Not much princely state in pre- independent India had two capitals; one where royalty sat and took decisions and another where its minions sat and dispensed royal diktats. The erstwhile Cochin State was one such. The hamlet-like Tripunithura was the abode of royalty, while the neighboring sleepy town of Ernakulam housed the secretariat, judiciary and other sundry officialdom. (more…)
There are two stories about Gujaratis’ tryst with Kerala. One has it that they first came here in the early 12th century as refugees after their land was ruthlessly ravaged by the marauding army of Mahmud Ghazni. The second relates to a much later period when they came as honored guest at the request of the then Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore, Raja Kesavadas, to motivate the locals to entrepreneurship. Even if apocryphal, the two stories, nonetheless, suggest a symbolic, yet historical, link between the people up north and down south that evidently transcended time. (more…)
The year was 1898, On a sultry summer morning, the then Maharaja of Cochin State, Sir Sri Rama Varma, was closeted with his Diwan, Sir P Rajagopalachari. The issue that was agitating their mind was the non-completion of the railway line from Shornur in the north to the capital city of Ernakulam, down south, for want of funds. They had already scraped the proverbial ‘bottom of the pot’. Both were at their wits’ end. (more…)
Aarattu at Padmanabhaswami Temple
Kodiyettu, Aarattu, temple arts etc. are performed during these days. Arattu is an important ritual performed at the end of the festival. It is a holy bath of the main deity accompanied by ceremonial procession. (more…)
The 135-year-old Napier Museum, one of Thiruvananthapuram’s historic landmarks, is going in for a makeover. In an effort to preserve the Museum, the Kerala State Archaeology Department is abandoning its conventional lighting system and replacing it with LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. This move is expected to reduce the building’s energy usage and carbon emissions from lighting by nearly 50 percent over a 20-year period, and reduce the carbon footprint as well.
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The Wellington Water Works and a tunnel of the Travancore era which carries water pipelines from Aruvikkara and runs under the Vellayambalam – Museum Road will be developed as a tourist attraction by the Kerala Tourism Department. (more…)
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