Power gained,power lost
A visit to Paliam Kovilakam is the perfect outing for a history enthusiast.
On a rainy, lazy afternoon, we decide to go for a trip. We hire a cab. Rajesh, our cab driver and a cinema lover, turns on the GPS as we begin our journey from Kochi to Paliam Kovilakam in north Paravur. Whenever we pass a cinema poster, Rajesh has something to say about it. He makes sure we are not bored. We continue our journey through the Varappuzha route and reach the Kovilakom (palace) after an hour.
The place, a Muziris Heritage site, is open from 10 am to 5 pm on all days except Monday. Rajesh stays back as we enter the palace through the wicket gate. The door fully opens only during the festival at the family temple. In the hall, a man plays the introductory video (available in Malayalam and English) that describes the history of the palace, which is a combination of Dutch and Kerala architectural styles.
It says how Paliathachans, prime ministers of the Kochi Maharaja, who migrated to Chendamangalam from Guruvayoor, got into power and lost it all later. The palace was a token of gratitude from the Dutch to the achan’s for helping them defeat the Portuguese. The walls of the hall are adorned with portraits of the achans with a description of their contributions to society.
The video gets over in 10 minutes and our guide comes in. She is new to the place and is picking up the history.“The palace is around 350 years old,” she says as we reach artillery, which contains lamps and bells used in the temple and other objects.
While climbing the stairs she says, “The roof has two kinds of tiles. If the tiles inside are in Dutch style, the outer layer is our traditional brick-coloured tile.” On the upper floor is the room Paliathachans (eldest member of the family) used. It is vast. A 300-year-old clock adorns the wall. “During those days, there was a pankha (fan) on the roof.
A servant titled ‘Pankhunni’ would stay outside the room and pull the fan through that window,” she says, pointing at a small window. Close to this room, there is a punishment room, where criminals were put. The space between the doors is so narrow that the person couldn’t escape.
“Only the achans lived here. Women lived in the Nalukettu. The current Paliathachan, who is 99 years old, lives in Bengaluru,” she says. Through the window she shows us the open toilets used during those days. The corridors have notice boards explaining the history of the palace. There is also a temple gallery, where objects like shells, swords, oracle costumes and lockers are displayed.
In the centre, there is a large mizhavu. The next room has the achan’s sapramanchakattil, which is treated with 67 herbs. And, then there is the Durbar Hall, where meetings were convened. The song Karmukil Varnante Chundil from the movie Nandanam was shot there.
We bid adieu to our guide and leave to Paliam Nalukettu, where the women of the family lived. We get another ticket. If men ruled the Kovilakam, the Nalukettu followed the matriarchal system where the Valiyamma decided everything. The Nalukettu is an example of the brilliance of traditional Kerala architecture.
Every place has a purpose. ‘The Karna Sutra’, a tiny hole through which one can see from corner to corner, is an amazing sight. The kitchen utensils and different rooms like pregnancy room, patient room, dining room (for 100 people), jewellery room, Valiyamma’s room, a space for newly weds and the children’s temple are other highlights of this place. So is the 101 manimalika, which is said to have 101 rooms. It is almost 5 pm. It’s time to wind up and we leave the place filled with information.