THE JHAROKHAS OF TRAVANCORE -
THE CASE OF PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE COMPLEX
Window of the palace at Pulpanabhaporum from
which the Ranees view the processions, albumin print, 1868, Royal Collection
Trust
The ‘jharokha,’
the Indian equivalent of the ‘oriel window,' has been identified as a
significant medieval architectural element ever since Islamic architectural
trends amalgamated with the indigenous. Jharokhas were often placed on the
façade of palatial structures, overlooking a street or an important open space.
While the women in the cloistered harems of the palaces and havelis framed
their gaze to the other side of the world through jharokhas, the same was
associated with the kingly ritual—the jharokha darshan—when the architectural
setup served as the point from which the ruler addressed the public audience.
The Mughal courtly custom of the emperor appearing before the subjects at the
jharokha made it popular amongst their feudatories. It is perhaps due to the
infiltration of Mughal courtly customs into south Indian provincial courts that
the jharokha also got assimilated into the regional architectural vocabulary.
In Travancore, the oldest specimen of a jharokha can
be found in the sprawling Padmanabhapuram complex in Kanyakumari District,
Tamil Nadu. The ambari mukhappu
overlooking the processional street on the northern side of the palace complex
is an exquisitely carved bay window, fashioned like an ambari or howdah, with
five openings supported by rampant vyali
(mythical beast) figures on the outside and crowned with a conical roof. The
window inspired the European architect R.F. Chisholm, who incorporated four
replicas of the same in the Napier Museum in Thiruvananthapuram, designed by
him. A champion of the Indo-Saracenic architectural style, Chisholm would have
found the ambari mukhappu a ready ingredient for his masterpiece work in
Travancore.
Watercolour sketch showing the northern street
and the ambari mukhappu, by R.F. Chisholm, RIBA Library Drawings and Archives
Collection
The jharokha window at Napier Museum,
Thiruvananthapuram
A view of the forecourt at Padmanabhapuram, the jharokha atop the entrance gateway is seen on the right
That said, let us now look at a less discussed
jharokha at the Padmanabhapuram palace complex. This window is strategically
placed atop the grand doorway, overlooking the large forecourt in front of the
palace, and connected to the other wings through secured corridors. During the
eighteenth century, the forecourt would have been a happening place when the
capital of Travancore was still based in Padmanabhapuram. The view from this
elevated space makes one appreciate the ingenuity of the architects of yore who
designed such a space from which the sentries could keep an eye on the
activities both in the large quadrangle and also in the smaller yard in front
of the poomukhamalika (entrance
hall). On special occasions like navaratri,
the kilivāthil (small windows)
opening to the front quadrangle enabled the royal ladies to witness the
celebrations and activities, seated comfortably, away from the teeming crowds
below. Various recreational activities, like animal combats and wrestling, staged
in the front quadrangle were witnessed by the king and his officials from the
same bay window.
The jharokha window, Padmanabhapuram, a closer
view.
(More on the other jharokhas in Thiruvananthapuram
later).
Sharat Sunder Rajeev
15.08.2023
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