Royalty in God’s own land

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This is a story that dates back a century and a half in Kerala history: The erstwhile Rajah of Kochi, known for his devotion to Lord Krishna, was a frequent visitor to the Sree Padhmanabha temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

But after a bitter feud with the Travancore Rajah, in whose domain the temple was, the Rajah of Kochi was denied entry to the shrine. Unwilling to admit defeat, the Rajah of Kochi set out to create an exact replica of the temple in his own kingdom.
His resolve took the shape of Chittoor Kottaram, a sprawling palace by the river at Cheranallore that still retains all its royal splendour, having stoically weathered the ravages of time. Today, the Chittoor Kottaram is under the care of the CGH Earth Experience Hotels enterprise, and is the one place where you can experience the life lived by the kings of yore.
A 45-minute boat ride from Marine Drive, past scenes of village life and fishing nets, is a magical world where all the trappings of royalty await you. “Whoever comes here is treated as a thampuran or thampuratty (meaning prince or princess),” says Milton Verghese, the agile caretaker at the palace, dressed in traditional Kerala attire.
His team greets you with a dash of kumkum on your forehead as you enter the multi-storeyed mansion that once reverberated with the durbars the king presided over from his rosewood swing in the upper section of the house. It isn’t difficult to imagine that you can hear the footsteps of the Rajah pacing his sprawling balcony which overlooks the beautiful lake below.
This is an idyllic setting indeed where time has stood still. “No one is admitted into the palace precincts when we have a guest and only one family is allowed to stay here at a time,” Milton tells us. He takes on a tour of the kulikkadavu (bath house) with a lovely pond (home to many ornamental fish) and the pathway to the padipura (main entrance) that attains a magical sparkle at night with a dozen or so lit kerosene lamps.
With a temple next door, it’s vegetarian fare that is served in this king’s palace and the choicest of vegetables are grown within the palace precincts. A canal cruise at dusk, followed by koodiyattam performances by artistes from the temple and a rendition of sopana sageetham, and you’ve experienced the life of the Kochi Rajah indeed.