![Archkilimanoor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Archkilimanoor.jpg)
Kilimanoor Palace is a palace located in
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Trivandrum district in Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, North-west of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 14 km east of Attingal and east of Var ...
, in the Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. It is the birthplace of painter
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
and Raghava Varma, the father of king
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
.
The Palace
The Palace complex covers more than six hectares, and comprises the traditional residential structures of Kerala, like the Nalukettu, small and medium-sized buildings, three ponds, wells and sacred groves (''kaavu'').
Raja Ravi Varma is said to have built and maintained some of the buildings from the proceeds of his paintings.
Families related to the Travancore royal house continue to live here.
History
The royal house at Choottayil,
Kilimanoor
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Trivandrum district in Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, North-west of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 14 km east of Attingal and east of Var ...
has a history stretching back more than 300 years, although the oldest buildings are from a much earlier period. However, it was in 1753 that the palace was built in its present form.
Kilimanoor palace and Travancore royal house
The estate of Kilimanoor originally belonged to a
Pillai ruling chief and was forfeited to Travancore by Maharaja Marthanda Varma. The estate comprising several villages was then handed over to the family of the father of the King who had come south from Parappanad in Malabar around 1718.
In 1705 (
ME 880) the son and two daughters of Ittammar Raja of
Beypore
Beypore or Beypur (formerly Beypoor) is an ancient port town and a locality town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located opposite to Chaliyam, the estuary where the river Chaliyar empties into Arabian Sea. Beypore is p ...
Thattarikovilakam, a
Parappanad
Parappanad was a former feudal city-state in Malabar, India. The headquarters of Parappanad Royal family was at the town Parappanangadi in present-day Malappuram district. In 1425, the country divided into Northern Parappanad (Beypore kingdom) and ...
royal house, were adopted into the Royal house of
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 ...
. Ittammar Raja's sister and her sons, Rama Varma and Raghava Varma, settled in Kilimanoor and married the now adopted sisters.
Marthanda Varma
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
, the founder of the Kingdom 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 ...
, was the son of Raghava Varma. The nephew of Raghava Varma, Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran, married the sister of Marthanda Varma. Their son became known as
Dharma Raja
Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ( ml, ധർമ്മരാജാ കാർത്തിക തിരുനാൾ രാമവർമ്മ, 1724–17 February 1798) was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He s ...
Kartika Thirunnal Rama Varma.
In 1740 when an allied force, led by Dutchman Captain Hockert supporting the Deshinganadu King, attacked Venad, an army from Kilimanoor resisted and then defeated them. Although a small victory, this was the first time an Indian army had defeated a European power. In 1753, in recognition of this feat, Marthanda Varma exempted the areas controlled by the Kilimanoor palace from taxes, and granted them autonomous status. The present palace complex was built at this time, together with the Ayyappa temple. for the family deity, ''Sastha'' or Ayyapan.
[It is also said Shaastha and Ayyappa are different]
Velu Thampi
Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi of Thalakulam (1765–1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one ...
Dalawa
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...
held meetings at Kilimanoor palace while planning uprisings against the British. He handed over his sword at the palace before going into his final battle against the British, and India's first President, Dr
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...
received this sword from the palace and it was kept in the
National Museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. Afterwards the sword was moved to the Napier Museum, Trivandrum.
Personalities
*
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
, painter
*
Kareendran thampuran
Kilimanoor Raja Raja Varma Koithampuran alias ''Kareendran'' or ''Cherunni'' (1812–1845) was an accomplished Sanskrit poet, composer in the Court of Swathi Thirunal Rama varma, King of Travancore. He was born in the Kilimanoor palace
Kilimanoo ...
, poet, composer, childhood friend Of
Swathi Thirunal
( ml, സ്വാതി തിരുനാള് രാമവർമ്മ) (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He is also considered as a brilliant music composer and is credited with over 40 ...
*
Raja Raja Varma
A. R. Raja Raja Varma or A R. Rajaraja Varma ( ml, എ.ആർ. രാജരാജവർമ്മ) (1863–1918) was an Indian poet, grammatician and Professor of Oriental Languages at Maharaja's College (present University College), Trivandrum.
...
, uncle of Raja Ravi Varma.
*
C. Raja Raja Varma
C. Raja Raja Varma was an Indian painter and the youngest brother of the painter Raja Ravi Varma. He was known as a plein-air artist. He acted as assistant, secretary, and business manager to his brother.
Life
Varma was also an English langua ...
Koil Thampuran, painter, brother of
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
*Shri. Madhavan Vaidyan
ilimanoor Royal Physician
See also
* ''
Marthandavarma'' (novel)
References
Website on Swathi ThirunalKerala tourismColumn in The Sunday Express by Shreekumar Varma* Sivasankaran Nair K, ''VeNAadinTe pariNamam'' (വെണാടിന്റെ പരിണാമം), in Malayalam,Current Books, 2005.
* From the Tourist brochure by '' Kilimanoor Kottara Charithra Sangraham'', Kilimanoor Palace.
*S.A.V.SMARAKA VAIDHYA SALA,TAZHAVA,KOLLAM
IST
Ist or IST may refer to:
Information Science and Technology
* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology
* Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan
* Graduate School ...
Footnotes
{{Tourism in Kerala
Kingdom of Travancore
Palaces in Thiruvananthapuram
Royal residences in India