were concentrated. In due time the region occupied by this guild came to be known as ‘kalppalayam’ - meaning abode of stone masons. The temple housing their principle deity - Goddess Amman is still there in Karamana.The renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple started by Marthanda Varma was carried forward by his illustrious successor, Karthika Tirunal Rama Varma a.k.a. 'Dharmaraja'. In 1768 AD/ 943 M.E., Ezhava labourers were employed for bringing to the temple, twenty eight Mandira Moorthy pillars, which were made in Thirumala (Churuna 28, Olas 99 & 100, Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Princess Gouri Lakshmi Bayi.)

P. Shiva Thanu asari and his wife Valli Ammal – From the private collection of Mr. Padmanabhan.

The old house, Shiva Bhavanam was made by Shiva Thanu Asari. Unlike other houses seen in the surroundings, we can see perfectly dressed granite blocks serving as steps and the plinth above which the house is built. Behind the house was a large pond (14. 5 cent) formed as a result of cutting out of large blocks of rock from the boulder. The pond was used by the family and the locals of the region.

Later, during the latter half of 18th century some families from Karamana settled in Chittatinkara. They were all involved in the cutting and dressing of granite for the construction works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. The stone blocks for building the Fort walls were also supplied from Thirumala. Trichakrapuram Sree Krishna temple was a small structure during that time and it seems that the families of stone masons were involved in the construction of the temple and the associated structures in the present form. They were given land near the temple. The ancestors of this family along with the Asari families like Chatharathala and Eruparathala families formed a guild of village artisans.

*Ār - means river in Malayalam.

SHARAT SUNDER RAJEEV

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY- XVIII

2010-05-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

THE STORY OF A VELVET CAP.

‘Who wouldn't wish to dress up like a King?’

Of course everyone does. But in a period when our land was torn apart by the evils of caste system, not everyone could dream of going out dressed like a King.

On one of my visits to Krishna Singh’s house he dug out from his collections a priced pocession - a purple velvet cap. It was an old cap, but the embroidery lining running around the cap and small beads sewn on it were in perfect condition. Carefully packed inside a plastic cover he treasured the small cap all these years.

‘So what was so special about the cap?’

Krishna Singh narrated to me the story of the cap; it was connected to the history of Travancore and gives us a glimpse on the social hierarchy of the yesterdays.

The story of the cap begins many years back, in 1930s. Dharma Bai Padma Bai, Krishna Singh’s paternal grandmother was the matriarch of the family at that time. History and hearsay tells us that they were Rajputs who had migrated to Travancore from Ayodhya. (There are Rajput settlements in Kottar (Lala Street) too; they are believed to be the decedents of the settlers who had migrated to the precincts of Suchindram temple during the reign of Krishna Deva Rayar). According to family traditions Princess Sindhu of Oudh (Abhirami) had arrived in Suchindram during the reign of Rama Varma. The young princess was on a pilgrimage - seeking the blessings of Stanumalaya Moorthy. It is believed that the princess was a ‘mangalik’, with the evil shadow of Planet Mars in her horoscope; she had to undergo a pilgrimage, seeking blessings from gods for a happy married life. The princess’s recitation of bhajan in her sweet voice caught the attention of the King - Rama Varma and he was attracted towards her. The rest is history…..The bloody battle of succession fought between the sons of Sindhu (Abhirami) and Prince Marthanda Varma in is an important chapter in Travancore history. The Thampimar - Raman Thampi and Pappu Thampi fought against the ‘heir apparent to the throne of Travancore’, Prince Marthanda Varma. With the defeat of the Thampimar, the madampimar - Ettuveettil Pillamar who helped the brothers also met with a gruesome end.

Padma Bai’s husband Baburam Gopalram was an Anchal Inspector. Gopalram’s job took him places, after being posted in various places all over Travancore; finally he decided to settle in the capital city. Manacaud in old days was famous for its Rajput and Pathan settlements. Several Nair and Chetti families were also concentrated in Manacaud. Its proximity to Sree Padmanabha Swamy, the nucleus of the capital city and the Chalai bazaar were the reasons why this region was comparatively ‘over populated’ even from old days. C.V. Raman Pillai in his epic novel ‘Marthanda Varma’ gives us a vivid description on the geographic features of ‘Manakkad’ otherwise known as ‘Manal - Kad’. ‘Puttenkotta’, a small hillock near Manacaud - Kuriyathy regions was where Umayamma Ranis palace was situated. The famed ‘Shingarathoppu’, ‘Puttenkotta Smashanam’, ‘Kalippan Kulam’ and many famous temples like Manacaud Sree Dharma Sastha temple and Attukal temple, Samadhi temple are all in its vicinity. ‘Mukilan’ (Mugalan), the Mughal chieftain who came down to sack Thiruvananthapuram had stationed in Manacaud - it is said that the local Pathans were the one who deviated him from launching attack on the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple.

Rajpoot Songster and musician- Yale University collection.

Krishna Singh’s grandfather settled down in Manacaud in the early 20th century. The local Rajput population was usually employed in the palace. Tales of valour and an imposing physique earned them jobs in the ‘Kuthira Pattalam’, the Kings Mounted Force. Several others served as trusted ‘Choapdars’ and as emissaries on special assignments.

Sree Chithira Thirunal, wearing a velvet cap; 1924.

Madhava Singh, the ‘embroidery worker’ to the Travancore royal family lived in Manacaud. This man was an expert in making intricate embroidery works that added to the beauty of the ‘royal robes’. He was employed by His Highness Sree Moolam Tirunal (1885-1924). Velvet upholstery works in the palace were undertaken by him. However, Madhava Singh was best known for his velvet caps - velvet caps with intricate embroidery works were worn by the royals and nobles. These caps were made using high quality velvet. First of all the frame for the cap would be made in cardboard. Velvet cloth - with intricate embroidery works - cut in appropriate dimensions would be sewn together and pasted around the cylindrical cardboard piece. For decorative embroidery works floral designs were often adopted. For royals the embroidery works were done using gold thread, sometimes pearls and semi precious stones were also used - depending upon the socio-economic status of the customer. Being a family friend, Madhava Singh frequently visited Krishna Singh’s house. Once Padma Bai asked Madhava Singh to make a velvet cap for her first grandson - like the one Madhava Singh made for ‘Chitira’ (Chitira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma).

Dharma Bai Padma Bai - From the private collection of Krishna Singh.

Krishna Singh who was four years old at that time still remembers his grandmother - a stern lady who ruled the household with an iron hand. The older generations say that she was a ‘stern, yet soft hearted lady’. Many poor people from surrounding area would run to her in times of need and she was always ready to help the needy. Madhava Singh was in a dilemma, he couldn’t make her unhappy, at the same time he would be in trouble if the cap was spotted by royals or the nobles.

The velvet cap - photograph taken by the author.

Finally he yielded to the old women’s command. One fine day he came in and placed the cap in Padma Bai’s hands. Krishna Singh’s joy knew no bounds! He was now the proud owner of a velvet cap. However, there were strict instructions from Madhava Singh - the cap was not to be worn in public. Hari Ram, Krishna Singh’s father took a photograph of his young son wearing his new cap.

Krishna Singh with his siblings, wearing his new cap - Clicked by Hariram (From the private collection of Krishna Singh).

Years passed, the Kings rule ended and velvet caps - once a symbol of nobility became out of fashion. However, for Krishna Singh the cap is a treasure - it brings back the memories of his childhood, his long dead grandmother and the cap maker.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
May, 2010.

* Krishna Singh passed away on 23rd October, 2010, he was 73 years old. Krishna Singh was a good friend of mine, he always had some interesting story to tell that helped me in knowing more about the local communities of Thiruvananthapuram. A man deeply embedded to his roots, Mr. Singh was always proud of his 'Rajpoot' ancestry. May his soul rest in peace.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY- XVII

2009-12-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

LIFE IN AGRAHARAMS - AS TOLD BY KRISHNA IYER

An old doorway inside the agraharam complex, East Fort - Photograph taken by the author.

20th September 2009,

Agraharams: The name literally means "a garland of houses". It originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple to the village god at the centre, thus resembling a garland around the temple.

Smiling faces greeted us whenever we went to agraharams for conducting case studies. Old women wearing ‘chela’ and men who busy chatting with their friends occupied the ‘thinna’. Within the crumbling agraharams we could get a glimpse of large families, trying to fit themselves into long corridor like spaces; a life style and culture evolved through the ages. Life in agraharams starts early morning, when rest of the city sleeps peacefully, the women of agraharams rises and after bathing draw ‘arippodikolam’ in front of their houses.‘Arippodikolam’- a painted prayer. It is believed that drawing a kolam in front of the house brings prosperity. Moreover, they provide food for insects and birds.

Marthanda Varma was the first ruler who identified the potential of the temple town, Thiruvananthapuram. Though the capital was still Padmanabhapuram, he started the overall development of Thiruvananthapuram which finally made it a capital city. After renovation of the temple, he invited Tamil and Tulu Brahmins to the capital city and made agraharams for them, the small market which functioned in the eastern side of the temple gradually flourished as more and more people started to migrate to this region. Another interesting story on migration of Brahmins to this area was narrated by Mani Iyer of Sreenikaethan (west nada); according to his story Ramayyan Dalawa was the brain behind Marthanda Varma’s successes. It is said that the king once offered half of his kingdom to this trusted minister, making him a king. However, Ramayyan respectfully refused this offer saying that he was a Brahmin and it’s the duty of Kshtriyas to rule. He asked the king to give shelter to poor Brahmins; the king accepted his minister’s advice and invited Brahmins to Thiruvananthapuram. The temple provided them with means of livelihood.

Ramayyan Dalawa - Picture courtesy - R. Narayana Panikker, The History of Travancore.

Mr. Krishna lyer, a ninety year old gentleman whom we met in Tippu Street turned out to be a treasure trove of information, for he had in store much new information that helped us to understand the life and culture of agraharams, in a better manner. He gave us a clear idea about the history and social conditions that existed inside the fort area, which was off limits to the lower castes till recent age. Krishna lyer was an exceptional man, with a sharp memory spaning over eight decades, he was the ‘one’ whom we were looking for. He accompanied us to ‘Azhikotta’ and on the way explained to us the history of agraharams, its evolution through the ages, current issues and about the old settlements around the fort area.

Krishna Iyer - Still young at 90 - screenshot from a documentary on agraharams (Agraharangal Kathaparayumbol, 2011).

According to him the old ‘pramanam’ or documents stated that land was given for ‘Paradesi Brahmins’ and ‘Malayala Brahmins’ by the king. These Brahmins built agraharams and settled there, forming one of the oldest social caste settlements inside the capital city.

