Kuthiramalika: Legacy of Swathi Thirunal

 

The city of Trivandrum has many signature monuments & one among them is the grand Puthen Malika or Kuthiramalika as it is known commonly by all. The palace built next to the Padmanabhaswamy temple was envisaged as the official residence of the Travancore King & was constructed with opulence. The palace has some unique architectural features & the story of its construction makes a great story.

The Travancore family had some great kings during its rule & one among them was Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma who in many ways was the reason for the intellectual renaissance of Kerala. The king who was destined to be King even before his birth ruled for 17 years but the period is listed as the golden decade in Travancore history. The story of Swathi Thirunal is quite interesting as he was crowned King at the age of 16 but he assumed the role of the King from the time of his birth as he was given the title of Garbha Sreeman. The Travancore family did not have a male heir for over 4 years & it was important to have one as the East India Company according to a treaty had the rights to take over the throne if no male member is selected as heir apparent. The Travancore family upon the birth of the boy immediately crowned him king & the young boy ruled the kingdom first under the name of his mother and later his maternal aunt till he reached 16 years of age. Swathi Thirunal was officially crowned king in 1829 & he ruled Travancore till 1846 until his death. It is to be noted that the King died very young but his life was all about gaining knowledge & imparting it to his people. Swathi Thirunal was a brilliant musician who was an expert in over 7 languages & has to his credit over 400 compositions in both Hindustani & Carnatic style. The king was also good in literature and was said to be fluent in English & Sanskrit. There were many landmark decisions taken by him during his reign & most of the institutions started by him still stand strong. The first major institution he started was a school which provided free education to all & named it the Maharajah’s High school which later became a college & is today known as the University College. He was also instrumental in bringing better medical practices to Travancore & for this also appointed a British surgeon at the General Hospital. Swathi Thirunal was also interested in creating better infrastructure facilities taking interest in engineering projects which resulted in the construction of many bridges like the Karamana Bridge which still is used by the people of Trivandrum. Swathi Thirunal was also good in administration & so to understand the finances is said to have ordered the first resurvey of land along with performing the first census in 1836. It is also important to know that most of the iconic landmarks are all the handy work of Swathi Thirunal, the Zoo which was a concept of open enclosures, the observatory atop Kanakakunnu, the earliest museum of the state & the Trivandrum Public Library. Swathi Thirunal thus changed the whole image of Thiruvananthapuram during his reign & made it a hub of cultural activities.

The Kuthiramalika Palace was the last major project undertaken by Swathi Thirunal & this was to ease administration. The King overlooked the state affairs from Kollam & to make it easier a need to construct a palace in Thiruvananthapuram was taken up in 1842. Swathi Thirunal earmarked the land next to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple as the place enabled him to be in the company of his Lord. The palace construction took around 4 years & was finally completed to its current style in 1846. The palace had a typical Kerala architecture feature with elaborate use of wood, large verandas & sloping roofs lined with terracotta tiles. Though the architecture was based on traditional designs, one unique & possibly surprising element of the palace is that the front façade of the palace faces south which as per the Vastu in Hindu scriptures is Yamakonam (corner of yama). It is not clear why such a Vasthu was selected for this palace but people feared that such a design would end up in distress. This thought was furthered when Swathi Thirunal died soon after the construction of the palace. The palace was thus abandoned for over a century & used only as a granary till it was opened as residences for other members of the Travancore family while the King moved to the Kowdiar Palace. 

The palace today is a museum & it's easier for all to know why this structure was called Kuthiramalika (mansion of horses). The front façade of the palace has three large porticos connected with large verandas lined with stone pillars. The porticos are raised by wooden pillars which have intricate carvings of floral designs. The palace has two tiers and the timber work on the gabled roof is completed with 122 rampant horses which adorn the front bracket giving it the name. The king visualised the palace as a place for him to meditate & give him peace to create his musical compositions, so one can find the large lawns & rooms with ventilation in such a manner that the interiors stay cool even in the harshest of summers. The most impressive room in the palace is the mantrashala on the upper tier which was the audience chamber of the king & is said to be the place where he spent time conceiving the most celebrated musical compositions. The mantrashala connected to his sleeping chamber & a balcony in the room is a direct view to the Padmanabhaswamy temple from where the King could pray. The palace was built to accommodate the whole Travancore family & the central building had the Royal chambers while the other parts were assigned to the family members. In all the palace had 80 rooms out of which 16 were royal rooms and each of these rooms were designed differently to keep the aesthetics intact. The wooden carvings & stuccos on the ceilings of the rooms are different to one another, so are the materials used in laying the floor. The palace does not have a central courtyard but has a large lawn in front of the façade where the concert venue was built which has a soundproofing arrangement made in traditional manner by placing clay pots upside down on the ceiling insulating sound. In total the palace was built keeping in mind all the needs of Swathi Thirunal but towards the year 1846 he was constantly sorrowed by the death of his close family including his beloved wife & children. The transfer of power to the British resident also made governance an issue for the King which affected his physical & mental health finally resulting in his untimely death.

The palace today is a museum & about 30 percent of the complex is open for visitors. The museum houses some of the most valuable artefacts of the Travancore family from household items to personal belongings. There is a guided tour conducted inside the palace & it is quite an interesting tour which takes you to different parts of the palace. Some of the most unique items here at the museum are the thrones of the Kings, valuable gifts, sculptures from different parts of the state, life size kathakali mannequins & weapons. One important collection is the Belgium glass mirrors & a portrait of Swathi Thirunal which is an illusion painting made by Svetoslav Roerich in which the face & shoes of the image move towards the direction it is seen from. The guided tour is an essential part of the museum and every visitor should make it a point to attend the tour.

The Travancore family & the people of Thiruvananthapuram came together to celebrate Swathi Thirunal & his music by conducting the annual Swathi Sangeethotsavam in the Kuthiramalika Palace grounds. The central portico of the palace is the venue for the 10 day festival where musicians, artists & composers perform in front of an esteemed crowd. The festival has been listed as an important event in Kerala culture calendar. Today many of the initiatives taken by Swathi Thirunal stand testimony to the legacy he left behind in his short life & people of Trivandrum are indebted to him. The Kuthiramalika palace thus is in many ways a place to remember one of the most important rulers of erstwhile Travancore & a visit is a must for all who come to Trivandrum.