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 – 145

Unveiling Misattribution: The True Identity of the Subjects in the Kuthiramālika Palace Double Portrait

The misattribution of old portraits can often be traced back to a lack of detailed records or documentation surrounding the identities of the sitters and the artists who painted them. In many cases, these portraits have been passed down through generations or displayed in collections with little to no supporting information, leading to confusion about their true subjects.

A significant example of this issue is the double portrait in the Kuthiramālika Palace collection (Fort Palace complex, Thiruvananthapuram), which has been mistakenly identified as depicting Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore, and his younger brother Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma. For years, this portrait was associated with the royal family of Travancore due to their prominence and the likeness to known portraits of the two brothers. However, further research has revealed that the artwork, by F.C. Lewis, a European itinerant painter, actually depicts Sri Padmanabhan Tampi and Sri Nilakantan Tampi, sons of Maharajah Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma, from Nagercoil Ammaveedu.

Colonel Heber Drury, a famed botanist and a British army officer stationed in Travancore, provides a valuable glimpse into the private life of the Maharajah in his book ‘Reminiscences of Life and Sport in Southern India,’ where he describes his meeting with the Maharajah and his children. Drury, like many Europeans of the time, mistakenly identifies the children of the Maharajah—who are simply ‘Tampis’, ‘Tankachis’, or ‘Kochammas’—as ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’. He writes, “A messenger was forthwith despatched [by the Maharajah] to the nursery to ask mamma [Nagercoil Ammachi, consort of Maharajah Uthram Tirunal Marthanda Varma] to let the little ones come down, and in a few moments the small fry made their appearance. I may say without exaggeration that I seldom met a more interesting-looking youth than the eldest boy, a lad of about ten years old. He is very fair, with an intelligent countenance. He seemed so good and amiable, and talked English exceedingly well. He was dressed in a scarlet frock, embroidered with gold lace, on his head was a brocaded cap, beneath which his jet-black hair made a striking and beautiful contrast with his charming features. The next was a boy about four or five years younger, and the third, a little girl, in whom papa [the Maharajah] seemed to take especial interest and pride.”

The successful identification of the subjects in the portrait can be traced back to the careful examination of another painting (in the same collection) by F.C. Lewis—his large canvas depicting the reception of Queen Victoria’s presents by Maharajah Uthram Tirunal (more on this later). In this grand work, the sons of Maharajah Marthanda Varma, namely Sri Padmanabhan Tampi and Sri Nilakantan Tampi, are prominently featured, alongside the royals and other distinguished courtiers.

The proper identification of the sons of Maharajah Marthanda Varma, after all these years, not only gives a face to figures who were prominent in the social and political circles of their time but also restores their rightful place in historical narratives.

10.02.2025

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 144

  ENGLISH SUBBA RAO AND SATRAM SCHOOL

Dewan Subba Rao

The Govt. Fort U.P. School, Manacaud, popular among the locals as 'Satram School', is a grand heritage edifice located on the eastern end of the Ramavarmapuram Gramom (Sreevaraham). Despite being a popular landmark, the locals are hardly aware of its history. They maintain that the expansive two-story building was formerly a Satram, and it's where young T. Madhava Rao was first lodged when he came to Travancore in 1849 as 'Tutor' to the nephews of Rajah Uthram Tirunal Martanda Varma.

Undoubtedly the most distinguished Maratha Brahmin to serve Travancore, Madhava Rao was but one among the many Paradesi Brahmins, who occupied coveted administrative positions in the State from the early 19th century. A brilliant bureaucrat, it did not take the young tutor to secure a dominant place in the administrative machinery, and in 1857 he secured the enviable post of Dewan (prime minister) of Travancore.

Credited for reforming the Travancore administrative system in modern lines, Madhava Rao orientated the Princely State towards an era of Colonial modernity. While the residents of Thiruvananthapuram still remember him with gratitude (thanks to the life-size statue of Rao right at the heart of the city), the history of the Satram goes well beyond Madhava Rao, to the reign of the celebrated Rajah Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1829-1846).

The Huzur records reveal that the mansion was actually constructed in the 1840s as the residence of Dewan 'English Subbrow' (alias Tanjore Subba Rao), who, like Sir T. Madhava Rao, started career in Travancore as a 'Tutor' to the young princes, Swathi Tirunal and his brother Uthram Tirunal.

A record from 1015 M.E. (c.1840 C.E.) mentions the amount accorded to purchase land in Ramavarmapuram for constructing a house for Dewan Subba Rao. Another record from 1018 M.E. (c.1843 C.E.) details the location of the mansion—on the central street, towards the eastern end of the Ramavarmapuram Gramom—as well as the amount sanctioned for the purchase of gifts on the occasion of house warming ceremony. The second record is particularly useful as it dispels any confusion regarding identifying the Satram School as Subba Rao’s residence.

The Satram School, Ramavarmapuram Gramom

With its robust cornice, arches, and moulded balusters, the building distinguishes itself from other structures of the era. Rather than exhibiting an affinity to the local construction practices, the Satram borrows architectural elements from the 18th and 19th century mansions of Tanjore and Madurai, where the neoclassical paradigm blends with the heavy stucco moulding.

English Subba Rao (b.1775-d.1848), the tutor from Tanjore, had lived a remarkable life. Before he became the Dewan of Travancore, Rao had a commendable career in Tanjore court of Rajah Serfoji II. A polyglot, Subba Rao served as tutor to three Travancore kings and authored the first play (Kishun Koovur) written by an Indian in the English language. Rahul Sagar, in his latest book 'Krishna Kumari, The Tragedy of India', shares previously unknown details of Subba Rao’s life. Check out the book for more details.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 142

 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

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 141

THE RAJAGOPURAM OF PADMANABHASWAMI TEMPLE

The eastern gopuram of Padmanabhaswami temple, also known as the ‘Rajagopuram’, is undoubtedly one of the majestic edifices erected by the rulers of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. Though the credit for constructing the gopuram is claimed by Anizham Tirunal Martanda Varma, the founder of the Travancore kingdom, the annals at Padmanabhaswami temple take us back to the sixteenth century, to the reign of Aditya Varma, when Thottathil Achari, a master craftsman, is recorded to have laid the foundation stone of the eastern gopuram in 741 M.E. (c.1566 C.E.). Subsequent chronicles shed light on the internal strife among the Venad rulers and the powerful madampis, disrupting the smooth conduct of the construction activities. 

The royal commission was destined to remain dormant until the eighteenth century when Marthanda Varma took matters into his own hands. Martanda Varma appointed Kesavan Vishnu Thrathan of Thycattu Illam as the Stapathi and went about a thorough renovation of the Padmanabhaswami temple. When Marthanda Varma passed away in 1758 C.E., only five out of the seven storeys of the gopuram had been finished; however, the work progressed through the reign of Karthika Tirunal Rama Varma. The gopuram, when finished, stood at a soaring height of about a hundred feet and had every inch of its exterior decorated with fine stucco figurines depicting episodes from the Hindu epics.

Sannidhi-Vaasal, the eastern entrance to Padmanabhaswami temple, c.1868, The Royal Collection Trust. Note the absence of the finials in this photograph.

The gopuram, though it maintained an irrefutable presence in the skyline of the capital city, was to remain incomplete for the next hundred years. The earliest photograph of the gopuram from 1868 shows it without the seven golden finials—the kalashas—atop the ridge. The task of completing the project was taken up (c.1872) by Dewan Sir. Sashiah Sastri K.C.S.I. during the reign of Maharajah Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1860-1880). 

Sir A. Sashiah Sastri, Dewan of Travancore.

The following details regarding the completion of the eastern tower can be gleaned from the biography of the Dewan:

“The tower of Sri Padmanabha Swami temple at Trevandrum, which had been long left incomplete, was completed. Finials plated with gold were set up over the topmost storey of the tower and the gilt spires of Sri Padmanabha became a landmark amid the green fields and verdant groves for forty miles around.”

The eastern gopuram with the finials, c.1900 (attributed to D’Cruz, the Govt. Photographer), The British Library collection.

Sharat Sunder R

July 2023.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXXVII

PALACE ON THE HILL

'Palace on the hill', a write-up on the enchanting Kanakakunnu Palace and its history, Friday Review, The Hindu 07-07-2017. 

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/palace-on-the-hill/article19229433.ece

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXCIII

                                                  CHALA, A MARKET OF ANTIQUITY

'Chala, a market of antiquity', a search for the origin of Chala market, Thiruvananthapuram,                         The Hindu 21-01-2017.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXXIX

                                             HOW GREEN WAS THIRUVANANTHAPURAM!

'How green was Thiruvananthapuram!,' write-up on the various varieties of vegetation that once dotted the landscape, Thiruvananthapuram, The Hindu, 02-07-2016.

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/literary-pieces-have-painted-vivid-descriptions-of-the-flora-of-thiruvananthapuram-of-yore/article8797178.ece

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LXII

THE BLACKSMITHS OF VANCHIYOOR

'The blacksmiths of Vanchiyoor', write-up on the craftsmen who made the clock installed in the Mani Meda, Karuvelappura Malika,The Hindu, 03-10-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LVIII

                                                                MEMORIAL MARKERS

'Memorial Markers', write-up on Palliadakku mukku, the ancient cremation ground of Travancore royals,The Hindu, 01-08-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – LIII

                                                                      CURSE OF A RANI

'Curse of a Rani', write-up on the popular myth associated with Puttencotta burial ground,The Hindu, 23-05-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLV

ENGINEERING CHANGE THROUGH EDUCATION

'Engineering change through education', write-up on P. Vasudevan Achari, from the first batch Certificate Course at Trivandrum Engineering College, The Hindu, 31-01-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLIV

HAUNTED BY THE PAST

Write-up on Kumaramangalas Mana and its association with the Ettuvettil Pillamar, and the Travancore Royal family, The Hindu, 17-01-2015.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLIII

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

Write-up on C. Neelakanta Pillai, the last Durbar Artist of Travancore, The Hindu, 03-01-2015

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLII

                            THE STONE MASONS OF THIRUMALA

Write-up on the Tamil stone mason guild of Thirumala, The Hindu, 20-12-2014.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XLI

THE TALE OF AN UNSUNG ARTIST

 Write-up on V. Madhavan Pillai, a reputed artist, used to paint the backdrop for Kalanilayam's famous plays, The Hindu, 06-12-2014.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XL

THE GLITTER OF A LEGACY OF CRAFT AND SKILL

Write-up on Nilaverum Perumal Achari and the craft guilds of Pazhaya Chalai and Kaithamukku, The Hindu, 22-11-2014.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XXXIX

BRIDGING YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Write-up on the famed Narakathara family at Edayar Island, near Thiruvallam, The Hindu, 08-11-2014.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XXXVIII

A ROYAL PRESENT

Write-up on the famed Ghanapadi family of Vedic scholars and their association with the Travancore royal family, The Hindu, 25-10-2014.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – XXXVII

LIVING SPACES OF AN AUTHOR AND POET

'Living spaces of an author and poet', write-up on Sri C.P. Parameswara Pillai and Cheemara Veedu, The Hindu, 11-10-2014.