Tamilsmarthabrahmin and his wife - From Yale University Collection.

Their houses were special too, all houses shared a common wall and were made of ‘Cheekkal katta’, a strong locally available building material, these blocks were cemented with lime plaster and the plinth in which the house stood was made of large granite blocks, which were laid in a special manner, which according to the him is very efficient that the centuries old houses had not been affected by the earthquakes. In old days the roofs were thatched and the supporting pillars and mezzanine floors were made of timbre. Later thatch roofs were replaced by Mangalore tiles when they were made available in Travancore. This group housing influenced their life style also, privacy was not their concern. Usually large joint families were cramped inside the long corridor like spaces, but their lifestyle evolved around the temple and their houses that even now the younger generation finds no fault living in these houses. However, they have made many additions for their comfortable living. The open ‘thinna’ were old Brahmins assembled for the ‘vedivattam’ and occasional card playing were closed with iron bars. The open courts inside the houses were also leveled making room for a bed or a study table for the younger generation.

Agraharam - a study on spatial planning - Urban Design project done by the author at C.E.T.

According to Krishna lyer, water supply, electric connection and drainage came inside fort during M.E. 1103-04, during the reign of the Regent Maharani Sethu Lekshmi Bai, before that assigned people came at 6O’clock in morning everyday to collect night soil from every houses. They had special paths known as scavengers lane made behind every stretch of streets. The wastes were collected outside the fort (southwest corner) and later taken to far off places to be disposed.

An old agraharam with open thinna - Photograph taken by the author.

Krishna lyer says that in those days the senior members of the family slept in the open thinnas, there were no mosquito problems as the drains running through the front were cleaned daily. The roads were also cleaned and sprinkled with water daily. Before corporation water supply was made available, there were common wells, two wells for each street that provided them with water, every morning the women folk crowded around the well for collecting water for their daily use. However, with the coming of corporation water connection the wells were neglected and they turned into breeding grounds of mosquitoes and were later sealed off.

In old days majority of the Brahmins were employed in the temple as staffs and in the temple kitchen, mukkanaiya a sub caste of Iyers were money lenders and were appointed as accountants. Later they got admitted in government offices, the ‘Huzur kacherry’ and the court that functioned in an old building that has been now occupied by Sree Moola Vilasam (S.M.V) School. With new positions their life standard increased and now most of them have high educational qualifications and are employed as high government officials.

Brahmins being a priestly class were less familiar with farming techniques, the lack of open spaces and the life style that revolved around the temple made then depend on vegetable sellers and other street vendors who came daily to sell their wares. However, few coconut trees can be spotted in the backyard spaces. People belonging to different castes ranging from bangle makers, the ‘Vala Chettis’, to basket makers came there to sell off their products. However, no one from outside was admitted inside the fort after 10pm. There were guards at each opening checking on those who enter and leave the place. The Attakulangara post office building was the soldier’s outpost, there was a well near it, where now there’s a milma booth.

Azhikotta and the old post office building that once served as soldiers outpost - Photograph taken by the author.
Krishna lyer still has a vivid memory of his childhood days when he used to walk to Sangumugham beach that was three miles away for a bath in the sea. The streetlamp lighters arrived every day evening at six with their kerosene cans and ladders. All street lamps would go out at about nine at night, but still the road would be lighted up by the stone lamps; stone lamps were there attached to the walls of every agraharams. Theses stone lamps hold oil for a longer time illuminating the street, thus the street came to be known as ‘deepatheruvu’, the street of lamps, but now its name have changed to Tippu Street. Every street had a story to tell, ‘Thamman Street’ was the place where a saint by the name ‘Subramanya Dharman’ lived, the word ‘Dharman’ when used by the locals changed to ‘Thamman’, like wise ‘Dikshidar street’ is named after a Dikshidar who was a high official at the palace. Thekkae theruvu, the main road that runs straight from Vettimuricha kotta to Kallampally junction was renamed as ‘Chidambara Krishna Iyer Street’, in memory of Chidambara Krishna lyer who was the mayor of the town. ‘Kottalam’ road was where the ‘kottanmar’ or construction workers lived, there were about ten families there.

However, the peaceful life in agraharams was disturbed in 1939, when ‘Hitler’s war’, the World War II started, many young men from the area migrated to North India for better jobs. Krishna lyer was one among them. He went to Karachi and many other places in search of jobs. This period marked the beginning of a new phase also, more and more youngsters began to explore the world outside and with India gaining independence and will the disposal of the king’s rule, the privileges enjoyed by these families were cut short.

Over the years agraharams have changed, adapting to the needs of the younger generation, they sometimes lost its character. New additions and façade treatments often make them seem out of place, however, they stand as the ghosts of the past, reminding us the glorious heritage of Thiruvananthapuram, the temple town.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY- XVI

2009-10-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

TAMIL VISHWAKARMA SETTLEMENTS IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Vishwakarmas now living in Thiruvananthapuram are the descendents of various guilds of the craftsmen who have come and established themselves at various turning points in the history of Travancore. In the first quarter of eighteenth century thousands of Tamil Vishwakarmas were brought to the capital city, this migration had a great cultural impact on the history of Travancore.

As Vishwakarmas were considered as ‘avarnas’ they were given land outside the fort, which was the city centre that comprised of the temple complex, the ‘agraharams’ of the Brahmins and the royal palaces and the houses of land lords and nobles. Even now, we can see large Vishwakarma settlements in places like Karamana (near Killi River); there is evidence for Vishwakarma settlements in Statue, the present core of our city. A vast area of land behind General Post Office was known as ‘Asari Parambu’, which may have been occupied by the stonemasons who came and settled there for the renovation of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. ‘Kattachal konam’ is said to be derived from the words ‘kal thacha konam’, meaning the adobe of stone masons. These craftsmen brought with them their family deities and made temples for them outside the fort, Gandhari Amman temple in Statue, Muttaramman temple near Punnan road were the temples of Tamil Vishwakarma families. Thus, Vishwakarmas played an important role in the history of Travancore from eighteenth century (I have already mentioned about the 'Thacha Kudi' in Thottom in the previous article).

Pandi Kammalan (Tamil Vishwakarma craftsman); sketch by the author - from an old painting from Kuzhi Malika.

The settlements of native craftsmen were also found at various places, especially around palaces and other noble families. Goldsmith settlements were concentrated along the fringes of the capital in places such as Kaithamukku and on the banks of Kill River.

Malabar goldsmith and female, 1830's - Yale University Collection.

Timbre which was available in plenty was the major building material used in Travancore and the Asaris of the region excelled in carving out minute details in wood. However, one major drawback of timbre was that it was always under the threat of fire and termite attacks. Temple records of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple say that the earlier structure that was made of wood had been almost destroyed many times due to fire outbreaks.

Granite was not easily available and there were only a few temples made of granite that preceded Padmanabha Swamy temple. However, during the reign of Thrikketta Tirunal Vira Ravi Varma (Vira Ravi Ravi Varma) which lasted from 1595 AD to 1608 AD, many steps were taken for renovating Padmanabha Swamy temple. In the year 1606 AD/ 781 ME he took steps for the structural repairs of the temple. The major building material, timbre was to be replaced by granite. This medium was adopted for fear of fire hazard. Renovation works were at once started and it should be assumed that skilled stone masons were bought from different parts of Pandinadu. This proves that there were settlements of Tamil Vishwakarmas in the capital city from early seventeenth century.

The village craftsmen; life in a ‘kudi’

In the case of a village community, a craftsman, belonging to what so ever trade was considered as an integral part of the society. He is in demand for making ploughs for farmers, making houses for people and artifacts for rulers. However, the rules and regulations of the guilds were less followed in the village communities. A social harmony and equality prevailed among them. Same is the case of the Vishwakarma settlements of Kadakkavoor. Cherunellil, Putten Veedu and Putten Madhom were some of the mutually related families that may have initially worked together as a village guild. However, as time passed they evolved as individual families.

A typical village craftsman - Sketch by the author.

The guilds of village craftsmen consisted of related families and a senior male member was considered as the head or ‘moothassari’, all others worked under his supervision. This was their mode of working for large projects; however, smaller works were individually undertaken. The financial condition of these ‘village craftsmen’ was low and they usually maintained a low profile in the society. Harsh caste rules also were a major hindrance for them in getting a decent position in society.

Vishwakarma women - sketch by the author.

A study on a community of these craftsmen can provide us with much valuable information on their lifestyle, customs and beliefs. The working groups or ‘Kudi’ were the settlements of these craftsmen, the Kudi may be called ‘Asari (carpenter) Kudi’, ‘Thattan (goldsmith) Kudi’, ‘Kolla (blacksmith) Kudi’ etc depending on the caste sub-divisions or trade of the occupying communities. Unlike the other warrior classes of Kerala, the male members of these communities were always present in their houses or communities. The presence of this dominant male in the family who was the bread earner of the entire family may be the reason why these communities became patriarchal.

A typical well to do Vishwakarma family had a house with a ‘poomukham’ or verandah in front, a hall room which served as the dining and resting space. There may be numerous rooms on both sides of these main rooms. A small kitchen and a working space complete the house. The number of rooms increased with the growing number of the family. The building materials varied from timbre to mud blocks or bricks as per the availability. The houses were thatched, only some prominent families, who were associated with the royal family, were given the privilege to use roofing tiles during the king’s rule.

A ‘Kudi’ usually had a small place of worship, a ‘thekkath’ dedicated to the family deity. A normal family consisted generally of a husband, his wife and children, which may come around eight to ten in number. Polyandry was practiced in old days, the brothers of a family used to share a common wife and the widow of a brother or cousin was married by another brother or cousin, however, both these practices have almost died out these days. Usually the houses had a small temporary shed ‘chaippu’, on its rear side; this was the place where the male members of the family worked. A master craftsman’s house usually had a large shed that housed his workshop and the space where he taught the younger generation. The tools used by a family were passed on to the later generation as family heirlooms and they were never passed hands. Womenfolk of these communities had their role in assisting their husband or father or brother who was engaged in the works. They are always happy to sharpen their working tools, prepare food of the family etc, but other than these minor errands they had less to do in the family and society. In old days the women used to cook outside their kitchen, in a carpenter’s house there will be lot of waste wood near the workplace and the women used these as the fuel, and a stove was setup near the working space.

These guilds were sometimes assigned larger tasks such as construction of temples and palaces by the ruling class. The work will be supervised by the head craftsman, the ‘moothassari’. Some times more than one guild was involved in the construction works. If the working site was far from home, it was natural for the entire guild to relocate themselves to a place nearer to their working place, sometimes the whole family can be seen relocated and after the work they might not return to their native lands, there are many reasons for this.

