THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The centuries-old South Palace (Thekke Kottaram) located at Shankhumugham was the beachside abode of the Travancore royal family. The colonial-style structure with some traditional ‘nalukettu’ features, located on the shores of the beach used to offer breezy vacations for the guests of the royal family.
Despite being an archaeological asset, the palace is facing neglect and is now under the constant threat of sea erosion. According to historians, the palace used to be the residence of the senior regent of Travancore and a retreat for the royal family, where they used to welcome guests.
Unfortunately, the palace — currently under the possession of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation — is facing neglect. “Owing to mismanagement, the authorities failed to maintain and protect the palace consistently. Earlier, the palace was used as an art gallery but later it was shifted. The civic authorities rented out the palace to private parties and later had to take it up legally to get back the possession,” says historian Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan.
“The civic body renovated the structure and opened an art gallery in recent years, but the plan failed miserably. There were many historical structures and monuments at Shankhumugham which were destroyed because of neglect. Now the palace is also under threat of sea erosion and soon the structure would get washed away by the sea. The authorities should take immediate steps to protect the palace,” he says.
Shankhumugham is known as the ‘Arattukadavu of Ananthapadmanabhan’, where the arattu ceremony of Padmanabhaswamy Temple takes place twice a year. The palaces and a Devi temple were constructed for the king to relax, bathe, and pray during the arattu ceremony. “The pond was constructed using special boulders and stones brought from Varkala,” says Gopalakrishnan. The kalmandapam constructed for arattu called the ‘Arattu Mandapam’ exists there as a historical mark.