Eraniel Palace is a small (currently dilapidated) palace located near

Eraniel Eraniel is a panchayat town in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is of major commercial and political importance in the history of South India, as it was the seasonal capital of the affluent Venad and later Travancore ...

village,

Kanyakumari district Kanniyakumari district is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Na ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

and is considered a treasure-trove of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

and

Venad Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...

history.

History

The palace was an important place of political and commercial importance in South India, since Eraniel town was a seasonal capital of the

kingdom until the seventeenth century when

Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhapuram is a town and a municipality near Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,342. History Padmanabhapuram was the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Travan ...

came into prominence. However, in the 21st century, only some modest glimpses of the old royal heritage of the historic Eraniel town can be found in the remains of the old palace (Thekkaethevan Koikkal), "its ornate granite pillars, some timber beams, decaying walls that seem ready to fall anytime soon, and the already collapsed roof." Eraniel palace view from the entrance

Architecture

The present day Eraniel palace complex spreads over slightly more than three-and-one-half acres. However, it is mostly in dilapidated condition due to decades of neglect. Currently, only three identifiable parts of the palace remains: * the Padippura ( :ml:പടിപ്പുര) or the majestic entrance gateway leading to the main palace (this is currently in total ruins) * the Kuthira malika (translation: ''Mansion of horses''), the main area of the palace, that was a modest double storied courtyard house * the Vasantha mandapam (translation: ''Spring pavilion''), a detached pavilion built on top of an elevated platform. It is replete with beautiful carvings. It is located on the western side of the palace complex. There used to be an ever burning lamp in the Vasanta mandapam, kept as a memorial to a miraculous incident that happened centuries ago, as documented by Emily Gilchriest Hatch, the author of ''Travancore – A Guide Book for the Visitor'' (1933). The palace compound also has a pond within, that was probably used by the royalty. Dressed granite blocks were used to perfectly line and bound the sides of this pond.

Restoration

The palace is owned by Government of

but there is almost zero management or maintenance, that led to its present-day dilapidated condition. Although the Government had announce
plans
to reconstruct the complex and the

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislatur ...

has made estimates to invite tenders, the palace complex remains in ruins and uncared for.

References

{{reflist Palaces in Tamil Nadu Buildings and structures in Kanyakumari district

History

Architecture

Restoration

See also

References