In old days these craftsmen were presented with land on the completion of their works……. “The payment of craftsmen was either a payment in kind, or a grant of land, besides perquisites on special occasions. For their customary services, the craftsmen were repaid at harvest-time, receiving a fixed proportion of sheaves of grain from the crop collected on the threshing floor, or they might be given a share of the communal land” THE INDIAN CRAFTSMAN BY ANANDA.K.COOMARASWAMY, D.SC. So it is natural that they might settle down in the new places. Another reason is that young men of the guilds may commit to marriage alliances with the local guilds and they may settle down with the relatives and thus will gradually become a member of another guild. Thus this association of two guilds can sometimes result in the merging of two different cultures.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev

September, 2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY- XV

2009-09-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

ERUMKULANGARA DEVI TEMPLE AND THE EZHAVA SETTLEMENTS IN THOTTAM

We, final year architecture students of C.E.T have been visiting every nook and corner of east fort and its surrounding area for last couple of weeks as a part of our town planning project- ‘Revival of the Temple Town’. The long walk in scorching sun is indeed tiring with frequently emptying water bottles. However, for those interested in exploring the heart of the city, its culture, the fort is like an open book with its gates wide open, inviting everyone inside, to be a part of the history or rather mystery surrounding it. We walked past the busy streets lined by street hawkers, beggars and tourists who sometimes seem troubled by the curious eyes that follow them. Though new buildings have diminished her beauty and poisonous gases are gripping a tight hold on her neck, the capital city still continues to overwhelm us with the stories of valour, resistance, conspiracies and preservance.

Over the ages many people belonging to different castes have migrated and settled down in Trivandrum. The most important and large scale migrations happened during the period of Marthanda Varma when he invited Brahmins from all over south India to settle in the capital city. During the period of Dharmaraja also many Brahmin and other families from northern Kerala migrated to the safe hands of our capital city fearing Tippu’s attacks. Since my childhood days, I was interested in history of Travancore and its migrant population. It may be due to the fact that I was born in a family that migrated to Travancore from Tirunelveli in 1730’s for the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple.

The second phase of the study included the areas surrounding the fort, the different caste settlements around fort, which helped for the growth of the town. Our group covered Manacaud, Thottam and Muttathara areas surrounding the fort. It was an interesting study as the area covered the most colourful and wide variety of caste settlements we can see in the whole of Trivandrum. In Manacaud we have the Muslim settlements, the Pathans who worked in Travancore mounted force and as the king’s chamber guards, along with them are the Rajpoot settlements. However, the most interesting part of the study came in Thottam area, a vast area with boundary set by four stones, the ‘nalukallu’.

‘Thottam’ as the name suggests was the garden of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, in old days the temple owned vast lands under its control as fields which provided rice for the temple, flowers and fruits were grown in ‘nandavanam’, a garden in the south west part of the fort. Thottam near Manacaud was also a garden associated with the temple. Ezhavas and Vishwakarmas formed the majority of the population. These two communities were the major working class, Vishwakarmas of the region were engaged in construction works of the temple and the Ezhavas assisted them as manual labourers, a ‘churuna’ of Padmanabha Swamy temple records that in 1768 AD/ 943 ME, Ezhava labourers were employed for bringing to the temple, twenty eight ‘Mandira Moorthy’ pillars, which were made in Thirumala.

What remains of Velutheri, the famous Ezhava tharavad in Thottam - Photograph taken by the author.

Perunelli and Vellutheri were the famous Ezhava families of the region; the members of the family were well known Vaidyans and scholars. Swarupathu Veedu (Kaniyan Vilakam), a very old Nair tharavad is near Thottam. They were the ‘Mathilakam Pilla’ of the kings of Travancore and owned large areas of farming lands. It is said that the famous ‘Mukkolakkal Devi’ was the family deity of the Swarupathu family.

Swaroopathu Veedu - Photograph taken by the author.

Later Muttathara became an abode of skilled craftsmen, patronized by the royal family of Travancore. Erumkulangara Devi temple at Thottam is an old temple, about 1000 years old, complete with a large pond and kavu surrounding it with a serene atmosphere in the heart of the city. The close association with Padmanabha Swamy temple had given this temple a significant position even from old days. Thottam was a waterlogged land; the major mode of transportation was by ‘vanchis’. The senior generations still remember the priest’s from Padmanabha Swamy temple, the Tharananalloor Namboothirimar coming to the temple for the pujas. The vanchis came near the temple, the priests had a separate pond for their use in addition to the large temple pond, and thus the presence of two ponds may have been the reason for the name ‘Erumkulangara’ meaning ‘on the banks of two ponds’.

Erumkulangara Devi temple
- Photograph taken by the author.

However, the very first settlement patterns of Thottam were different from what we see now, according to Venugopal and L. Madhavan, two old gentle men whom we met at Erumkulangara Devi temple office (these gentlemen were happy to share with the younger generation their experiences and knowledge) the old name of Thottam was ‘Velan Kudi’, settlement of people belonging to Velan caste, associated with ‘Vela kali’ in Padmanabha Swamy temple. Another major settlement was ‘Thacha Kudi’, abode of Vishwakarmas. These Vishwakarmas must have been the Tamil migrants who came to Travancore during the reign of Marthanda Varma for the works of the temple. The old Erumkulangara temple was made of granite; the sheer size of the blocks had always fascinated the locals. From where these large blocks came was a mystery. If my assumptions are right, the craftsmen employed in the renovation works of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple had carried out the construction works of this temple too. ‘Koshavanmar’, the potters also lived there in perfect harmony with Ezhavas.

Perumpadasherri Venugopal - Photograph taken by the author.

Venugopal told us an interesting story about the origin of Ezhava settlements of that area. Like many other stories we heard about the capital city, this also starts from Marthanda Varma, the father of Travancore. To be precise the story starts in 1743, when Kayamkulam war ended, the rajah was killed and it is said that the relatives of the rajah had to flee the kingdom in disguise of lower caste Ezhavas. It should be presumed that the local Ezhavas families of Kayamkulam must have helped them escape. Prominent Ezhava families such as Aalumoottil Channars were the trainers of the king’s army; it is possible that some of the late rajah’s immediate family members could have escaped the 'wiping out' by Travancore forces. Aalumoottil Channars being Ezhavas must have dressed the royals in their attire to help them escape unnoticed. The story goes on saying that the immediate family of the rajah with two young women came and settled in Thottam region with the local Ezhava population disguised as Ezhavas. However, the social system that prevailed in those days prevented them (who were now Ezhavas) from visiting the nearby Erumkulangara temple. The two young women of the family who were well aware of their kshtriya ancestry were bold enough to visit the temple; they entered the temple dressed as local Ezhavas. Soon news reached the ears of the chief priest, a Nampoothiri of Koopakara Madhom who was furious and raised his hands to curse the women, it is said that at the same time all those who were present in the temple heard an voice from inside the shrine, the Devi herself saying that those women were her children and thereafter the temple and its properties should be given to them. And thus the power passed hands to the so called ‘disguised Ezhavas’ or ‘Kshtriya Ezhavas’ as they called themselves. Later these women married men from Ezhava families and settled permanently in Thottam. The major governing bodies of the temple were ‘Moothillam’, Mayyanatillam’ and ‘Pallichal’ family; later they branched out and now there are twenty five families under them. There are records of a Kayamkulam sword that was preserved in the temple until recently, this may also provide as with a clue to the temples connection with the Kayamkulam royal family.

Thottam area in later days became famous for its guilds of craftsmen who produced quality carvings in sandal wood and ivory; it is interesting that the local Ezhavas of the area mastered the craft which was practiced by Vishwakarmas over the centuries. More on craftsmen of Thottam in next post……

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
14-09-2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XIV

2009-07-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

AN ARTIST IN DISTRESS

K. Ramakrishnan Achari (b.1888-d.1969), my father’s grandfather was a well known artist of erstwhile Travancore Princely State. Many of his splendid portrayals still adorn the walls of palaces and many government institutions. The most famous among them are the portraits of Nehru and Gandhi, which are placed in the Durbar hall of Secretariat. But a portrait of Sree Chitira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma, the last ruler of Travancore now kept in Sree Chitra enclave surpasses them all. It was done in early 1930s and portrays the King sitting on his throne. This fabulous portrait which was once a favourite of the royal family had been tucked away to a dark corner of the museum godown for many years. A letter from the present king, Marthanda Varma inquiring the whereabouts of this portrait finally freed it from the store room and now it adorns the wall of Sree Chitra enclave.

K. Ramakrishnan Achari (1) The artist and his son with the finished portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru, 1960s (2) - Photographs from the private collection of the author.

K. Ramakrishnan’s house and studio served as a meeting place for many eminent people of the time. During 1940s when the Indian Nationalist Movement was in its peak, Ramakrishnan had to face a serious problem…..some of his intimate friends were high palace officials staunch royalists, ‘Rajabakthar’; and others were freedom fighters and ‘Congressmen’ such as Pattom A. Thanu Pilla. Ramakrishnan himself was a supporter of the king’s rule as the king and the royal families were his major patrons. But he had to entertain both.

Once when Pattom Thanu Pilla came to the studio, Ramakrishnan was busy painting a portrait of the King, Sree Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma. Through the window he saw Thanu Pilla walking towards the studio. Ramakrishnan did not want to offend his friend who was a freedom fighter told his son Haridas to take away the portrait from the easel stand and hide it somewhere, so that Thanu Pilla will not see it. However, when Thanu Pilla came to the door Haridas noticed that a portrait of the leader was lying upside down in a dusty corner of the room. Knowing that Thanu Pilla might get angry seeing his portrait in such a miserable condition, Haridas quickly cleaned the portrait and placed it in a respectable place. Thanu Pilla couldn’t be more happy.

Pattom A.Thanu Pilla - Image courtesy - Wikipedia.

Many such situations arose later where Ramakrishnan had to struggle to please both of his friends; the royalists and the congressmen.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
11-07-2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY -XIII

2009-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

THE DAY I MET THE KING

It was a hot February noon; I was sitting in my father’s studio, waiting for a phone call, a phone call that could make one of my dreams come true. A day back my friend Uma Maheshwari, who is writing the biography of Maharaja had promised to take me with her, to Pattom palace!

Many years back, standing in the terrace of my father’s old studio, I saw an old car, with the royal insignia of the erstwhile royal family passing down the street. Then somebody told me that it was the King of Travancore, on his daily routine, on his way to the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. The next day also I waited there to see the King, but I got only a glimpse of him. On yet another day, sitting on the rear seat of my father’s scooter I even followed him to the gates of the old city. I noticed that many people on seeing the car stood up and bowed in reverence.

