What makes a heritage walk engaging is the stories related to the places we visit. The trip to the Kottakakam area in Tripunithura is one such experience. A place that was once the seat of kings, Kottakkakam has a lot of stories to narrate to visitors.
The Tripunithura Heritage Walk led by Balagopal begins from the Statue Junction and the team walks to the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, one of the royal temples of the erstwhile Kochi Kingdom. “The life of royal family members revolved around this temple and within the four gates of Kottakakam,” begins Balagopal, the guide and a royal family member. Not just the history, the architecture too would pique your attention.
As the journey proceeds through the narrow lane beside the temple, we see old buildings Ammathampuran Kovilakom, reminder of the glorious past and reach the Kalikotta Palace painted in green, yellow and brown. “It was built by the king in Dutch style,” says Vijay Kerala Varma, another royal family member. The sash windows substantiate it.
Inside the palace, portraits of rajas who ruled Cochin during different periods are displayed on the walls.
Names and contributions of each ruler are mentioned beneath the paintings. “If Kochi is way ahead of other places in Kerala, it is because of the foresightedness of these kings. They wisely used the wealth for the welfare of the people development of land. We had a harbour and railway during that era. There was a railway service from Shoranur to Ernakulam,” says Balagopal.
From there, we move to Lakshmi Thope Palace, close to it lies the partially-ruined Thekke Kovilakom, where dead bodies of royal family members would be kept before cremation. Many old buildings in this stretch are on the brink of destruction. Some have been destroyed by the family itself either due to multiple ownership or lack of funds for maintenance.
Crossing the residence of chief ministers, we reach the bridge built by the British in 1890. The popular RLV College started on the banks of this backwater. “It was the brainchild of the convent-educated Lakshmikutti amma, wife of Midukkan Thampuran. It was an effort to empower women in the family,” says Balagopal.
Then,we head to the Oottupura complex and wind up the journey in front of the temple. Close to the temple, is a Manimalika, which was the standard clock of that time. “The place had its own time that was 23 minutes away from IST,” says Balagopal.
