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The Travancore-Tanjavur connection

The façade of Tanjavur Ammaveedu is perhaps the finest specimen in the city to appreciate the harmonious blend of various architectural styles

The demise of Serfoji II, the ruler of Tanjavur, in 1832 marked the start of the dispersal of celebrated poets, musicians, vocalists, dancers and artists from the royal court to neighbouring kingdoms. Esrtwhile Travancore, a princely State located to the South of Tanjavur, was one of the major beneficiaries of this large-scale dispersion. Swati Tirunal Rama Varma, the then King of Travancore, was an opulent benefactor of arts and crafts and therefore it is not surprising that many distinguished individuals from the Tanjavur court did find a safe place in Thiruvananthapuram, where the ruler was stationed.

The presence of these artistes helped bring about a cultural renaissance in Travancore, which was evident in the fields of indigenous arts, architecture, crafts and literature. Swati Tirunal himself was a brilliant music composer and authored several compositions in the Carnatic and Hindustani styles.

Several dancers from Tanjavur, such as Kotha, Chellam, Chellamuthu, Kanakamāla, and Sathyabhama had adorned Swathi’s court. It was in 1840 that two young sisters, talented dancers from Tanjavur, Sundara Lakshmi and Sugandha Parvathi landed in Thiruvananthapuram. The young girls originally hailed from a Mudaliyar family from Tiruvallur, near Chennai. Not long after, in 1843, the King married Sundara Lakshmi after having her adopted into Vadasherri Ammaveedu.

The King ordered for the construction of a new house for Sundara Lakshmi in the sprawling compound of the ancient Vadasherri complex in Perumthanni. The newly-constructed ettukettu was built following the traditional architectural style prevalent in South Kerala. The core structure consisted of habitable spaces arranged around two courtyards; the walls and roof frame built entirely out of wood. Since the new residence was located to the West of the old Vadasherri Ammaveedu, it came to be known as ‘Vadasherri Padinjarae Ammaveedu’. The refinement achieved in the craftsmanship accorded to the elite status of its occupant.

After Swathi’s demise in 1846, Sundara Lakshmi lived in the Vadasherri Padinjarae Ammaveedu with her elder sister and her family. After Sundara Lakshmi’s demise, the building was brought by Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma (1885-1924) for his son Narayanan Thampi. The metamorphosis of Vadasherri Padinjarae Ammaveedu to the grand ‘Tanjavur Ammaveedu’ was begun by Thampi. It is said that Narayanan Thampi, in order to preserve the memory of Tanjavur Sundara Lakshmi, constructed a grand double storied mālika in front of the courtyard house and named it Tanjavur Ammaveedu.

The magnificent façade of the mālika is perhaps the finest specimen in the city where one can appreciate the harmonious blend of various architectural styles. The graceful arch openings, louvered shutters, fluted pilasters, hefty cornice with ornate floral motifs, and the use of coloured glass lend a colonial air to the structure. However, the exquisite craftsmanship displayed in the design of the large gables and a familiar skyline adds a ‘Kerala’ touch to the composition. The final surprise comes in the form of two ‘Tanjavur style’ bay windows in the first floor, which opens to the Ārattu Road below. One can only imagine the former grandeur of the complex, for now the majestic mālika and the courtyard house, owned by Mitranikethan, is just a memory of its former glory.

^^http://www.thehindu.com/society/The-Travancore-Tanjavur-connection/article16998894.ece
 
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Even today the CSIR-RRL /NIST is among top filers of Patent.
Trivandrum has a very high potential in Patent Filing considering the number of World Class Research Institutions and Colleges Present here.
Some of our colleges and universities are 50+ years old.
They should lead other colleges and institutions to file patents.
Even Ayurvedic,Sidha,Unani,Marma Chikitsa,Visha Chikitsa and Nattuvaidyam formulations and methods which are present here should be patented.
Some them are on the verge of extinction.
 
Chala, a market of antiquity

Old documents and literary works have references to Chala market, which throw light on the origins and evolution of the busiest market in Thiruvananthapuram

Colin Paterson, the physician to Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma, the ruler of ertswhile Travancore, records in his ‘Medical Report of Travancore’ (1842), the existence of a ‘Shala Bazar’, “an extensive street of Native Shops” located to the East of the Fort. Like Colin, several other Europeans have left written records of the crowded native market, the oldest commercial establishment with an undeniable connection to the origin and growth of urban Thiruvananthapuram.

A quest for the foundation of Chala market will positively lead us to the late eighteenth century, to the reign of Karthika Tirunal Rama Varma, a.k.a., Dharmaraja, in whose time the quaint temple town of Thiruvananthapuram was evolving into a sprawling capital city. Raja Kesava Das, the celebrated Dewan, was the architect of the Chala market that we see today. The large scale revamp of the Padmanabha Swamy temple and the increasing significance of Thiruvananthapuram as a royal abode had resulted in the relocation of several families, trade and craft guilds to Thiruvananthapuram. Kesava Das, an able administrator and visionary, instantly recognised the prospective of developing a market, which was integral for the sustenance of the budding settlement. It was under his instructions that the land belonging to ‘Karuvakulam Potti’ (Karuva Madhom Potti, a member of the Ettarayogam, the traditional trustees of Padmanabha Swamy temple) was purchased by the government in order to construct a set of shops. The area acquired by the government to establish the market was then known as ‘Chalayil Ananthapurathu Petta’. Now, it becomes clear that the true history of Chala predates the reign of Karthika Tirunal.

One of the earliest reference to Padmanabha Swamy temple and its immediate environs comes from Ananthapuravarnanam, a thirteenth century composition by an unknown poet. The poet, when he illustrates the numerous shrines and sacred water bodies scattered around Padmanabha Swamy temple, lavishes words on the description of a busy market located somewhere in the precincts of the temple. Though it is hard to pinpoint the exact location of the market, according to prominent historians, it may the prototype of the modern Chala market. The wide range of goods and the fact that the author of Ananthapuravarnanam mentions several foreigners and people from neighbouring kingdoms in the market may hint to the status of Padmanabha Swamy temple as a focal pilgrim centre in South India. Further, some medieval folk songs from Southern Travancore hint at weavers from Padmanabhapuram regularly visiting the market to sell their products.

The ambiguity in the location of the ancient market described in Ananthapuravarnanam doesn’t hold strong in the later records, for one of the concrete evidence of an early market, known locally as ‘Chala’ surfaces from the Mathilakam records associated with Padmanabha Swamy temple. The record speaks of a theft that took place in 1518 A.D. Some vessels used at Padmanabha Swamy temple went missing and finally surfaced in a shop at Chala market. This record, according to most historians, points to the existence of Chala market from the medieval times.

The old market, it seems, was restructured by Kesava Das in the eighteenth century. Like in the olden days, most of the trading communities settled in and around Chala were predominantly from different parts of Tamil Nadu. Ancient Muslim families settled in Thengapattanam and Poovar regions as well as some prominent Christian families had shops in Chala.

http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/Chala-a-market-of-antiquity/article17068191.ece
 
Manuscript museum to come up in state

A project for setting up an exclusive manuscript museum, which is the highlight of Vision 2020 project, was unveiled by the state archives department here on Wednesday. The museum will preserve the rare manuscripts the state has and provide opportunities for researchers to access them.

The project, estimated at Rs 23 crore, is aimed to be completed by 2020. "The idea we have mooted is to convert central archives building at Fort as the manuscript museum and find an alternative place for storing other archival documents there," said historian Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan, who is the technical advisory committee of manuscript library museum. Noted historian M R Raghava Warrier is heading the technical advisory committee which had its first meeting on Wednesday.

The state archives department has a collection of over one crore manuscripts, majority of which falls under rare categories. 'Mathilakom records', which detail the history of Travancore and stored at Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple, will count for over 3.5 lakh documents. The process of digitizing Mathilakam records is almost complete. As part of Vision 2020, the department plans to digitize almost all crucial manuscripts.

The first meeting of the technical committee decided to put in place a proper indexing and cataloguing system of manuscripts in the proposed museum. "A particular set of documents will be preserved in a designated space and the history and interesting facts of those manuscripts will be told to the visitor through accompanying documents in that area," said Gopalakrishanan.
Archives and museums minister Kadannappally Ramachandran, who launched Archives vision 2020, said that today's youth should realise the importance of priceless historical treasures the state possesses. "Archival documents are part of our rich heritage. Each of us should strive to preserve those. We need to find time to familiarize with the treasures stored in our museums and archives", said Ramachandran. The archives department also has planned to collect manuscripts from public and preserve them in the proposed museum.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/manuscript-museum-to-come-up-in-state/articleshow/58617045.cms

The state should also take immediate steps to go forward with 'Travancore Museum' project as well , displaying the artifacts and valuables of Padmanabha Swamy Temple . The entire fort area should be declared a heritage zone with no more commercial constructions allowed .
 
This thought has been in my mind for a while. With the enthusiasm and energy of the young members of this forum, it might be possible to start something on the lines of the 'MUZIRIS BIENALE'. After all Trivandrum has a rich history of culture and one of the oldest Schools of Art in the Country. This is immensely possible. I hope TDF can be roped in.
 