When I was studying in tenth standard, on my first visit to Padmanabha Swamy temple we were told that the King was coming for his daily prayers and that we will have to wait until he has finished. I rushed to see him; this time also I did not have much luck as he passed by quickly.Through the stories told by my grandfather and other senior family members, the members of the royal family had become a household name. It was one of my dreams to meet them. Through the drawing competitions conducted by Chitrakalamandalam, I had the opportunity to meet Her Highness Karthika Tirunal Thampuratti and her daughters, the princesses. However, I have not met or talked with the King.

Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, as a small boy - Picture reproduced from Temple Entry Proclamation Souvenir.

As I did not get any response from Uma, I called her. Palace secretary said that the King already had many visitors, but he asked her to come. It kind of let down my spirits, as I have heard Uma saying that sometimes she had to wait for days to see him. However, after some time she called me and said that we could meet him. The meeting was scheduled at three p.m., borrowing my mother’s Activa; I went to University office to pick Uma.

I was feeling a little tensed as I approached the large arched gate, inside I saw an old palace with many later additions, even though in traditional style they did not seem to match with the old structure. It was disappointing that the palace of the King was not so large or grand (compared to Kowdiar palace) as I had expected. The secretary’s office seemed to be a treasure trove of old photographs and paintings. A large painting of the long gone Aanacutcherry, a landmark of old Travancore claim a major portion of one wall, an intricate portrait of the King, by Krishnan Nair, done using coloured sand catches our attention.

The Maharaja who was born in 1922 is going to celebrate his 88th birthday this March. I was surprised that even at this old age he had to keep up with a busy schedule. There were many people waiting to see him. After waiting for some time, we were asked to go inside, Uma Maheshwari who was familiar to the staff and palace, led the way. We were led to a medium sized living room. We stood there waiting for the King. The room was decorated with many old photographs and paintings. A large painting of Sree Moolam Tirunal, by Madhavan Thampi, dated 1910 adorn a wall, the portrait is clearly a copy of a similar one by Raja Ravi Varma, great grandfather of the Maharaja. There were old photographs of Chithira Tirunal, Amma Maharani and old photographs of the King’s late wife. Another painting, which caught my attention, was that of Chithira Tirunal wearing a large green turban, Uma told me that Marthanda Varma was an expert in making (tying) turbans and used to make turbans, within two minutes for his ‘Annan’, the late Maharaja, His Highness Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma.

Marthanda Varma and his wife Sri Radha Devi.

Standing there, I could see that the next room led to an open courtyard on one side there were many idols of gods, a Brahmin was cleaning / preparing for pooja. The building, even though a royal palace, was warm and cosy like an old middle class tharavad. It brought back the memories of my grandmother’s old tharavad.

A man came and asked Uma whether she got a calendar published by Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple trust, she said no and he went inside. After a few seconds, a small man wearing a loose white shirt and a mundu entered, his back was bend, which reminded me of Karthika Tirunal during her last years. Actually, I took some time to realize that it was the King. Uma bowed in reverence. He presented her the calendar. I folded my hands and greeted him with a ‘Namaste’.

Even though I had seen him many times before, I had expected to find a more powerful man, but to my surprise, in front of me, sitting in an old model European chair was the Maharaja of Travancore. Uma who was a frequent visitor began talking to him, by that time I was closely studying him. He wore an old-fashioned white shirt, with the royal emblem embroidered on his right chest. The simple white mundu and the paragon 'maethiyadi' chappals gave him a ‘common man’ look. Yet when he talked, he showed clear marks of his aristocratic upbringing. The only gold ornaments that he was wearing were three gold rings, one with his initials M.V., a ‘Navaratna’ ring and a ring with an emerald stone.

Uma had prepared a list of ‘things to do’ for the forthcoming release of the book. It seems that he was not satisfied with the publishers, they were very slow. Uma wanted them to release the book before the King’s birthday, which is on March. It was interesting that he cracked some jokes while talking and this made him look more casual. After talking to Uma he asked her who this new boy was, Uma introduced me and told him that I was doing some sketches for his book. He asked me whether I could do a picture of him, with Sreepadmanabha’s feet in his heart.

While talking he said that the behaviour of people have changed drastically, they have chosen the path of ‘Ravana’, the path of ‘adharma’. He seemed distressed at the state of his lost kingdom. Travancore had seen its days of glory under the rule of her famous Kings. Starting from Veera Marthanda Varma, the father of modern Travancore who was both a mastermind in uniting the kingdom and at the same time was a ruthless tyrant; and the ‘musician king’ Swathi to our beloved last ruler, the ‘Rajarishi’, Sree Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma.

I had the privilege of showing him the manuscript of my family history. He was interested to know that I had written it and had added the books beauty with the pictures. He read some parts from the book, particularly the portion that said about the great London exhibition of 1851. He told me that the ivory throne send to the exhibition got second prize, which was a great achievement for his kingdom and for the craftsmen who made it. He seemed to like my handwriting and commented that on seeing my penmanship he is thinking of stop writing.

Marthanda Varma - sketch by the author (2009).

After some time one of his attendants came and said that he had another visitor, he was let in. A man entered the room, bowed the king and took out three silver ‘kindis’ of fine quality from his bag and placed them on a table. After inspecting the kindis Marthanda Varma gave him some instructions on how to make a box for keeping them. The man listened to him and took leave. After he had gone, the king told us that the man was an Achari specialized in making silver artifacts; he once made a silver tray for him. It was packed in a wooden box and was presented to a friend, however on opening the box, the room was filled with a sweet scent that attracted all those who were present there, and thus he became a favourite of the royal family and now makes silver artifacts for the King.

We didn't notice that time was sliding by as we were talking, soon it was time for his evening prayers and we stood up and took leave.

This article was written in February 2009.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XII

2009-04-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

‘EDAVANKADAN ACHARIMAR’ OF MAVAELIKKARA

Cheriyanad, a village in Kerala state belongs to Central Travancore Region and specifically comes under Chengannur Thaluk in Alleppey District. It is placed almost midway between Chengannur and Mavelikkara towns. Cheriyanad is a special grade panchayat. Cheriyanad Sri Balasubrahmanya Swami Temple is a famous spot in Cheriyanad.

Cheriyanad was once located on the boundary of the kingdom of the Kayamkulam Rajah and in 1746 along with the rest of the kingdom it was annexed to Travancore. Cheriyanad possesses a Padanilam or a battlefield, which is now occupied by a school. Some prominent families owned Kalari i.e. martial arts gymnasiums and private temples. Traditionally Cheriyanad consisted of nine original Karas or villages, which are Athimanchery, Edavankadu, Mandapariyaram, Thuruthimal, Moolikode, Edamuri, Mampara, Ariunnisery, and Alakode. For administrative purposes, subdivided into fourteen Karas. Cheriyanad is home to an important temple, located west of padanilam junction ;( 500mtr) Mavelikara-Kozhenchery road, of the Hindu deity Subramanyan which is included in the jurisdiction of the high priests of the Sabarimala temple, the Thazhamon Madhom Nampoothiri family of Chengannur. This temple is located in the heart of Cheriyanad, also known as Athimuncherry.

‘Edavankadan Asari’ is the hereditary title given to the head craftsmen of Edavankadu; they were the moothasaris of the kings of Travancore. Their ancestral tharavad is located in Alappuzha District, in a small village named Cheriyanad in Chengannur Thaluk. No details are known about the origin of the family, but it may have some connection with the construction of Subramanya temple of Cheriyanad. The family has two branches, Thundiyil Veedu, the main branch and Edavankadu Valiya Veedu, which now houses the ‘Ara’ or thekkath of the family with all their family deities including lord Vishwakarma. Even now yearly festivals are conducted for 41 days. Thundiyil Veedu has now fallen with time, the last moothassari of the family Edavankadu Padmanabhan Achari hailed from Thundiyil Veedu.

Edavankadan Asari was the moothassari’s of many palaces built by the king’s of Travancore. They were specialized in woodcarving. The members of the family had good knowledge of the Shilpa Shastra and Vedas and were given the titles like ‘Randam Brahma’. The members of the family were the head craftsmen of Subramanya temple of Harippad.

Edavankadan T.N. Padmanabhan Achari and his wife Karthyayini Ammal - Photograph from the private collection of Joseph (Babu).

I have heard from my uncle that his ancestors were the moothasaris of many of the palatial mansions of old Christian families. They perform the duties of stapatis. Once they went to build a house for a wealthy Christian landlord. One day when the moothassari was cooking food in a small hut made for him, the karnavar of the family came and asked him to give some food. The moothassari was surprised- a rich landlord asking food from him, when enquired the landlord said that their Lord, Christ was the son of a carpenter.

A story is that long ago an Asari (Edavankadan Neelakandan Achari?) of the family presented the king of Travancore with a lotus, made of wood, so delicate that its petals fluttered with the wind. The Asari was given a horse as a reward (late nineteenth century).

The moothasaris of the family used to accompany the ‘Naduvazhi Nampoothiri’ of Cheriyanad on special occasions. It is said that the people of the village, on seeing the Achari wearing ‘Poonol’ mistook him for the Nampoothiri and bowed before him. On seeing this naduvazhi ordered the Asari to carry a ‘muzhankol’ in his hand. It is said that the moothassari made a silver muzhankol for the purpose and on seeing the silver staff the locals mistook him for the naduvazhi and showed greater respect.

Unlike ordinary Asari families, the members of the family enjoyed privileges and can be considered as ‘nobles’ among Asaris. The title of ‘Edavankadan Asari’ title was usually given to the eldest male members of the family; they usually stayed in Travancore, the capital city and had to attend in all the major functions in the family. The family was given large areas of farming land as ‘Uurhiyam’ by the king’s of Travancore; they had their own ‘Pulayan’ family to do the farming. The last Asaris of the family who were given the hereditary title was Kochu Kunju Achari, son of Neelakandan Achari of Thundiyil Veedu (Kochu Kunju had an elder brother, but due to some eye ailments he was not qualified for the title). Kochu Kunju Achari and his younger brother Padmanabhan Achari came to live in the capital city.

The fame of the brothers crossed the seas with the life size and miniature wooden statues of Kathakali figures made by them. The royal family of Travancore who were the major patrons of the family owned many of the masterpieces made by the brothers. The life sized Kathakali figures made by the brothers are now exhibited in Kuthira Malika and Napier museum; some of the most intricately carved statues are still in the collection of the royal family. For their services, they were given ‘Veerasringala’ by the Amma Maharani Sethu Parvathy Bai.

Edavankadan T.N. Padmanabhan Achari with the kathakali figures - Photograph from the private collection of Joseph (Babu).

