Neerazhi Palace

Neerazhi Palace slips unnoticed in the bustle of Puzhavathu, a modest brick rectangle that once housed Thekkumkur’s royal retinue until 1750 before the Parappanad nobles from Malabar took over, and it is the sort of site that will not appear on glossy itineraries but rewards the patient. The façade, a plain whitewashed wall punctuated by a few narrow arched windows, masks a courtyard where the last Thekkumkur ruler, Aditya Varman Manikandan, fled in 1790 after Travancore’s cannonades, a story you can hear whispered by the caretaker near the rusted iron gate at 10 am when the sun softens the heat. Skip the overcrowded colonial museums of Kottayam and head straight to the palace’s back alley on Kottayam‑Puthuppally Road; the side lane leads to a small tea stall where locals serve frothy chai and a fried banana leaf roll called `vada` that tastes of nostalgia. Stay in a budget guesthouse on the nearby Gopalapally lane – rooms are basic but the host can point you to the hidden stairwell that opens onto the original stone well, a rare glimpse of 18th‑century engineering. Visit in the cooler months of November to February; the monsoon will turn the surrounding paddy fields into a mucky mess and the palace’s already sparse signage will become illegible. Two hours is honest for a stroll, an hour for photos (if you can find a decent angle), and an extra half‑hour to sit on the courtyard brickwork and imagine a kingdom’s last breath. Avoid the weekend rush when school groups flood the site and the only quiet you’ll have is the distant hum of traffic on the main road.

Source · Wikipedia · Neerazhi Palace · CC-BY-SA

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