THIRUVATTAR AMMAVEEDU
Haneef
The spouses of Travancore Maharajas and Maharanis were called consorts.
Ammaveedus were the residences or bungalows of the consorts of the Maharajahs of Travancore. The descendants of the Maharajahs were considered as members of these Ammaveedus, with a status subordinate only to royalty.
The consorts of the Travancore kings were known generally as "Ammachis" and held the title of Panapillai Amma which meant royal consort. As per the Marumakkathayam (Matrilineal) law of inheritance and succession in the Royal family of Travancore the Maharajahs were succeeded by their nephews from their sisters, the Maharanis. The Ammachi Panapillai Amma were granted privileges as befitting their status, vast areas of land and other valuable property and "a liberal provision was made from the State funds for their maintenance in comfort and dignity". The Ammachi was not a member of the royal household, and was in no way associated with the royal court and could not, earlier, even be seen in public with the ruler whose wife she was. Ammachis, if put away or widowed, were not allowed to marry any other man and were restricted and guarded in their own residences. The male and female children born to the Maharajah were dignified with the honorific of Thampi and Kochamma or Thankachi respectively.
The modern history of the Ammaveedu started with Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma. It was during his reign that the capital of Venad kingdom was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram. Over the time, these families with their close association with the royals of erstwhile Travancore dominated the social, political, and cultural scenario of Travancore.
From among the four well-known Ammaveedu in Thiruvananthapuram, the Thiruvattar Ammaveedu claims to have a unique identity, for it is associated with Swati Tirunal Rama Varma, the famous musician King of Travancore. Swati Tirunal married three times. His first and second wives were adopted by the Thiruvattar Ammaveedu before the marriage ceremony.
Thiruvattar Ammaveedu in Kanyakumari district, one of the ancestral homes of the royal consorts, can trace it’s history back to the time of Dharmaraja of Travancore
Thiruvattar Amma Veedu
The original Thiruvattar Amma Veedu is located in Kanyakumari district
at a place called Thiruvattar. In 1829, at the age of sixteen, Maharajah Swathi
Thirunal Rama Varma (16 April 1813 – 27 December 1846) married Thiruvattar
Ammachi Panapillai Amma Srimathi Ayikutty Narayani Pillai Thankachi, a famed
beauty of the Thiruvattar Ammaveedu family, was an expert Carnatic singer and Veena player. They had three
children but in 1839 Narayani Pillai Ammachi died, leaving behind a son,
Thiruvattar Chithira Nal Ananthapadmanabhan Chempakaraman Thampi.
Thiruvattar Ammaveedu was one of the ancestral homes of the Ammachis, consorts of the Travancore royals. The shifting of the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram prompted the consorts and their relations to relocate and establish houses near the royal abode. However, these families maintained their ancestral houses, family temples, and vast landed properties in Kanyakumari district.
In 1007 M.E. (1832 A.D.), Swati Tirunal had ordered for the construction of the Thiruvattar complex in Perunthanni, to the West of the Fort. A malika was also constructed later, on the land bought from Koopakkara Potty. The malika can still be seen alongside the Arattu Road. However, the sprawling three-courtyard house, constructed in conventional style of Kerala architecture, vanished long ago. This structure, after it was partitioned among the numerous members of the family, was pulled down.
A portion of Thiruvattar Ammaveedu has been preserved thanks to the diligence of S. Aiyappan Thampi.
Surprisingly, a small portion of the old Ammaveedu was salvaged and was preserved by one of the members of the Thiruvattar Ammaveedu, Mr. S. Aiyappan Thampi. He says “Around 35 years ago, after the partition of the property, I decided to preserve my share of the building”.
An engineer by profession, Mr.Thampi supervised the dismantling of the old Ammaveedu. The wooden panels were numbered and the old structure was documented before it was taken apart. Aiyappan Thampi had the ‘poomukham’ and two of the adjoining rooms carefully relocated to Niramankara, where he planned to preserve his share of the ancient house.
“I took care in preserving the structure exactly in the same condition it was found when I had it dismantled from the actual site. With the help of photo documentation and my experience in the field of construction, I supervised the carpenters who helped me in setting up the old house in the new environment,” says Thampi. The attention paid to detail is praiseworthy. Thampi, when he reconstructed the building, asked the artisans to retain the slight inward inclination in one of the wooden pillars in the poomukham.
This small section preserved by Thampi, does provide us with some clues to the grandeur of the house. The gable is adorned with the relief carving of a Goddess, flanked on either side by elephants. The serpentine curve of the charupadi (latticed inbuilt wooden seat) adds an elegant touch to the poomukham. The ceiling also bears testimony to the dexterity of the indigenous craftsmen in handing timber.
Aiyappan Thampi’s maternal grandparents, Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma and artist K.R. Ravi Varma (nephew of Raja Ravi Varma), resided in the old Thiruvattar Ammaveedu at Perunthanni. Thampi’s parents, Sharada Pillai Kochamma and Sreedharan Thampi of Arumana Ammaveedu, also resided in the same house.
“I grew up in the Thiruvattar Ammaveedu, and it was hard for me to let go all the sweet memories of my ancestors who resided in the old Ammaveedu.” says Aiyappan Thampi. If not for him, we would have lost this magnificent piece of history!
The section of Thiruvattar
Ammaveedu relocated to Niramankara by Ayyappan thampi.
S. Aiyappan Thampi
Suseelan Padmanabhan
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