In 1958, the ‘Edavankadan’ brothers settled in Manacaud (Kuriyathy) and later shifted to a house near Attukal temple. However, in late 1950’s Kochu Kunju Achari passed away, he was a bachelor, so with his death the title passed down to his younger brother T.N. Padmanabhan Achari. The knowledge he had on ‘silpasastra’ made the Maharaja Sree Chithira Tirunal to appoint Padmanabhan Achari as the supervisor in charge of the new idol, which was being sculpted for Sabarimala by Chengannur Neelakanda Panicker. It was Padmanabhan Achari who performed the rituals of ‘opening of the eyes and mouth’ of the newly installed idol of Sabarimala temple, using a small chisel made of gold.

Receiving the first National Award for woodcarving from President Dr. Radhakrishnan,1966 Picture reproduced from Vishwakarman (magazine, 1969 edition).

In 1966 T.N. Padmanabhan Achari received the first National Award for woodcarving from President Dr. Radhakrishnan. Padmanabhan Achari married Karthyayini Ammal of Karthikapalli Veedu of Harippad. In 1985, the couple settled in Pattom. However, it is unfortunate that with the death of this master craftsman, his children did not carry on the family traditions and crafts.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
11-04-2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XI

2009-03-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

THE TRAGIC STORY OF A RAJPUT PRINCESS

Yesterday V. George Mathew sir (para-phsycologist), Uma Maheshwari (freelance journalist), Anil Bhaskar (photographer- Rashtra Deepika) and I had the opportunity to visit Krishna Singh’s house. Krishna Singh, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, as his name suggests claims to have Rajput ancestry, and interestingly he had a very different story to tell, a tragic story of a Rajput princess who came to Travancore.

Krishna Singh’s house is located in Manacaud, near the famed Manacaud Shasta temple. Earlier George sir had told us that Krishna Singh was a very old man, who was about 90 years old. However, later we found out that Krishna Singh was a man in his late seventies. There was a large wall, resembling a fortress, dotted with shops and small rooms surrounding the house. The huge wooden gates, painted in sky blue opened to reveal a large two-storied building, about 70 years old.

Krishna Singh - Photograph taken by the author.

According to Krishna Singh history and hearsay mentions the arrival of Rajpoots in Travancore during the reign of Rama Varma, the preceedor of Marthanda Varma. And their history is linked with the mysterious lady of Travancore, ‘Abhirami’, wife of Rama Varma.. According to Krishna Singh, Abhirami’s real name is not known, it is generally said (with in the family circles) that her name was ‘Sandhya’- derived from ‘Syndhya’, the title of a sect of Rajput royals. He said that this girl (let us call her Sandhya) was a princess, born in Ayodhya. It is said that the child had some problems with her horoscope and the royal pundit told her father to send her for 14 years pilgrimage. It is said that one of her brothers (for her protection), some of her close relatives and attendants accompanied her.

Sandhya reached Suchindram. During that period, Thiruvithamkodu was the capital of Travancore. The king, Rama Varma on a routine visit to the temple heard Sandhya singing a bhajan and fell in love with her. He married her and promised that her sons will be the next rulers. The relatives and attendants who came with her settled in ‘Madhava layam’, near Nagercoil. ‘Layam’ means stable- Rajputs were master horse riders, they had horses with them, and so the place got that name. He said that before that also there were Rajput settlements in Travancore, so the people had no problem in finding new partners here (of their own caste).

The conflict between Marthanda Varma and Thampi’s is famous, I am not going to it, but according to Ramayyan’s plans, Marthanda Varma imprisoned Sandhya and her daughter Ummini Thanka in a palace. Sandhya died and daughter had to guard her dead body for five days. It is said that unknowingly at the same time Marthanda Varma came there with all preparations to marry Ummini Thanka. On seeing the ‘thalam’ she lost her control and kicked it, she then committed suicide, pulling out her tongue. She also cursed that Travancore family will always be short of women. According to Krishna Singh that is the reason why, there are so many adoptions in the family. After conducting pujas, both mother and daughter were installed in a temple. It is said that the plot to marry Ummini Thanka was Marthanda Varma’s idea to calm down her brothers, Pappu (Padmanabhan) Thampi and Raman Thampi.

The relatives of Sandhya did not revolt against Marthanda Varma, so they were spared and brought to Trivandrum when the capital was shifted. For many years, the members of the family served as ‘Palliyara kaval’, and some in Travancore cavalry force.

Krishna Singh said that an old document of his ancestral property at Alappuzha mentions that his ancestors came from Ayodhya. He demands that his family has descendant from the royal Rajput clan, and still they have customs and rituals similar to their North Indian ancestors.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
30-03-2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - X

2009-01-14T02:44:00.000-08:00

A NIGHT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

I loved power-cuts, right from the time when I was a small boy. During those days, I would wait for the current supply to go, so that I could play with candle. Now it seems odd that I used to burn pencil lead and small bits of paper torn from my notebook in the candle fire, of course, without the knowledge of my mother. At some point, I used molten wax that fell from the candle to make small figures. All this was done in the study time.

With the coming of inverter and later generator, all these interesting ‘extracurricular’ activities ended. Moreover, from time to time the government decisions would put an end to power cuts.

The good news is that for the past few months the government has imposed a half hour power cut and nowadays we do not use inverter and generator. The good old days are back, in the form of a large candle. Once a teacher told us that power cut times were the times when the members of her family came together, sat around a table and used to share their thoughts and experiences.

When I was a small boy, I visited my uncle’s tharavad, Pazhavoorkonathu Veedu, in a place called Channapetta, in Anchal, which is in Kollam district. It was a new experience living there as the old house was situated on top of a hill, far away from the busy and noisy city. There were small granite steps leading to the house. The house was surrounded by rubber plantations (rubber trees were first introduced at the time of Visakam Tirunal, during 1880s, the very first tree that came to Travancore can still be seen in the gardens of Napier museum.) and nearby there was a small thekkath, which housed the family deity. There was a large ‘chempakam’ in front of the thekkath, with its numerous branches, without leaves, looked like the claws of a Yakshi guarding the thekkath. The tree was considered as the abode of ‘Yakshi Amma’, a minor deity.

The thekkath - a sketch from memory by the author (2006).

The thekkath and the 'yakshi chempakam' infront of it - Photograph taken by the author (2011).

The interesting thing was that the entire region had no electric connection until a few years back. When I first went there, the only modern gadget I found there was a tape-recorder, which worked on battery. We children, in the evening, used to gather around that tape-recorder which was given a ‘respectable’ position, in the verandah around the courtyard. There life seemed to move in a much slower pace, everyone had lot of time to spare, during that night we gathered around grandmother (daughter of Edavankadan Padmanabhan Achari) who told us many stories of the families ancestors and about the treasure which was believed to be buried somewhere behind the house by the native kuravar tribals. Like us, the children who gathered around her to hear the stories, there were thousands of fireflies around us, who seemed to have come to hear the stories.

Years passed and on my visit to the house in 2005, for some function connected with the family temple, I found that they had electric connection and life seemed to have a faster pace than before. Change is inevitable, maybe after a few years the entire region will be affected by the urban sprawl and will lose its identity, but that single night I stayed there, as a small boy, without electricity will be in my heart forever, without any change.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
14-01-2009.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY -IX

2009-01-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

ARUMANA AMMA VEEDU

Last year I had an opportunity to visit Arumana Amma Veedu, in Arumana of Kanyakumari District (Vellalamcodu Desam). The Amma Veedu’s of erstwhile Travancore state are famous as the houses of the wife’s of king’s of Travancore. Most of these houses had humble origins; they later gained nobility by the marriages with the royal families. The royal consorts were given the title ‘Panapilla Ammachimar’. If a woman from outside the Ammaveedu's were to be married to the Rajah, she would be adopted to one of the Ammaveedu first and then wed to the king. This was the case in the marriage of Maharajah Swathi Tirunal, Maharajah Aayilyam Thirunal and Maharajah Sree Moolam Thirunal.

The male members of these families were called ‘Thampi’ and women were called ‘Thankachi’ and ‘Kochamma’. The very term Thampi and Thankachi meant, in Tamil language, brother and sister respectively, which indicated the position of the Thampi families as relatives of the Royal House of Travancore. However, as the Travancore royal family strictly followed matriarchal succession, the offspring’s of the Thankachi’s of these families never had the fortune to sit on royal throne.

Main facade of Arumana Amma Veedu - Photograph taken by the author.

Arumana Amma Veedu of Vellalamcodu Desam, which came under the jurisdiction of the maharaja of Travancore, plays an important role in the history of the state. The Thankachi’s of this family were the consort of many kings, starting from Dharmaraja (ME 933-973), Balarama Varma (ME 973-986) and Visakam Tirunal Rama Varma (ME1055-1060). There is an interesting story behind the shifting of the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram, during the time of Dharmaraja. Dharmaraja married four times, his first wife was a Thankachi named ‘Vadasseri Kali Amma Nagamani Amma’ of Vadasseri Amma Veedu. Later he also married from Arumana, Thiruvattar and Nagercoil Amma Veedu. The story goes that the king made four separate mansions for his ‘Ammachi’s’ in Thiruvananthapuram and shifted them to the new houses. According to historian Ellamkulam, though the capital was at Padmanabhapuram, the king spend majority of his time in Thiruvananthapuram attending to his duties as the ruler (Prof. Ellamkulam Kunjan Pillai - Thiruvananthapuram Rajadhaniyakunnathinumunpu). This might be the main reason behind bringing the Ammachis to Thiruvananthapuram. Not very long after this, the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram.

Later when Travancore revolted against the British rule, under the leadership of Velu Thampi, there was a noble lady from this house to help him. It is said that Velu Thampi, during his revolt when he was in hiding, secured Palace secrets and confidential information with the help of an Arumana Amma, a noblewoman of the Arumana Amma Veedu who was the wife of the then Maharaja Bala Rama Varma.

Arumana Amma Veedu has passed hands from the original owners and is now owned by the distant relatives of the former owners. The old house, probably built during the reign of Visakam Tirunal has large rooms with high ceiling, a courtyard and separate kitchen connected to the house by a corridor. However, when I recently visited Kizhakkemadhom Pratap, who is a descendant of Visakam Tirunal, he told me that the original tharavad of the family was a great ‘Ettu Kettu’, built in pure traditional style. Later it was demolished and the present building was built during Visakam Tirunal. It is said that as a prince, Visakam Tirunal spend most of his time in Arumana. Nearby there are the remains of a very old nalukettu, which unlike the new house, which had many evident European features, were made in pure traditional style using timbre. This old house was the Madhom used by the ‘pottys’ (priests) of the family. There is a story that Marthanda Varma murdered the last potty brothers who lived there, for their involvement in the conspiracy against him. Later their mortal remains were found inside a secret tunnel, which connected the temple and the Madhom. The house has a small Kavu and some idols of ‘Nagas’ are worshipped there.