A project that has proved to be a boon for the city


Thiruvananthapuram: When Lord Willingdon, the then viceroy of India, commissioned the first drinking water supply project of Travancore on December 11, 84 years ago, most city residents were depending on well water and rivers. Now, as almost the entire population of the city switched to pipe connection, the project can be cited as one of the visionary schemes of Travancore.
Ironically, the 84th anniversary of Willingdon water works comes at a time when many areas in the city experience a dry weekend due to maintenance works at the pump house at Aruvikkara.
At the time of commissioning of Willingdon water works, there was no proper communication facility between Aruvikkara, where the dam was located, and Vellayambalam, location of the treatment plant.
Those days, messengers named 'daily report man' would walk 15km from Aruvikkara to the city through the pipeline road to give daily reports and thus would ensure that there are no issues like leakage or pipe burst on the way. The cautious and well-planned arrangements for the project were well documented in the souvenir prepared by Kerala water authority (KWA) on the 75th anniversary of Willingdon water works.

The Willingdon water works, with source as Karamana river dammed up at Aruvikkara, was designed in 1928 and was commissioned in 1933. The initial report was submitted in 1921 by the then chief engineer F J Jacob and assistant engineer H Banarjee.
Later, executive engineer Balakrishnan Rao was assigned with the task of preparing the project report, which he submitted with an estimate of Rs 56.6 lakh. The report figured the number of consumers as 95,000. It proposed increase in number of users to 1,35,000 by 1961. Now it serves a population of over 13 lakh.
The per capita consumption estimated at the time was 114 litre, which increases up to 152 litres during summer.
The KWA pensioners' association is organizing a meeting to commemorate the commission of Willingdon water works on Monday near KWA headquarters.
Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-a-boon-for-the-city/articleshow/62013278.cms
 
Niramankara’s special place in the annals of Thiruvananthapuram

It was once a sought-after name in supplying fine-quality clay roofing tiles

Once, Niramankara and the nearby Karamana were considered strategic locations, for this region served as the gateway to the old Thiruvananthapuram. The most important historic route connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari District passed through Karamana-Niramankara. It is no wonder that Niramankara, located on such an important route, had made a mark in early literary works. Iravikuttypillaiporu, a popular ballad from Southern Travancore dated around 17th century A.D. gives a detailed list of all the important places between Thiruvananthapuram and Kalkulam (Padmanabhapuram). Here, ‘Niramankara’ appears as ‘Nirkan-parambu’, which, according to Thikkurishi Gangadharan, an expert in folk literature, was once famous for its lime kilns.



The lime kilns may have vanished from popular memory, but the elderly still cherish a faint memory of Niramankara being a sought-after name in supplying fine-quality clay roofing tiles. The records pertaining to the erection of a three-storied mansion in Arumana Ammaveedu (the Villa Maya Heritage Restaurant) during the last quarter of the 19th century reveals that the small roof tiles and the burnt bricks were procured from the Niramankara kilns.

Niramankara’s tryst with history goes well beyond the reference to these kilns. According to some historians, the ‘Nirman’/‘Nirmanna’, is one of the 32 Brahmin settlements scattered across Kerala and can be identified with Niramankara in the city. Historian Kesavan Veluthat, in his Brahman Settlements in Kerala, points to fact that the existence of an old temple in Niramankara may provide clue to the existence of an old Brahmin settlement in the region. The temple in question, an ancient one dating back to 13th century A.D. is none other than the famed Niramankara Siva temple.



The ancient Siva temple was lying in ruins when, in 1940s, it caught the attention of Dr. Stella Kramrisch, the reputed American art historian. Dr. Kramrisch, along with Dr. J.H. Cousins (Art Advisor to the Travancore Government.), and R. Vasudeva Poduval (Travancore Archaeology Director), had done extensive research on the ancient temples of Travancore kingdom. The rectangular garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple, containing a Sivalinga, was enclosed within a circular prakara made of stone. The garbhagriha and the sikhara on top were made of laterite stone. Dr. Kramrisch noted that the Niramankara Siva temple “appears to bear a close resemblance to the Watta Dage of Ceylon (Sri Lanka).” A photograph by Dr. Kramrisch remains faithful to her description of the ruined temple. The heavily damaged vimana, which occupied a conspicuous position then, as correctly pointed out by Dr. Kramrisch, was once hidden beneath “a conical roof surmounted by a finial.”

The ancient temple, a stone’s throw from the main Karamana-Kaimanam-Nemam route, is still an important place of worship for the locals. However, the present temple is certainly a far cry from its former architectural glory. The interventions later have marred the ancient beauty of the structure. The beautiful conical roof made of wood and covered with thatch has now made way for a huge bulbous mass of a vimana. A glimpse of the original conical roof of the ancient temple is perhaps only available in an old photograph of the Siva temple now housed in the Padmanabhapuram Palace Museum collection.

The author is a conservation architect and history buff.

http://www.thehindu.com/society/his...lace-in-the-citys-history/article22907653.ece
 
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