Twenty-six houses stand side by side, each one older than the one before it. The oldest is from the Vijayanagar kingdom, which dates back 700 years. Until you go inside, Kamal Mahal appears to be a simple single-story home.
It is one of the strangest archaeological finds of ancient India. And this was not all, it also proved to be an architectural marvel. The structure, part of a large royal residence, is the only wooden specimen of pre-Vijayanagara era that has survived. This unique ten layered wooden assembly was created to possess an outsized column free central space and served as a personal chamber of the military commander who served the Empire.
This post will take you through what has been one of India's rarest treasures, hidden in plain sight for centuries now, yet never thoroughly researched.
Found in 1605 by an Englishman in Kerala, known then as Cochin (Kochi), this structure, part of a large royal residence, is the only wooden specimen of pre-Vijayanagara era that has survived. This unique ten-layered wooden assembly was created to have a large column free central space and served as a private chamber for the army commander who served the Empire
The site of the structure is located in a large and well-known royal palace. It is believed that the Palace was built by the Pandiyans and later by the Travancore royal family. The earliest part of this palace was erected in 1368 AD, which was destroyed in 1789 during the battle of Nedumkotta, (when Tipu Sultan, Sultan of Mysore died). In 1801, Parthia dynasty (Persian Dynasty) tillted over this palace and now it is being restored as per original state.
This structure has been found to be more than 200 years old but there is a legend that this building existed even before that time. It is said that the Naga Sadhus (Naga Sadhabas) have been migrating to India since 5th century. A team of researchers claim that one such Naga Sadhu visited Kerala in 1605 and stayed in this palace. This tale is based on a reference found in a book written by an Englishman called Bishop Landsborough.
This structure has survived more than 200 years of ravages of time and the outdoors. The ten layers composition was made with East Indian teak wood, without any nail-screws or iron nails but with stringers (long pieces of timber like beams connected by wooden pegs.
The intricate wooden pillars support the massive wooden roof, which has many beams and struts, as well as bulbous and pointed pendants. The central space leads to a front chamber with murals and cloth-based Lepakshi and Kalamkari paintings. The palanquins in the corners, open for men and closed for ladies, are also from the Vijayanagar period.
The central room, which has a high teak roof, contains complex carvings that culminate in a lotus (kamal in vernacular) frame, after which the mansion is named. This room was once the governor's and his lady's private chamber, where they might have sat together on a swing suspended from the roof.
The beauty of this structure can be witnessed at the Hasta Shilpa Heritage village at Manipal. One can see and drown himself or herself into this beautiful ocean of magnificent architecture. Hope you all like this post. Worked really hard on this one , since it was hard to find history of this place and structure. Nonetheless , days of time involvement for this worked.