The old nalukettu- Photograph taken by the author.

Sarppakavu- Photograph taken by the author.

The owners took away many of the old furniture used in the house, however the house still has a wooden bed used by the Maharaja Visakam Thirunal when he visited his beloved wife.

The old cot - Photograph taken by the author.

After visiting the house, we went to a nearby Kaelaeshwaram Shiva temple, on the banks of Arumana River. According to the locals this temple and the steep flight of steps, which led to the river, was the favourite ‘hang out’ of the Maharaja Visakam Tirunal. Every time the king visited his wife Lekshmi Pilla Kochamma, he came to this spot and used to sit there for a long time.

Kelaeshwaram Shiva temple and the steps leading to the river- Photograph taken by the author
.

Visakam Thirunal's favourite hangout- Photograph taken by the author.

Visakam Thirunal was a scholar, well known in Europe, for his articles in the major publications of the time. The king himself had good knowledge in astrology. It is said that he knew that he would die after being king for five years, so his proclamation started something like this, “Visakam Thirunal Rama Varma who will rule for five years…”He knew that he would not live for long, and true to his words, he passed away after being king for five years- 1880-1885.

Interestingly he was also very independent and courageous right from the beginning. In 1859 when he was only 22 years old he defied his uncle and married the woman he loved, Lekshmi Pilla of Arumana Amma Veedu. His uncle Uthram Thirunal wanted him to marry his daughter from Thiruvattar Ammaveedu. However, Visakam Thirunal refused and married Panapillai Lekshmi Pillai Kochamma of Arumana Ammaveedu on his own choice. She was also a very intelligent woman. The records of the Church of England Mission state that in 1865 she was the first lady to start English education in the royal house. She also learnt drawing etc.

Visakam Thirunal Maharaja (Picture Courtesy - Mr. Kurian (Statue, Thiruvananthapuram) and his wife (Picture courtesy - Wikipedia).

It is interesting that it was Sree Narayanan Thampi, son of Visakam Tirunal was the one who laid the foundation for vehicular transportation in Travancore. In 1910, he registered a company named ‘Commercial Transport Corporation’, with bus services from Trivandrum to Nagercoil and Trivandrum - Kollam routes at about 25 miles per hour.

Later many prominent members of the royal family had married from this family. The old Arumana Amma Veedu in Thiruvananthapuram is a stately mansion, which still stands holding its head high, among the other Ammaveedus that line both sides of the aarattu road.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY -VIII

2008-11-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

VENKIDA NARAYANAN ACHARI

It is no wonder that Jawaharlal Nehru fell in love with the long slender and powerful snake-boats -‘Chundan Vallam’ of Alappuzha.

In the year 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin. The story goes that on Nehru’s way to Alappuzha from Kottayam the people of Alappuzha, escorted by the huge snake-boats, gave him a roaring reception. Having gone through the tremendous excitement of sailing in a snake-boat popularly known as Chundan, Jawaharlal Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner.

The trophy is a replica of a snake boat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first prime minister of India are inscribed above his signature."To the winner of the boat-race, which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore-Cochin". This was later named, 'Nehru Trophy'. Nehru’s visit and love for the boats proved to be a blessing for them, as later the boat race became Alappuzha’s major event.

Aaranmula boat race - Image from Wikipedia.

The above things are well known to us, but have anyone done study on the evolution of the design of the slender boats, which can travel at a tremendous speed? However, it is interesting to know that a master craftsman Kodipunna Venkida Narayanan Achari did the very first design of the ‘Chundan Vallam’ in 1614. His name is still remembered by the people of Alappuzha. I came to know about the Venkida family from my uncle Edavankadu Neelakandan Asari, whose late wife Bhanumati was the daughter of Venkida Neelakandan Achari.

The Achari’s of the family were the vassals of the Raja of Chempakasherri, the only Brahmin king of Kerala. They were specialized in the construction of boats. In those days, boats were the major means of transportation. They were also used in battles on the backwaters of Kuttanad. The story says that the Raja of Chempakasherri once lost a battle with his enemy, the Raja of Kayamkulam. It soon dawned on the Chempakasherri Raja that the real defect was with his war boats, which were slow and cumbersome.

Venkida Narayanan Achari in Chempakasherri Raja's court - sketch by the author.

He summoned all the boat architects in the land to his court and told them of his desire to have better and faster boats for the troops. After days of hard labour, a man who was reputed to be the best boat architect in Chempakasherri, Kodipunna Venkida Narayanan Achari, came up with a specimen, which satisfied the Raja’s requirements (1614). He made a miniature model of boat made of coconut husk and coir ropes and explained to the Raja about its advantages as follows. Both the Stern and the Nose were proportionally higher than the middle part of the boat. So those who stand at the stern could see long distances from its elevated position, which helps them to change the course of the boat or boost extra leverage with a few strokes of the sculls, which is equivalent to ten oars.

Four people could be placed in the stern position for inflicting massive power surge of 40 oars at a time. There was a provision to seat eight scullers at nose to maneuver the boat easily as this part is above the water. 64 oarsmen could be seated in the middle of the boat, as they were capable of delivering a massive power surge for this lean boat that is 26.25 meters long and 80 cm wide at the center part. Arms could be stored underneath the ‘Vedippadi’ were the elite warriors used to stand waiting for their ambush. Should there arise a need for an extra boost for the oarsmen, or a sudden change in the course of the boat, the scullers at the stern strike a few massive strokes with their mighty sculls and the boat dashes like a bolt of lightning through the water with immaculate speed.

The king was flabbergasted with this design and ordered to make it immediately- which eventually led to his victory over the ruler of Kayamkulam. This was the first ‘Chundan’ boat build and over the years, there have been modifications to improvise the exclusivity. As the rule of the monarchy ended, the elite war ships become recreational objects. Thus, the craftsmen of Venkida family became the official Achari of the Raja’s boats.

One story says that the defeated Raja of Kayamkulam heard of the moothassari who made these boats and ordered his servants to make arrangements to take the Achari to Kayamkulam. The Achari was taken to Kayamkulam and was forced to make boats for the Kayamkulam Raja.

The Raja of Chempakasherri came to know that his Achari had made boats for his enemy too. The Raja ordered his servants to kill the Achari, who was now a traitor in the Raja’s eyes. However, insisted that he has done no harm to his Raja. He told that while the boats he made for Chempakasherri went forward when rowed, the boats he made for the Kayamkulam Raja would go backward and thus they will not be able to catch up with the Chempakasherri Raja’s boats. Actually, the Achari had played a trick on Kayamkulam Raja who had under estimated his dedication to the Raja and to his country. Chempakasherri Raja was happy with the Achari’s cleverness and dedication and gave him many presents.

I got another version of the story from internet;

“…The story goes on to tell how the defeated Kayamkulam Raja sent a spy to Chempakasherri to learn the secret of the new war boat. The spy, a handsome youth, succeeded in seducing Achari’s daughter. The girl’s mother was overjoyed by the prospect of getting him as her daughter’s bridegroom and persuaded her husband to teach him the construction of the boat. Needless to say, the deceitful youth disappeared the moment he thought that he had learnt the secret. Chempakasherri Raja imprisoned Achari for treason. However, he was released and showered with many honours when the snake boats built by the Kayamkulam Raja proved to be no match for the war boats of Chempakasherri in the next battle. The subtleties of the snake boat’s design are hard to pickup and even today it requires years of apprenticeship under a master boat architect before one could independently undertake the construction of this ancient boat.”

Venkida house in Kodipunna is still a prominent family of the area. They have a family temple; Veerabadran and Badrakali are worshiped as their family deities.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
30-11-2008.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - VII

2008-11-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

A WALK THROUGH HISTORY

Chalai - in early morning - Photograph taken by the author.

You would have walked past the busy streets of Chalai a hundred times; a road leading from the East Fort gate to Killipalam, with shops on both sides of the road forms the major part of the bazaar. On the street side, you can see street vendors selling all types of household articles, vegetables and fruits. Narrow side lanes with old buildings on both sides give the bazaar a heritage look. Chalai bazaar situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram is a bustling trade center since its origin. “Raja” Kesava Das, the Dewan of Travancore during the closing years of 18th century established the crowded old “Bazaar”, the Chalai Street with its various bye-lanes and market areas.

Dharma Raja and his trusted Diwan Raja Keshava Das

During the reign of Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (1758-1798 AD), Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore, but the king preferred to live in the palace complex built near the renovated Padmanabha Swamy temple and thus gradually the capital shifted from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram. In order to make Travancore a ‘dharmarajyam'-model capital, the then Dewan Raja Kesava Das started many projects. He developed the blue print for the chalai bazaar for the supply of utilities for the residents of Travancore.

The main road leading from the Eastern Fort gate to Karamana was repaired and widened and bazaars and shops were built on both sides of the road. He had bridges built over the rivers Killi and Karamana; the latter being opened only in AD 1853.It was through these rivers the goods were brought to the chalai bazaar. Ward & Connor (1820) recorded that the bridge over the Karamana river was of stone,” 120 feet long”, and that across the Killi, of wood. The records show that even a century back, the streets were considered overcrowded, requiring restrictions on traffic. It is also recorded that avenue trees were planted on both sides of roads – now alas! Treeless.

Karamana bridge opening in Illustrated London News, Aug 5, 1854.

Cultural impact.

Muslim and Tamil Brahmin traders were encouraged to establish commercial establishments for wholesale dealership of goods coming from Tamil districts. Other establishments encouraged in the locality were for gold jewelry. A good number of weavers, dyers, painters etc were brought from Tirunelveli and Madura and were made to settle at Kottar, which was thus made the center of cloth trade. Many opulent merchants very soon sprang up and even now the ‘Kottar Chetties’ are proverbial for their wealth and industry.

Main settlers of chalai include Tamilians-Pilla Chettier communities, stonemasons and gold smiths from Vishakapattanam, Muslim traders and Nadar traders. All these communities had their own temples and other worship places. Thus, these settlers influenced the traditional culture in Travancore. Even there were linguistic influences and impacts. Thus, due to the establishment of the bazaar a varied and diverse culture slowly took roots in Travancore.

Chalai bazar, photograph taken on 1880 - From the collections of Uthradam thirunal Marthanda Varma.

Commotions.

In 1908, there was a civic commotion in the area when the police beat up a cart-man bringing goods into bazaar. Many shops were set on fire. This actually changed the architectural character of the bazaar. It is assumed that the constructions other than wood came up during this phase. In 1916, one Vembu Iyer beat up a Muslim, leading to a commotion. The then king sided with the Brahmins and the Muslims non-co-operated. The bazaar was the scene of communal tension again in 1986.

