Ammachi Kottaram, the mystic gem
Hidden deep within a small, forgotten wood, the ancient palace stands in eerie silence. The cold wind, wandering from the depths of the Western Ghats, whispers through the trees, parting the mist that wraps the palace like a white veil. Idukki’s fog rolls low across the mossy stones, softening their age-old scars and swallowing the path that leads to the gates.
Every breath feels heavy with memory, as though the forest itself remembers the footsteps that once echoed through the palace halls. After a walk of couple kilometers through the silent woods, I finally reached the front yard of the ancient palace. The great Ammachi Kottaram — once the proud guest house of the Travancore kings. Standing before it now, half-lost to the woods and mist, it was hard to imagine the grandeur it once held.
During the 19th century the king of Travancore, Sri Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, built this palace for his wife as royal retreat. In those days the Travancore royal families followed the traditional matrilineal system, so the brother and sister ruled the land as the King (Maharaja) and the Queen (Maharani). The King's wife carried the royal title of consort also known as Ammachi in native language. Since the king’s wife held the royal title of consort, the palace associated with her came to be called as Ammachi Kottaram.
Ammachi kottaram is a vast palace approximately covering 25 acres of land. The palace was designed with a big darbar hall, three bed rooms, surrounding veranda as well as kitchen, dinning area and bathrooms. The palace also contains secret passageways.
Today this palace is not well-maintained. The once-grand halls and verandas are now covered in dust and spider webs, and the palace has lost much of its former splendor. It is currently looked after by a local caretaker, preserving what remains of this historical treasure. Now this ancient palace have turned into a popular horror movie shooting location for many Malayalam movies, such as Indriyam (2000), Carbon (2018), Lucifer ( 2019) etc...
Lets hope that the archaeology department will restore this Ammachi kottaram to its former glory. Even though now the palace is not well maintained, it continues to attract people who seek history and horror ambience.
Location
Kuttikanam, near Peermedu,Idukki district.
2 kilometers from Kuttikanam Town.
Near by destinations
Pine forest
Valanjanganam Water falls
Parunthumpara
Panchalimedu
Comments
Post a Comment