31st December, 2021
The entire present day Kanyakumari District formed part of erstwhile Thiruvithamkoor or Travancore Kingdom.
Up to Marthanda Varma, all kings ruled the erstwhile Venad Kingdom (which was expanded by Marthanda Varma to form Thiruvithaamkoor) from Padmanabhapuram in Kanyakumari District.
It was Dharma Raja, the nephew and successor of Marthanda Varma, who shifted the capital to Thiruvananthapuram.
We drove down from Thiruvananthapuram to Thiruvattoor to Thuckalay to Colachel to Nagercoil and then to Kanyakumari, a distance of around 120 kms
Places to visit:
Adi Kesava Temple
It is around 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram and is believed to be older than Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
The temple has a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, (River Kothai, River Pahrali and River Thamirabarani).
The temple architecture is Dravidian style architecture with wooden pillars, doors and roofs. The lord is lying on his snake couch and has to be viewed through three doors.
Marthanda Varma was a staunch devotee of Lord Adikesava and used to worship at the temple before all the major war campaigns undertaken by him.
Padmanabhapuram Palace
After seeing palaces in other places, our mind and sight is trained to look for massive structures that defines a palace.
But this one would give you a surprise given its structure and dimensions. Its small as compared to the ones that we have seen. The palace totally made of wood is pretty quaint and very beautiful. The tiled structure soothes you and lets you enjoy the durbar hall, queen’s room and a dining hall where feasts were held etc.
Over 400 years old, and considered to be the largest wooden palace in Asia, the palace is strategically placed, surrounded by forts.
The vast palace complex of today was constructed by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal (r.767-784 M.E.). It is said that this palace is older than Rambagh Palace in Rajasthan.
The founder of modern Travancore, King Marthanda Varma (1706–1758) who ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758, rebuilt the palace in around 1750. King Marthaanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to his family deity SreePadmanabha, a form of Lord Vishnu and ruled the kingdom as Padmanabhadasa or servant of Lord Padmanabha.
Colachel
The Battle of Colachel (Kulachal) was fought between the Kingdom of Travancore and the Dutch East India Company in August 1741.
This is considered one of the earliest instances of an organised Asian power overcoming a European army. It was the first time in Indian history that a native army defeated a European force. It was even more unique because an army with firearms lost to an army without one.
Marthanda Verma adopted a policy of expansionism in Kerala. One of the aggrieved kingdoms sought the assistance of the Dutch in curbing it. The Dutch Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, declared war against Marthanda Verma. The King of Travancore defeated the Dutch and took over the complete trade of Black Pepper.
One significant outcome was that the Dutch prisoners offered their services and proceeded to modernize the Travancore army on European lines. The newly trained Travancore army proved to be devastatingly effective during Marthanda Varma’s war against other kingdoms of Kerala. De Lannoy, who led the war was captured in the battle, subsequently earned the trust of the king, Maharaja Marthanda Varma, who made him an officer in the Travancore military.
The Dutch trained Travancore military would go on to conquer most of modern-day Kerala. In addition, the forts that De Lannoy had designed would hold up the advance of the French-armed Mysore army in 1791.
Nagercoil
It’s a privilege when we have a lot of friends and trips give us an opportunity to meet up with them. Road trips help us to keep the journey under our control and help us to take detours to meet them. I met Salil in Nagercoil. I worked with LIC at Nagercoil in 1999 and it was nostalgic to see the place once again. I entered the branch wearing a mask, goggles and a cap and I hear a voice calling out my name and it stunned me. It was Salil walking towards me. He had not seen me for the last 22 years but recognized me. This is the power of human relations and people.
Kanyakumari
A popular tourist destination in India, it is famous for its unique ocean sunrise, sunset and moonrise, the 41-metre (133 ft) Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial off the coast, and as a pilgrimage centre.
