PHOTO MUSEUM OF PALAKKAD

  Great Old Vintage Collections Of Palakkad, Valluvanad, Ponnani, Chavakkad, Kunnamkulam.

Kalpathy Ratholsavam Is The Second Largest Car Festival In India. (Since 1464) This Festival Is Held Every Year In The Month Of November For  Ten Days. Raja Of Palakkad Hosts The Function & Tamil Speaking Brahmins Of Vedic Sanskrit Ancestry Are The Main Residents Of Kalpathy Village. A Village Trade Fair Is Also An Added Attraction In This Fest. This Photo Was Taken In The Year 1959.

Thiruvalathur Bhagavathy Temple Namboothiri Brahmin Priests Of The Temple Photo Taken On 1901- Archeological Survey Of  India

Garbagriham Of The Same Temple 1901

Thiruvalathur Temple Distance View Near Dried Bharathapuzha During Summer- 1901 ASI Photo

Temple Authorities & Priests Of Thiruvalathur Temple, Palakkad -1901 ASI Photo.

Shree Vishweshwara Temple @ West Yakkara Was Built On The Orders Of Shree Narayana Guru As Part Of His Mission To Construct Shiva Temples Throughout Travancore, Cochin & Malabar For Oppressed Castes. Although Guru Was Born In Ezhava Family, He Never DiscriminatedAgainst Castes Lower Than His Community. Foundation Stone Was Laid On 1907. In 1914 Main Sanctum Was Made. The Temple We Are Witnessing Today Was Built On 1946.

        Shree Vishweshwara Temple,West Yakkara.

Saint Anthony's Church Built In 1550 A.D @ Melarcode, Alathur Taluk. This Church Is A Roman Catholic Church Built For Migrant Thrissur Malayali Christian Community By Portuguese Missionaries. This Beautiful Old Building Is No More. The Church Authorities Destroyed That One & Built A New Ugly Building.Those Who Did That Cruel Thing Is Really Sick.

Melarcode St.Anthony's Cathedral In 1980s. 

Saint George Orthodox Cathedral & Christians In Arthat Near Kunnamkulam Suffered A Lot During The Rule Of Tippu Sulthan In 18th Century.

Report On Manappullikaavu Vela Festival On 02/03/1899.

Malampuzha Gardens In 1975 Times Of India Newspaper.

Malampuzha Dam & Gardens Foundation Was Laid In The Year 1949 By K.Bhakthavalsalam.

Pandit Sri Jawaharlal Nehru Inaugurated The Grand Opening Ceremony Of Malampuzha Dam & Gardens In November 25, 1955.

Although The Foundation Was Laid During The Rule Of K.BhakthaValsalam, This Project Was Completed During The Period Of K.Kamaraj. Started With A Group Of Best Planners, Supervisors,Designers, Architects & Engineers In India. Labours Came From The States Of Kerala, Tamilnadu, AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, Orissa & West Bengal. And Within A Short Span Of Six Years This Remarkable Piece Of Engineering Got Created. Without Malampuzha Dam Palakkad City & Suburbs Faced Lot Of Water Shortage On Summers. Drinking Water & Irrigation Were The First Priorities When Constructing The Dam. Tourism Comes Second. When Kanjikode Industrial Belt Began This Dam Provided Water. Now Almost All Leading Factories Have Borewells. 

Beautiful View Of Lake 

Thirunellayi Chariots Getting Ready For The Festival In 1960's.

Location : Cheruthuruthi Kerala Kalamandalam Founded By Mahakavi Vallathol Narayana Menon. Photo Took @ 1938.

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar & K.J. Yesudas In 1970s.

'King Of Acting', Shivaji Ganesan Greeted By 'Emperor Of Music', Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. Photo Took On The Actor's Residence In Chennai.

Vani Jayaram, One Of The Best Singers In Indian Film Industry Singing For The Silver Jubilee Function Held @ Chembai Government Music College In The Year 1982.

For K.J. Yesudas, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhaghavathar Is Like His Father. Dasettan Always Owes A Very Great Acknowledgement For His Guru Who Trained Him To Transform From A Good Singer To A Legendary Singer In The Indian Film Industry & To The Carnatic Music Scenario. A Shot From Silver Jubilee Function Held In 1982 @ Music College, Palghat.

'Maruthur House', M.G.R' Maternal Ancestral Home In Vadavannur, Kollengode.

Kunjan Smaraka Public Library, Killikurishimangalam Photo Took On 1959.

               Kottayi Government Hospital In 1930s.

T.R. KrishnaSwamy Iyer, Founder Of Sabari Ashram In Olavakkode With Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi & Mrs.Kasthurba Gandhi In 1930's.

Eashwari Ammal & T.R.KrishnaSwamy Iyer Dedicated Their Whole Life Working For The Welfare Of Dalits By Educating & Feeding Them.And Making Them Stand @ Their Own Feet By Pride. Established Sabari Ashram @ Olavakkode In 1920s.

Late Honourable Prime Minister Srimathi Indira Gandhi Visiting Hemambika Devi Temple @ Kallekulangara Near Olavakkode In The Year 1978.

Rajiv Gandhi Visiting Vadakkanthara Thirupuraikkal Bhagavathy Temple In The Year 1985.

Mahakavi Kumaranasan's Veenapoovu Introduction Giving Thanks To V.C.Jain & Appothecary Krishnan For Their Hospitality. He Accompanied Sree Narayana Guru On His Mission To Preach His Teachings To All Irrespective Of Tribe,Caste & Religious Differences Like Adi Shankara & Sri Ramanujacharya. 

Scholar Press Was The First Modern Printing Press Started By E.V.Ramakrishna Shastrikal Of Elappully Village (13Kms From Palakkad)@ Valyangaadi, Market Road. It Was In The Year 1925. The Above Pics Are From 'Sreemad Valmeeki Ramayanam' Narrated By Brahmashri G.S.Sreenivasa Iyer, HeadMaster Of Government High School @ Alathur. Published With The Aid Of Sri M.N.Ramaswamy Iyer. He Was A Banker. The Pattabhishekham Painting Was By B.K.Mithra Of Githa Press, Gorakhpur In UttarPradesh. A nd This Book Was Published By R.S.Vadhyar & Sons, Kalpathy In The Year 31/05/1940.

The author is reporting what Buchanan, a Scottish author stated about Bharathapuzha River In 1800.The reports have been repeated in 1878. 

Swadeshabimani Ramakrishna Pillai Who Was An Outspoken Journalist In Thiruvananthapuram Was Charged Against Treason For His Allegations Against Shankaran Thampi,(Manager Of Maharaja Of Travancore Sri Moolam Thirunal Balarama Varma) AnanthaRama Iyer (Commissioner)& P. Rajagopalachari (Diwan) For Corruption. He Was Deported To Thirunelveli On September 26, 1910. From There He Travelled To Coimbatore & Finally Reached Palakkad. He Stayed @ Tharavath A Nair Tharavad In Vadakkanthara Agraharam Of Iyers.

Tharavath Ammalu Amma A Prominent Member Of The Family Was A Pioneer Of Women's Freedom Movement In Palakkad. She Wrote Many Books Like Buddha GaadhaChandrika, Sri Sankara Vijayam, KrishnaBhakthi Chandrika Were Some Of Her Translated Works In Malayalam Language From Sanskrit. She Helped Ramakrishna Pillai & Gave Accommodation In The House.

Tharavath Tharavad Is Now GouriSankar Kalyana Mandapam Managed By Tamil Brahmins. (Iyers)

 Tramway Bridge 

Teak Is Transported Through The Thick Forests.

Amazing Beauty Of Parambikulam Forests, Tram Is Travelling Through Western Ghats.

Cochin Tramway Connecting Parambikulam, Chittur Taluk To Chalakudy was built in 1905 by Rama Varma XV Of Cochin & Lord Ampthill Governor Of Madras.These goods were exported to Europe in the name of famous 'Cochin Teak' through the port.

Cochin State Tramway Front Engine

A Group Photo Of Staffs & Workers Of Southern Railways In Palakkad @1940's

Workers Of Southern Railways In Palakkad @ 1940's.

Shoranur - Cochin Railway Line Opened For Passenger Traffic On 16/07/1902.

Ponnani Bridge Near Shoranur Jn. 1935 Pic.

Palakkad- Pollachi Railway Services Started In The Year 1893. This Photo Was Taken By Indian Railways In The Year 1963.

A Village Near Palakkad City In 1910.

Staffs Of Electricity Board In 1920's Batch.At The BackGround You Could Observe Some Portions Of The Colonial Bungalow Which Is Still In Use. Palghat Municipality Was Fully Electrified In The Year 1933.

N.C.Rowther Was The First Person To Start A Bus Service In The City Of Palghat In The Year 1943. It Had A Tempo Like Front Engine Fuelled By Charcoal & Steam.And Seats Were Like A Vintage Car. These Type Of Buses Were Very Successful In Those Years.

MayilVahanam Motors Started Bus Services On Palghat-Ottapalam Route In The Year 1930s. 

An Article In Malayalam Explains Abbreviation Of B.O.C Road. (Burma Shell Oil Company)

Kuzhalmannam Cattle Market Was Once War Horses Of Mysore Sultans Were Kept.

Gowder Was The First Theatre In The Municipality Of Palghat. Started In The Year 1925 By Thirumalai Gowder. He Came From Mandya District, Karnataka(Then It Was Mysore State)This Cinema Functioned For So Many Years With Pride. Below Pic Shows His Family & Staffs Of Gowder Cinema.

New Theatre Is One Of The Oldest Cinemas In India.(Still Functioning)This Movie Hall Had A Drama Theatre Which Was Very Popular @ Those Days. Built In The Year 1936. Showed Many Classic Films In Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi & English. Of The Five Old Famous Cinemas @ Palghat (New Theatre, Gowder, Balkies, Hridaya & New Kerala Talkies) Built Over The Period Of 1936-66 Period. This One Only Remains With Modern Times. Now It Is Known As Sree Devi Durga.

Advertisement Of Famous No.6 PhotoMark Beedi Company Of P.S.Noor Mohammed Rowther Established In 1937 

Advertisement Of A.N.M.R & Co. No.100 Beedi Company, Palghat. Established By Noor Mohammed Rowther In The Year 1932.

Government Ayurveda Hospital Photo Took On 1960's.

Palakkad District Hospital New Building @ 1960's. 

Kanjikode Hills Photo Took In Early 1900's.

A European Wedding With Family Members & Their Priest, Indian Friends.

Post From Wurttemberg To Palghat 1898.

From The Book Antiquarian Remains In Madras Presidency -1882

A Book Describes That 'GrassMats' made from Palakkad had been exhibited in 'The Universal Exposition De Paris' 1878.

World Famous 'Palghat Grass Mat' On 1888 Photographs.

Coins Of Various Rulers Of Palakkad (Palakkad, Chittur,Alathur)& Valluvanad (Ottapalam, Pattambi, Mannarkkad, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani) Regions. Many European Coins Are Also Found Here Due To Prosperous Sea Borne Trade.

Weapons Used By Velichappad (Oracle) Of Chittur Bhagavathy & Perumal Warriors Of Chera King Against Kongunadu Warriors In The Year 841 A.D.(A Subsidiary Of Medieval Cholas)

Map Of Malabar District (1792 - 1957) Capital @ KozhikodeCity. Alathur Is Included In Palakkad Taluk. (H.Q. Palakkad City) Angadippuram Became Head Quarters Of Valluvanad Taluk.

Chittur Taluk Was One Of The Important Places Of Cochin Kingdom (1341-1947) 

J.B. Pharaoh's Map 'Plan Of Paulghautcherry' Published In The Year 1854. This map mainly shows Tippu Sulthan Fort, Maidan & Surroundings.

Manuscripts Of 16thCentury Great Malayalam Poet & 'Father Of Modern Malayalam Language' Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachchan @ Guru Madom, Chittur ThekkeGraamam.

Ponnani Valyapalli Shafi Juma Masjid Built On 14th Century A.D. By Arab Missionaries For Malayali Mappila Muslim Community On The Instruction Given By Samudiri Rajas Of Kozhikode. Photo Took By British Officer In The Year 1930.

Ponnani Is One Of The Oldest Ports In The World. Palakkad & Valluvanad Regions Had Always Depended On The Port Of Ponnani For Exporting Its Richness To The Other Parts Of The World For Centuries. At The Same Time, Ponnani Also Benifitted A Lot From These Places By Sharing Profits. Ponnani Town Is Very Famous For Islamic Learning Centres & Mosques, So It Is Known As 'Mecca Of South India'.  Above: A Beautiful View Of Ponnani Canal In 1900's.

Ponnani Port In 1920's.

    Palakkad Market Road On A Rainy Day. (1970s)

Coconut Bazaar, Ponnani Town (1930)

 A British Officer Came With His Wife In Austin. Shot Near Ponnani Canal In 1932.

   Kannadi River (Nila) In 1949.

Basel Evangelical Missionary School In 1920. This Photo Was Took On The 10th Year Of Constructing This Building. 

Front Side & Back Side Of The School. Photo Took After Construction In 1910.

From 1878 Book On Important Routes Of Towns In Madras Presidency.

Victoria College Clock Tower In 1951.

Government Victoria College, College Road Palakkad City - 1940's Photograph

Victoria College In 1963

Nellissery S.Narayana Iyer, Councilor Of Palakkad who allotted land for this college.

