Friday, June 24, 2016

Ettayapuram Palace, Ettayapuram

Ettayapuram Palace, Ettayapuram 
Ettaiyapuram Palace located in the town of Ettaiyapuram in Tuticorin district is a famous tourist spot. During the region of Pandyas at Madurai, people from Chandragiri near Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh were brought and posted as “watch keepers (DhisaiKavalars) of Ilasanadu”. This was later called as Ettayapuram. When the local chiefs refused to pay the taxes to the Pandya kingdom, Ettappan at Ilasanadu collected the taxes with the help of his army. Later Pandya king appointed Ettappan as a ruler of the place. After the rule of 150 years Ettayapuram was formed in 1565 in this place.



Ettaiyapuram Palace is one of the most famous tourist spots of Thoothukudi and is located at a distance of about 35 Km from the city center. Ettaiyapuram is known for depicting the cultural history of Tamil Nadu. You might find a lot of peacocks in the compound of this place. The advantage attached with visiting this place is that it is in its original state yet and you would get to see the architecture of Pandyas kingdom all by yourself along with the peacocks.



The Ettayapuram palace is only a stone's throw from Bharathiyar house but no one seems to know exactly where their king once lived. The area was fenced with big broken gate. Inside, past a wide, empty area and a palatial mansion that seems uninhabited, is a white, domed building in a corner besides what seems to be a broken down stable.


One look at this enormous white-stone palace, with its tapering, circular domes, intricate floral carvings along the walls, shuttered windows, and stone lion turrets, and this was the home of the Raja of Ettayapuram. Legend has it that Ettappan had given out information about the whereabouts of Veerapandiya Kattabomman (who was in hiding) to the British and this caused the brave heart’s death by hanging. The area surrounding this grand, dilapidated palace is empty.