TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 164

Rediscovering the Lost Gateway of the Travancore Fort Palace

The entrance gate leading to the Palace of his Highness the Maharajah of Travancore,1868
Albumen print | 17.6 x 24.5 cm (image) | Royal Collection Trust: RCIN 2701522.

            

This photograph, depicting a ceremonial entrance to the Travancore Maharajah’s palace, sparked considerable discussion and debate when it was first made available by the Royal Collection Trust on their website. Dated 1868, it relates to the visit of Lord Napier, the then Governor of Madras, and Lady Napier to the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin. The image forms part of a set of photographs documenting the gubernatorial visit. Interestingly, this photograph is preserved in an album presented to Queen Victoria by Lady Napier following the tour.

The initial debate among local historians centred on the identification of the location depicted in the photograph. I strongly maintained that the image showed an arch that once stood on the southern side of the Valiyakottaram (Fort Palace) complex, adjacent to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Others, however, associated it with the Thevalli Palace in Kollam. Subsequent research, along with the emergence of previously unseen photographs of the fort area from the 1870s, has now put the matter to rest. We can confidently state that the photograph depicts the arch entrance to the Maharajah’s Fort Palace.

What remains puzzling, however, is that this arch — with its unapologetic Neo-Baroque attributes — is nowhere to be found in the fort area today. Considering that the Neo-Baroque style was in vogue from the mid-19th to the early 20th century, and given the 1868 date of the photograph, it is reasonable to suggest that the gateway was constructed in the early 1860s, during the reign of Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1860-1880).

The 1868 photograph also reveals a fence lined with a few shrubs, beyond which stands a two-storeyed building — identifiable as the southern wing of the Levee Hall (the old audience hall), which still survives with minor alterations. The vacant plot with vegetation seen in the photograph later became the site where Maharajah Mulam Tirunal Rama Varma, a nephew of Ayilyam Tirunal, constructed the Krishna Vilasam Palace. This image therefore clearly indicates that the Krishna Vilasam Palace, on the southern side of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, was built at a later date, most likely after Mulam Tirunal ascended the throne in 1885.

Krishna Vilasam palace, c.1900. Photographed by D'Cruz, the Govt. Photographer.
British Library collection.

Photograph showing the two-storeyed southern wing of the Levee Hall and the
northern portion of Krishna Vilasam, which now occupies the vacant plot seen in the 1868 photograph.

The archway that replaced this rather flamboyant Neo-Baroque structure is, unfortunately, a plain Neo-Classical gateway, characterised by a pronounced cornice and a pedimented crown. It was most likely commissioned by Mulam Tirunal and reflects the comparatively restrained artistic sensibilities of the ruler.

The Neo-Classical gateway that replaced the one seen in the 1868 photograph. Photographed by Sailal. S, 2014.

Note: The Neo-Baroque arch features in the backdrop of an early painting by Ravi Varma. The painting will appear in my forthcoming book The Forgotten Atelier.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 159

 The Travancore Photograph That Wasn’t the First

Travancore history enthusiasts and scholars of the history of photography would be familiar with this image of Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1860-1880) of Travancore with his consort, Panapillai Kalyanikutty Ammachi of Nagercoil Ammaveedu (d.1909), a poet and renowned beauty of her time. The photograph is frequently circulated on social media with an absurd caption that typically reads along the following lines: “The first photo captured in Kerala in 1865 features Maharaja Ayilyam Tirunal of Travancore and his wife, Kalyanikutty Ammachi. In exchange for this historic picture, he rewarded the photographer with 2,001 gold coins, 500 quintals of black pepper, 100 quintals of cardamom, and 100 quintals of dried ginger!”

The comments section is often flooded not only with unkind remarks focusing on the erstwhile ruler’s physique and his supposedly ‘common man’ appearance, but also with responses from individuals who, unfortunately, accept without fact-checking the claim that such an extravagant payment was made to the photographer in cash and in kind.

As someone who has researched the history of photography in the Travancore court, I can state with confidence that this is certainly not the first photograph from Kerala. Nor does it stand any chance of being the first photograph taken of a member of the Travancore royal family. The distinction of being the first Travancore ruler to be photographed belongs to Ayilyam Tirunal’s uncle, Rajah Uthram Tirunal Martanda Varma (r.1847-1860), the younger brother of Rajah Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma.

Although it is not known with certainty who photographed the king, a record dated 1037 M.E. (1862) notes the sum of Rs. 440 issued by Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal for the purchase of twelve photographs, among which was included a photograph of his late uncle, Uthram Tirunal. On another occasion in the same year (1037 M.E.), the Maharajah paid Rs. 310 to Arbuthnot & Co. for a photograph taken of him during a visit to ‘Chennapattanam’. Therefore, before accepting the misinformation circulating on social media, I hope readers will take note of these documented facts.

For further insights into the early history of photography at the Travancore court, including rare photographs of Rajah Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma and early Government Photographers such as Zacharias D’Cruz and J. B. D’Cruz, look out for my forthcoming book, The Forgotten Atelier.

25.02.2026