Foundation Stone Of Victoria College Laid By Raja Of Palghat, Shekhari Varma ValiyaRaja Along With William Logan (Historian& District Collector)& C.W.Dance (Asst.Collector & Vice Chairman Of Palghat Municipality.) On 31/12/1887.

Late Great Former Principals Of Victoria College Of Palghat City.

Late Great Former Municipal Chair Persons Of Palakkad (1893 - 1970)

N. S. S. Engineering College @ Akathethara, Near Olavakkode. Photo Took On 1960's. 

Same College During 1980's.

An 1890 Photo Of Olavakode Tile Factory People Crossing Kalpathy River.

This is an Old Stone Inscription Depiction Of The Foundation Of Kasi Viswanathar Temple Of Kalpathy Village On 1464 A.D By Sri Sekhari Varma Raja Of Palakkatucherry & Itti Kombi Achan Minister Of Raja. Written In Old Vattezhuthu Script Of Malayalam.

Old Olavakkode Tile Factory & Its Offices Doesn't Exists Today.Only Factory Bungalow Exists Now.

Foundation Stone Of Mepparamba Protestant Cathdral laid by Inspector General Of Police John Froymeyer 1910.Many People Assembled On The Premises To Witness The Function.

Mepparamba Church Completed In 1912.Founders & Followers Of Both Foreign & Native Stock Are Together For A Group Photo Session.

Interior Of Mepparamba Protestant Church In 1912.

Robinson Memorial C.S.I. Church In 19th Century Painting.

Mission House, Robinson Road Old Drawing

A Platform In Shornoor Station 

     From 1878 Book On Important Routes Of Towns In Madras Presidency.

Palghat Depicted In An 18th Century Map As One Of HyderAli's Important Towns.

Mission House Of Wagner In Robinson Road 1900

Mission Hospital @ Vaniyamkulam In The Year 1938.

Vāniyamkulam Was One Of The Major Centres Of Protestant Christianity In Malabar Distict. Vāniya Means 'Trading Castes Of Chettiyars'. Kulam Means 'Tank'. This Small Town Is Famous For A Large Cattle Market Founded By ValluvaKonathiris In 14th Century A.D.

Many People Associate Herman Gundert With Thalassery (Tellicherry) But Few Know About His Relationship With Ottapalam especially Vaniyamkulam. This Photo Was Took In The Year 1938. Now Mission Bungalow Is Used For Giving Students Training In Poly Technic.

Here Herman Gundert Stayed for Some Years For His Malayalam- English Dictionary Work At Vaniyamkulam Bungalow(Ottapalam) In 1860's.

Old Olavakkode Tile Factory Offices 1890s

Old Olavakkode Tile Factory & Kalpathy Rail & Pedestrian Bridge In 1888.

Olavakkode Tile Factory Officer's Bungalow 1886.

A View Of Victoria College & Grounds In 1950's.

Nurani Hindu High School Established In 1904 Photo Took @1970's.

Level Cross @ Kalpathy River Bridge

Hand Palm Goddess Of Kallekulangara Emur Hemambika Devi Temple.Patron Diety Of Palakkattussery RajaVamsom Since 14th Century A.D. This symbol was adopted by Indira Gandhi for Congress(I) In 1978.

Palakkad RajaVamsham (Tharoor Swaroopam)

His Highness Sri Valiya Raja SekhariVarma (Chathu Achan) Of Ilayachanidom.

His Highness Sri V.K.Chathu Achan  

His Highness Sri Palakkatussery Sekhari Varma Valiya Raja Also Known As 'Dharmanachan'.

His Highness Sri Palakkatussery Sekhari Varma Alias 'Kunji Kombi Thampuran'.

Ilayachanidam Palace H.Q. Of Rajas Of Palakkad (Tharoor Swaroopam)

Valluvanad Konathiris (Rulers Of Valluvanad)

Aandithara @ Thiruvaazhiyode Was The Place Where 32 Coconuts Were Cut Opened for Thirumulkaazhcha By 11 Families Who Are Hereditary Trustees Appointed By ValluvaKonathiris. (Warriors & Rulers Of Valluvanad)

Kollengode RajaVamsom (Vengunad Kings)

Portrait Of His Highness Sir Vasudeva Raja Of Kollengode.

His Highness Prince Sri DharmaVarman One Of The Kollengode Rajas.

Her Majesty Sri Dhatri Thampuratti Of Kollengode.(Vengunad)This Asian Palace has a history of 500 years. It is built on Kerala Style. Queen ordered to built another beautiful palace for the Royal Family Ladies in the year 1890 in European Architecture. Today Kollengode Palace is where a world class health resort operates called 'Kalari Kovilakam' by CGH Earth Group, Cochin.

Arrival Of Raja Of Kollengode With Foreign Delegates From Palghat In 1930's.

A Small Portion Of Kollengode Palace In 1930's.

Kollengode Palace In 1950s.

Elephants Standing On Two Sides Of Kollengode Palace In 1940s.

Classic European Half Of Kollengode Palace (above) & Beautiful Asian Half . (Below)

European Tourists In Nelliampathy (1880's)

Awesome Beauty Of Nelliampathy Hills Today.

The Nelliyampathies range starts in Tamil Nadu rising to between 3500 and 5000 feet in an area known as Mount Stewart, where the teakwood and rosewood plantations of the Kerala and Tamil Nadu Forest Department thrive and thick bamboo is plentiful. It then rises further west to form the southern edge of the Palghat Gap in Kerala. This second, slightly higher range, once highly malarious, used to be covered with evergreen rain forest and grassy hilltops. Today, it is the plantation district of the ‘Nellies’…

The entire Nelliyampathy hills originally belonged to the Vengunad Kovilakam of Kollengode (a principality), who had leased out vast tracts of this virgin forest area to the Government during the 19th century. Some tracts of the Nelliyampathy hills were leased out in the year 1889 to two Britons – Arthur Hall and W.R.M. McKenzie – who initially opened up the land for commercial cultivation. Later, in 1896 they sold the leasehold right over the land to a Finlays enterprise – The Amalgamated Tea Estates Company Ltd formed by John Muir, which was subsequently acquired by The Amalgamated Coffee Estate Pvt. Ltd.The Amalgamated Tea Estates Company Ltd., received a Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition held in 1900.

              European Bungalows In Nelliyampathy 

The Halls, perhaps the best known of the early planters in the Nellies, always held that there were others before them in these hills where only tribals roamed before the land was opened up by the planters. By the time Arthur Hall arrived in the Nellies in 1877, there appeared to have been coffee planted without shade in what were later known as Shernelly, halfway up the ghat, and Nelikolam Estates, the latter on the plateau. Arthur Hall started planting at Cotengady, near Padagiri, and was the father of planting in the Nellies.

By the 1890s, there were over a hundred European planters in the district, mostly from the coffee districts of Mysore, but by the 1930s there were no more than half a dozen and most of the coffee they had planted lay abandoned… The Halls’ property and James Finlay’s at Sethangandy (Seethargundu) were two that were still flourishing at the time… Both older estates also planted cardamom and a visitor to Sethangandy said its cardamom were “the biggest and best he’d ever seen”.

In the hills, planters built roads and used bullock carts, which had been carried up and assembled there. But all traffic out of, and into, the district was by head load, pack bull and horse till 1932 when the Nemmara road was opened.

               Tea Estates In Nelliyampathy Hills

The Nellies in those days was good animal country. Elephants could be met round the corner on the narrow twisty interior roads, so going out after dark meant being careful. Bison and tahr provided good shooting- sixteen-incher tahrs common in those days. It is also a matter of record that two of the very few man-eaters ever found in South India were in the Nelliyampathies, operating on the jungle track to Nemmara.

The Nelliyampathies have got back to the serious business of planting since then – and it’s been a far more successful business than in the days when the Halls alone appeared to have faith in these hills.

 (My Sincere Courtesy To 150 Years Of Palakkad Municipality Book, British Library, E Bay, Victoria College Website, Basel Mission Archives, Contributers To Kerala Culture Website, Hindu Archives, Indian Railways, St. Sebastian Cathedral, Asianet News, Malayalam Manorama, Mathrubhumi, YouTube, K.V.K. Iyer,

St. Francis Church, Malabar Manual, Journey Of Francis Buchanan, United Planters Of South India, Rajas Of Palakkad, Kollengode, Cochin & Valluvanad, CGH Earth Group, Google Books etc. And Most Importantly Friendly And Lovely People Of Palakkad, Thrissur & Malappuram Districts For Their Great Support.)

Few Antiquities From My Mother's Ancestral House

                               

1. Engraving Of Bhoothaganas Of Lord Shiva @ The Entrance To Ward Of Evil Spirits ie, Negative Energy.

2. Floral Designed Like A Sudharshana Chakra Of Lord Vishnu @ The Entrance.

3. On The Main Door Too.

4. Boulder Used To Put Inside A Slit On The Top Of A Wooden Door.

5. Rice Powdering Mini Mill Used To Grind Rice Using Hand Power.

6. Sandalwood Paste Maker.