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Where charming antiquity resides
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Paduthol Mana at Pazhoor has been around for hundreds of years. Antiquity oozes from its every pillar and stone. ELIZABETH NINAN visits this great-grandpa of a building.
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THE OLD world charm can't be felt more. Paduthol Mana, the primeval ettukettu at Pazhoor, near Piravam, can claim up to 1,500 years of heritage. For the Malayalam film-buff, it was Mohanlal's home in `Pavithram'. It was featured in Shyamaprasad's `Agnisakshi', too. The house was also seen in the tele-horror flick `Nizhalukal'.
But this brush with fame has not affected its antique flavour in anyway. Starting from the Raja Ravi Varma painting of Aalilakannan (Lord Krishna) at the front door, elements at this old house charm you irresistibly. The thekkini (a kind of sitting room now) with its beautiful row of ornate pillars and wall craft depicting Anandashayanam, amidst other pictures, are fascinating. A door bedecked with motifs and etchings opens into the Kombara (originally a prayer room), now a guest bedroom.
The floral motifs on the wooden ceiling give the room a heavily decorated look. Both the bedrooms on the first floor (malika) are simple with solid wooden ceilings and floors. The old style bathroom on the side has a pillar on one side, which conceals the waste pipe inside it. This pillar looks like a showpiece from outside. The central room, with its fixed bench, with drawers and ornate floor has a cheerful and airy atmosphere when sunlight is let in through the adjustable wooden planks that serve as windows.
The early morning sun gives the room a misty look whereas the midday sun floods the room with light. In the late evenings, the room takes on a shadowy look. The verandah on the front gives an uninterrupted view of any visitor from a distance and lets in soft breeze from the rubber plantation surrounding the place through the wooden grill that covers its entire length.
The absence of a Padipura (the front gate with sloping roof over it) for the illam is conspicuous. PG Narayanan Namboodiripadu, the current patriarch of the family, says this is because Sankaracharya, whose mother had aconnection with this mana, asked them not to have a padipura. The Muvattupuzhayaar (Muvattupuzha river) flows at the back of the mana on the eastern side just below the high ground where the mana stands. The men's kulikadavu (bathing place) has huge wide stone steps leading to the river. The Pazhoor temple can be seen at a short distance across the river.
Near the temple, the river that is flowing towards south takes a `U' turn to flow northward thus forming a small sandy island in the middle. This phenomenon of the river taking a `U' turn without flooding the area in the middle even when it is not high land is considered unique.
The kulikadavu (bathing place) for women is not as well constructed as the men's kadavu, but is secluded and special. It consists of a narrow flight of about twenty slightly winding stone steps falling steeply onto the river straight from the kitchen side. The sheer height of the cliff, where the mana stands, provide adequate privacy. The scenic beauty around the kadavu is breathtaking with the thick greenery of the surroundings spreading a greenish hue to the crystal-clear water. According to P N Guptan Namboothiripadu, who now resides at the mana, this is the only mana where the steps to the riverside kadavu is straight from the kitchen. The kitchen itself is wide and spacious. The family temple is situated within the illam premises on the eastern side and is well protected, with high walls on all three sides. One side opens into the illam. Nagarajavu is the family deity of Paduthol Mana. Guptan Namboothiripadu says that the family residence has been here for around 1,500 years of which the present building could claim around five hundred years. Except for some changes made because of architectural advances, the basic structure has survived all these years.
No recent renovation has taken place in the last few years except for the demolition of the adjoining kettu on the northern side. The two nadumuttams (courtyards in the middle of the ettukettu) has a thulasithara and other herbs and plants used for pooja purposes. Though it does shows signs of dilapidation, once inside, the wear and tear hardly dents the archaic charm, with the cool and calm ambience.
And sitting on the wooden plank in the thekkini, looking out at the nadumuttam, one can feel the peace of the place. The pitter-patter of the children playing on the swing in the background just adds more life to the peace and quiet of the mana that has seen many a generation grow up.
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