I have heard an interesting story about Sir C.P’s proposal to widen the streets of the chalai bazaar from grandfather, not so sure, whether the story is authentic or not. It is said that when Travancore treasury faced a breakdown maharaja Chithira Tirunal sought the help of his Dewan Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer. The clever dewan had an idea, he told the merchants of Chalai that the government is going to widen the streets of Chalai bazaar and that they should co-operate with the government. It is said that the next day the wealthy merchants went to ‘Bhakti Vilas’- Dewan’s residence with money, to bribe him to change his decision. As per the plan, the clever dewan accepted money and assured that their shops will be safe. The money he got from the merchants was enough to fill the royal coffers, and perhaps the Dewan’s purse too.

Note: I would like to thank Linta, my class mate who helped me in writing this article.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - VI

2008-11-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

HANUMAN PANDARAM

“If you don’t get inside, that Pandaram will catch you”- you must have heard this warning a hundred times. I too have heard this as a small boy, but was fortunate enough to be born in a generation when this Pandaram no more exist.

Hanuman Pandaram - Sketch by the author.

‘Pandaram’- commonly known as ‘Hanuman Pandaram’ used to visit the houses of Trivandrum until late 1950’s.

My relative T.K. Hari still remember a lean middle-aged man wearing a black coat, with two large cloth bags on his both shoulders walking through the streets of Pettah. He used to wear a large copper plate around his neck, which he used to make sound by striking with a stick. The very sound of the copper plate was enough to scare the wits out of small children; they will be hiding behind their mother’s back at that time.

Pandaram wears a wooden mask- painted red or green, with large protruding eyes and sharp tooth. The lower jaw of the mask was movable, sufficient to scare children. Sometimes he will be invited to the houses to scare naughty children. He scares them and warns them that if they do not do their duties properly, he will take them with him in his large bags. After all this drama, with the poor child crying in their mother’s arms, the Pandaram receives some money from the father of the child.

Photograph: from the private collection of K. Hari. Photographer P. Nadaeshan Achari of Pinarammoodu Veedu, Pettah took this photograph of Hanuman Pandaram in 1950’s.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - V

2008-10-26T02:22:00.000-07:00

THE KING'S CRAFTSMEN

I have mentioned about one of my ancestor-N. Padmanabhan Achari in one of my previous blogs. Padmanabhan Achari’s father and grandfather were also gifted craftsmen who played an important role in promoting ivory carving in Travancore.

Kochu Kunju Achari a.k.a. Ananthapadmanabhan Achari

The first known ancestor of the family who clearly appears in Travancore history is Kochu Kunju Achari, better known as Anantha Padmanabhan Achari. Kochu Kunju Achari was born in Navaikulam in early 1800s; details about his parents are not known. When he grew up he became a well-known craftsman. He became a master ivory carver and later played an important role in introducing ivory carving in Travancore. Not many details are known of his personal life except that he married from Vakkom and had two sons- Neelakandan Achari and Keshavan Achari.

Kochu Kunju Achari and his son Neelakandan Achari - Pictures from the private collection of K. Hari.

During Maharaja Swathi Thirunal’s reign (1829-1847), Kochu Kunju Achari was invited to the capital city by the Dewan to make a golden chariot for the king. Kochu Kunju along with his son Neelakandan Achari, Pandaram vaka Achari of Manacaud Putten Veedu and other craftsmen made the richly gilt and splendid car for the king in 1842, under the supervision of Veeraswamy Naidu. The design was influenced by the description of Arjuna’s chariot in Mahabharata. Even European engineers have expressed their surprise at the native workmanship displayed in its execution.

Swathi Thirunal and his brother Uthram Thirunal.

Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma seated in the golden chariot.

During the reign of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1847-1860), Kochu Kunju Achari and his son Neelakandan Achari made an ivory throne for the London Exhibition of 1851, which was held at the great crystal palace.

The great crystal palace.

In AD 1849, the Madras government informed the Maharajah, HH Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, of the conducting of a great exhibition in London and requested His Highness’s government to make suitable contributions. The Maharajah, ordered a committee to be formed for this for which Maj.Gen Cullen, the Resident, Dr.Paterson, the Durbar Physician, Mr.Kohlhoff, a judge of appeal court, and Ramen Menon, the Dewan Peishcar, were the members. P.Shangoonny Menon was the secretary to the committee.An ivory state chair in the shape of a throne, reflecting the craftsmanship of the Travancore artisans, was already under construction for the Maharajah’s use and at this juncture it was thought a fit present to be sent for the Great Exhibition. The Maharajah also desired that once the exhibition was over, the throne be accepted by the Queen Victoria as a token of HH’s regards and esteem. This was fully appreciated by the Resident, Major General Cullen and the Madras Government. Accordingly, the beautiful throne along with many carvings reflecting the Travancore workmanship was sent to England.

The following description of the chair appeared in an issue of the Scientific American:-

“Among the priceless treasures comprising the Jubilee presents of Queen Victoria, which have been sent to America by King Edward of England for exhibition at the world’s fair is a wonderful ivory chair and foot-stool. These were presented to the late Queen by the Maharajah of Travancore. The carving on the chair and foot – stool is a revelation of possibilities of art. The feet are in the form of lions’ paws, and the arms terminate in lions’ heads. The back is in the form of a shell, supported by elephants rampant. The seat is of alabaster, and the chair has a gold and silver tissue draper around the underside of the frame, finished with tassels and richly chased ormolu ornaments. The cushions are of green velvet embroidered in gold and silver thread. Every outside path of the chair is covered with delicately carved figures of men and animals.” (from P. Shangunni Menon's 'History of Travancore)

Kochu Kunju Achari and his son Neelakandan Achari played an important role for the development of Travancore School of Arts and ivory carving in Travancore. Kochu Kunju Achari settled in Petta, it was his eldest son Neelakandan Achari who established the famous Pinarammoodu family in Petta. For his services he was given the title 'Ananthapadmanabhan Achari'. Kochu Kunju Achari died in 1870’s.

Ananthapadmanabhan Achari and the Golden Chariot

One interesting story about Anantha Padmanabhan Achari is that after making the chariot in wood he was covering it with gold foil stickers brought from England. He opened the stickers using his teeth, one of the palace officials who happened to see this complained that Achari was eating the maharaja’s gold. It is said that the king went in disguise to see Kochu Kunju Achari’s workspace and watched him, realizing that he had misunderstood his master craftsman, called the officer and ordered him to give Kochu Kunju a tumbler of hot milk whenever he eats gold saying that otherwise gold will not digest easily.

Neelakandan Achari

Neelakandan Asari born in 1830’s in Chirayinkil was the eldest son of Kochu Kunju Achari, he had a younger brother named Keshavan Achari; details about Keshavan are not known. Neelakandan Achari and Keshavan Achari may have been trained by their father; later Neelakandan assisted his father in many of his major works. Neelakandan Achari settled in Petta. While staying there he taught drawing to Chattambi Swamy Thiruvadikal (1853-1924). Neelakandan Achari was a friend of the famed artist Raja Ravi Varma.

Neelakandan Achari was employed in Travancore School of Arts. Details about his wife are not known, the couple had five children. His eldest son Thanuvan Achari established Thazhasherri Veedu in Petta and his three younger sons Keshavan Achari, Padmanabhan Achari and Ramakrishnan Achari lived in Pinarammoodu Veedu. Neelakandan Achari had a daughter named Lekshmi Ammal who was good in carving; she was married to a member of Vayalil Veedu family. Neelakandan Achari died in 1907.

Newspaper report of Neelakandan Achari’s death - MALAYALA MANORAMA,1907 March 21.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - IV

2008-10-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS FROM VAIDYAN FAMILY

On my previous blog about Vaidyan C. Luke, I mentioned about the prized possessions of the family. Mr. Kurian who is my father’s friend was happy to show me those family precious heirlooms. I managed to take photographs of some of them.

An antique portrait of Visakam Tirunal Rama Varma by an unknown artist greets us when we enter the house. Silverfish damaged the lower side of the portrait many years back. The damaged portions were removed and Kurian’s father Alexander Koshy framed the portrait.

On its right side is a large framed photograph of C.Luke (which you can see in the previous blog), this picture is actually enlarged from an old family photo (see below) taken in 1880s.

The old family photo; C. Luke, his wife Mary & three children.

Photograph of Luke's wife Mary (c. 1930). Mary hailed from a wealthy family,they had many shops in Chalai Bazar.

L.C. Koshy with his wife Elizabeth on their wedding day and L.C. Koshy in his later years.

Luke's medicine box, with small racks for carrying bottles safely and the 'chana kallu' used for making medicines.

This circular stone block is an old clock! We can still see the markings on its surface. Now this stone is used as a step! The next piece is the map of Travancore, carved in wood.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - III

2008-10-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

PADMANABHAN ACHARI AND SIR C.P’S NOSE

‘Fixes anything except broken hearts’- a good caption for an adhesive: broken hearts we can understand, but what about ‘broken nose’? Yes, I am telling about the most famous nose in the history of Travancore, though it doesn’t belong to Travancore by birth; that large dominant nose played an important role in rewriting the history of Travancore – Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer’s nose.

Everyone knows about the turbulent situation our small state faced just before getting independence. On one side we have the eminent Dewan with his American Model government and on the other, the freedom fighters. I am not getting into the history of C.P’s nose damaged by K.C.S. Mani (according to Dr. R.Keshavan who treated C.P, the Dewan’s nose was not injured as everybody believed, he had injuries only on his cheek, neck and fingers), but the nose of a bust of Sir C.P had a similar fate.

K.C.S. Mani's attack on Sir. C.P. - Sketch by the author (2003).

Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer in his later years.

At Thampanoor, there still stands a two storied building with the name ‘Sachivottama Sir C.P. Shashtiabdapoorthy Memorial Satram’ (opposite to the present transport bus station), built in 1940’s, the time when Sir C.P. was the Dewan of Travancore. Today the building is neglected; we hardly notice the structure hiding its facade behind hoardings and movie posters. But it did have a glorious past. In front of the lodge there was a small mandapam which housed a bust of the Dewan. In those days, our little capital city was one of the most progressive princely states in India. The roads were neat and less crowded and public buildings were well maintained. So the Memorial was well kept.

The bust was damaged by a group of people who gathered for a party meeting near Thampanoor. The attack was done at night and it is said that the nose of the statue was broken off. The news spread like fire and in no time reached the ears of the Dewan too. Messages were send to find out a master craftsman who could repair the statue. They didn’t had to search much, their man was just under their ‘nose’; the master craftsman who was employed in Travancore School of Arts as an ivory carver – N. Padmanabhan Achari (1881-1960)of the famous Pinarammoodu family, Pettah. Both his father and grandfather were master craftsmen who have rendered valuable services for the growth of ivory carving in Travancore. Padmanabhan Asari’s grandfather Kochu Kunju Achari was the ‘moothassari’ who made the golden chariot for Swathi Tirunal in 1842. Later, he and his son Neelakandan Achari made the ivory throne for the Great London Exhibition of 1851. Kochu Kunju Asari was given the title ‘Ananthapadmanabhan Achari’ by Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma. Padmanabhan Achari himself was a master ivory carver specialized in making sculptures.

N. Padmanabhan Achari - From the private collection of Sathya Moorthy.

Padmanabhan Achari who was in his 60’s at that time was leading a peaceful retired life in his house at Pettah. As I have said before, the period was a turbulent one with the national freedom movement gaining momentum. Clashes between freedom fighters and Travancore police commanded by the Dewan were common in all parts; Pettah was one among the most affected areas. Some of the infamous decisions of the Dewan such as the declaration for an ‘Independent Travancore’ and the installation of the ‘American Model’ government for Travancore led to wide spread discontent among the people. In Pettah police charged at a gathering conducted by Congress party. Three people were killed in firing.

When police came in search of Padmanabhan Achari, the family members panicked. They thought that the police came to question about the gruesome incidents that took place at Pettah. The present living family members still remember the horror that engulfed the house then. But in actuality, the police came to talk about repairing the bust as soon as possible. Padmanabhan had only one demand; as it was not possible to take the bust to his house, he wanted them to cover up the area around it; so that nobody can see him working. Soon, a temporary enclosure was made of thatched coconut leaves around the bust, with complete police protection. Padmanabhan Achari completed the work in a few days. He moulded the missing parts using Plaster of Paris.

Years passed by and now the building stands as the ghost of that glorious era, a silent witness to the happenings of that time. The mandapam was demolished and we don’t have any idea about the current whereabouts of the bust and nobody knows about the craftsman who repaired it.

Well I think Padmanabhan Achari wanted it like that. Owing to the violent scenario which persisted at that time, particularly in Pettah, it was better to remain anonymous.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev.
16-10-2008.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - II

2008-10-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

VAIDYAN C. LUKE

Nowadays no one notices the small street named Luke’s lane near G.P.O, even those who know the lane doesn’t bother to know how it got the name. At the end of the street there’s an iron gate and a small board with the name ‘Cookies Holiday Inn’. Once you enter, you are inside another world, with an ambience you will never hope to find in the very heart of the bustling city, here time seems to have come to a halt. On the right is an old house with tiled roof, later additions has diminished its beauty and in course of time it has lost most of its former grandeur. Once it was a fairly large ‘nalukettu’ with all traditional elements like courtyard and ‘pattayam’. On the right side of the house is a very old sapota tree (Achras sapota) said to be about 200-250 years old.

This was the house of the great Vaidyan, C.Luke (1843-1894), the eye-specialist who surpassed even European doctors with his knowledge of traditional medicines, handed down from his fore fathers. Luke’s ancestors were the members of Thayyil family of Thevalakkara. His ancestors were Brahmins who later embraced Christianity (Krishnan Nampoothiri and his wife Lekshmi Antharjanam (from Kothamangalam) of Thazhamangalathu Madam got attracted to the teachings of Christ and accepted Christianity. Thomman (Jr.), the only son of Krishnan (Thomman) and Lekshmi (Mariyam) learned Sanskrit and Medicine from Viratarajaguru and became a famous scholar and physician. During this period, Maharaja of Travancore invited Thomman (Jr.) to treat King-mother’s eye disease. Thomman succeeded in relieving the eye pain of the King-mother in first attempt itself. Pleased by this, the King gave the title ‘Vaidyan’ to Thomman and his successors). Luke’s father was a well-known figure, as Dewan T. Madhava Row in a letter to Luke says that he personally knows his father who was an able oculist.

Luke and his brother came to the capital city from Kollam during the reign of Aayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma. As the practitioners of traditional medicines they had to face many challenges as English medicine was gaining its hold in Travancore at that time. Most of the educated noble families opted for English medicines.

But the talented brothers with their sheer dedication managed to get the patronage of many noble families including the royal family. An important achievement in their career was their successful treatment of the Dewan’s son T. Ananda Row (1852-1919) in 1871 when the latter was preparing for B.A. examination. In a letter by T. Madhava Row to Luke dated 28th May 1871 the dewan expresses his gratitude to the brothers who treated his son’s eye disorder. “Two well known European members of the medical profession were successively consulted, but their treatment showed no permanent benefit…… You undertook the treatment accordingly. With apparently very simple appliances and mild treatment you were able in a very moderate time to accomplish what you had promised.” from these words of the Dewan we can get an idea of the simple treatment techniques employed by the brothers. The Dewan further expressed his gratitude by sending Luke a purse containing 150 British Rupees, suggesting him to buy a watch or books with the money.

Luke was appointed as the palace Vaidyan by Maharaja Visakam Thirunal Rama Varma and he was bestowed with a Veerasringala. Luke was employed in Maharaja’s College (University College) as a teacher of scriptures. He played an important role in establishing the Syrian Church in Statue. Luke married Mary, the couple had three children, his eldest son L.C. Koshy was also a prominent figure, he was the curator of the Museum and was also employed in Huzur Kacherri and was the supervisor in charge of the street lighting.

The Maharajas College and the St. George’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, Statue.

C. Luke who served three kings starting from Aayilyam Thirunal to Sree Moolam Thirunal died in 1894; he was buried in CSI Christ Church at Palayam. The old tombstone with the inscription ‘Government Oculist’ is still there in the church graveyard.

Luke’s grandson Alexander Koshy, who even though not a famous Vaidyan, kept alive his family traditions, treasured the knowledge handed down to him by his ancestors. Some old palm leaf documents on traditional medicine, antique furniture, photographs, portraits and the grinding stones in various sizes are preserved by the family members. A true copy of Sir.T. Madhava Row’s letter to Luke is one of their priced pocessions. Kurian, the great- grandson of C. Luke who lives there in a small house made by his father is proud to be a member of this illustrious family.

Before you step out of the gate and merge into the busy streets of the city, take a deep breath and look back, can you still see a man with his large head gear and black coat with the medicine box and people waiting to see him?

Sharat Sunder Rajeev.
12-10-2008.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - I

2008-10-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

MAHARAJA'S COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

Rani Gouri Parvathy Bai who ruled Travancore from 1814 to 1829 gave permission to a Christian Missionary to start a school in Nagarcoil; later Swathi Thirunal, her nephew who ruled from 1829 to 1847 patronized English education in Travancore. It was during the time of Uthram Thirunal 1847-1860 that English education was made common and more importance was given to girl’s education in Travancore.

Rani Gouri Parvathy Bai

During the reign of Aayilyam Thirunal (1860-1880) the University College was setup. A school for girls was started in Palayam in front of the University College. Initially it was a school for Christian girls; in 1864 it was opened for girls belonging to all religions. In 1890 the school was accredited by the Madras University and it became a second grade college. In 1895 during the reign of Sree Moolam Thirunal, the name of the college was changed to Maharaja’s College for Women. In 1897 the college which started with just three Christian students had 400 students in 1909 when a high school secondary training school was also added. In 1920 it became a first grade college and a hostel was also established in 1921. During early 1920’s the college was shifted to Thycaud.

The building in which the college now works was actually the residence of the civil surgeon of Travancore. It was built probably during the reign of Aayilyam Thirunal. The surgeon's bungalow was built on top of a small hill known as Thycaud kunnu. According to Prof. Hridayakumari, the renowned writer and the former Principal of the college, the property in which the old building now stands once belong to the family of Thycattil Kurups, who were the landlords of the area. This land was later taken over by the government of Travancore. In 1920’s when the college started functioning the last surgeon who was living there was Dr. Thaliyath.

In 1923 the Assembly Hall, the Music Department and the Mathematics Department were constructed by P.W.D, it was under the supervision of H.H. Sethu Lekshmi Bai and her Diwan D.H. Watts. Later, Watt’s sister became the Principal of the college. The semi circular Mathematics Department had a facade which was influenced by the old Egyptian architectural style. The master mind behind this was engineer Mallapalli Modayil Mani, the famed govt. engineer of Travancore. Mr. Watts was particularly interested in having a separate Music Department and had it designed like a temple.

The master minds - H.H. Sethu Lekshmi Bayi, Dewan Watts and Chief Engineer M.Mani.

Old pictures of the semicircular Mathematics Department.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

The adaptations of European style to the climatic needs and the synthesis with traditional style are best seen in the bungalow architecture. The comfort requirement in the hot humid climate prompted the European settlers to go in for buildings with large rooms, high ceiling and verandah all around. For upper floor rooms balconies were adopted as a necessary feature, originating from the Portuguese construction. The portico, the shaded spot for passage from one building to another was added.

Corridor, Womens College, Thiruvananthapuram- Photograph taken by the author.

The solid wooden shutter of doors and windows underwent change to ribbed elements –venetian blinds- permitting air circulation and privacy.

TIMELINE - HISTROY OF THE COLLEGE

1817 – Rani Gouri Parvathi Bai stated that education is necessary to ensure progress of the state as a whole.
1818 – The first English school in the state was established at Nagercoil.
1834 - Maharajah Uthradam Tirunal Marthanda Varma visited a school in Nagercoil and invited the headmaster, Mr. Roberts to start a similar school in Travancore.
1859 – A girl’s school started at Palayam.
1864 – Started as “Sircar Girls’ School”
1895 – Shifted to the building opposite to The University College and upgraded to second Grade College.
1897 – Named as “Maharaja’s Girls’ college”
1909 – Permission for starting Degree courses
1920 – Upgraded to first degree college and affiliated to Madras University.
1923 – Shifted to the present building.
1927 – Central building which houses mathematics, psychology and philosophy was constructed.
1937 – University of Travancore was founded and Women’s college was one of the first seven colleges to be affiliated to it.
1957 – University of Kerala was founded and college was affiliated to it.

PRINCIPALS

First principal was Miss. Sarah Blunt Williams. (1895-1910)
Miss D.H.Watts B.A. (1910-1928)
Miss Louise Ouwerkerk (Established Economics Dept.)
First Indian principal: Miss Anna Nidhin.

Note: I thank Meenu, my classmate during B.Arch who helped in collecting and compiling the history of the College as part of our documentation project.

For more information about the Thycattil Kurups:

http://rakbhima.blogspot.com/2009/02/kayamkulam-war-kurups-lane.html