Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Royal tale

A visit to a palace that has been preserved for centuries

PHOTOS: M. PEROASAMY & PRIVATE COLLECTION

A SLICE OF HISTORY A view of the Puravipalayam palace and

Structures are built according to the needs of its inhabitants and at times, dictated by external factors. Like climatic conditions, the style and design prevalent in the region, the lifestyle and status of the owners and availability of material.

So far, we have discussed all kinds of structures, from humble village houses to stately mansions.

This mix is vital to understand the history, heritage and architecture of our past.

The building we will talk about today evokes a lot of nostalgia. It is a magnificent structure in keeping with its royal background. This is the Puravipalayam Palace, about 10 km north west from Pollachi. Puravipalayam is a small village close to the Kerala border. Driving through the village, one does not expect to see such a structure looming in the distance.

The imposing walls and the gate draw people's attention to this sleepy yet splendid palace.

Majestic reminder

A rare picture from the family album showing a palanquin procession.

Though not immaculate, it still stands as a majestic reminder of a glorious past. Now, it is known as the place where the samadhi of the mystic, Kodi Swami, exists and as a popular location to shoot films. But, look beyond this and the great past of the Gopanna Mandradiars of Puravipalayam and the heritage of their palace comes alive.

The ancestry of the Gopanna Mandradiars goes back many centuries. Many interesting incidents are recounted about the clan and its history. Let's take a peek at some.

Belonging to the Puluva Gounder community, this group claims it belongs to the lineage of the legendary Saivite Kannappa Nayanar. From inscriptions in the Perur Patteshwarar temple, we get to know about Kandhaswami Gopanna Mandradiar raising the foundation level of the temple's sanctum sanctorum during the time of Alagathiri Nayak.

They have been patrons and built many temples like the hill temple of Pon Velayudhaswami at Kinathukadavu. The Periyakalanthai Eshwar and Sulakal Mariamman temples have been bestowed with hundreds of acres of land and the famous temple car in the Sulakal temple was gifted by them.

The last ruler or zamindar was Jagan Mandalathipathi Gopanna Mandradiar, a pious man, a philanthropist who was loved by all and a great hunter.

The zamindar has five children — sons Giriraj Raja and Vetrivel Raja and daughters Maruthapushpam, Mathalambikai alias Manickam and Sukanyarani — from his three wives.

The descendants still maintain many of these temples. Shanmugasundari, wife of Vetrivel Raja, plays an important role in their upkeep with the aid of locals and other interested people.

The Gopanna Mandradiars were Poligars or Palayakaran under the Nayaks of Madurai and, zamindars during British rule.

It is said that once, when Gopanna Mandradiar visited Madurai to gift the King elephants from Annamalai, the king reciprocated the loyalty by bestowing many honours and titles.

Sprawling abode

The palace is set in a sprawling compound of about ten acres with many sections added over the centuries. From the sheer size, it is evident that the structures were built to portray the might of the clan. Though no official records are available with the family today, the oldest part of the palace dates back to at least 300 years.

Among the precious possessions of the family is a rare photograph of a ruler in regalia on a palanquin in a procession near the palace.

This, in all probability, dates back to the 1800s. The descendants of this family still live in the home, fiercely preserving their proud past.

(To be continued... )

(e-mail feedback to cbemetro@thehindu.co.in with `heritage in the subject line)

SHANKAR VANAVARAYAR

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail