A fitting memorial for Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raj

KOCHI: Those who admire the royal past of Malabar will soon be able to feel the essence of its rich legacy. The Padinjare Kovilakom at Mattannur may become a museum and memorial for Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, the legendary ruler of Malabar as the royal family has agreed to hand over the ancestral house to the government. The notification process needed to convert the Kovilakom into a protected monument has been completed by the Archaeological Department. “The Kovilakom, with a history of 150 years, is the only monument related to  Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja. He stayed at the old Kovilakom situated here before his revolt and guerrilla war against the imperialist forces. “Raja Shankara Varma was the last member of the Pazhassi lineage to reside there. The department plans to turn the Kovilakom into a protected monument,” said officials at the   Archaeological Department.   Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja started his revolt following the unfriendly revenue policies of the English East India Company. He fled and launched guerilla war against the British from 1769 in the jungles of Wayanad. After 27 years of fighting, he died in 1797. The present ancestral home was built after the siege in 1805, when the British destroyed the earlier home. Two temples attached to the Kovilakom have already been renovated and opened for the public. A ministerial meet in this connection was held on February 18.   According to the Pazhassi Raja Charitable Trust, a proposal to establish a memorial at the Kovilakom was submitted to the Mattannur Municipality in 2008, but it did not materialise. “The only Pazhassi memorial in the state is the tomb built by the British at Mananthavadi in Wayanad. We have asked the government to develop the Kovilakom into a tourist centre,” said Dr Pramod P P, chairman of the trust.  “The trust has proposed to build a library and conference hall, along with a museum as a memorial,” he added.  “Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja pioneered the fight against the British forces, and the Kovilakom should be preserved as a memorial for the future generation. It will be a centre for historians and students to know about the rich history of the Pazhassi family,” Ravi Verma Raja said. The royal family also wants the upcoming international airport to be named after Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja.