My shop, Sreepadam Crafts, has completed 34 years, during which I have seen Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple become a world renowned place. Sitting here at my shop on the East Nada of the temple, I see crowds of pilgrims and tourists from across India coming to have darshan .
A total contrast to the scene when I set up my shop here. The area around the temple was more or less deserted with no streetlights. A major share of the devotees comprised those from Tamil Nadu, unlike the North Indian crowd you get to see now.
Before that I should tell you something about the history of this building in which my shop functions. During the time of the Maharajas, this building used to be the resting place for the king and his men when the sovereign came to the temple.
Horses and caretakers used to take rest here while the king had his darshan . There used to be a drawing room, a kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms. My shop actually used to be much smaller and had a bathing ghat and bathroom. As years passed by everything changed, the bathing ghat was closed, this room got a new look and it was used as a lodge for pilgrims.
I used to be a photographer in the Public Relations Department for 25 years. It was a friend who suggested that I could make use of this room to run a shop. I opened a studio in 1980, but had to shut it down some five to six years later because it wasn’t profitable. In those days, artisans from different parts of the city used to come here to sell their products, especially elephant figures in high quality wood. I started my business by selling these elephants that were bought by many tourists.
Gradually I started stocking more handicrafts. There were pieces made of different varieties of wood such as rosewood, teak, manjakadamba , cedar… Now you get products made of rosewood, rubberwood, maruthu , white teak, mahogany, and thembavu .
I stay at Palkkulangara. My shop is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Now the elephant figures are not very popular. Still I have got them in various sizes, along with figures of wild animals, which I get from different parts of the city. I also have knickknacks that come from places such as Guruvayur, Kochi, Alappuzha and Chalakkudy. This shop is under the direct management of the temple. There are a few other handicraft shops that are run on contract basis under a different management.
I am 79 now. I am very happy that I have brought out a book, Sreepaadathilekkulla Vazhikaatti , which has details about the temple, its history, the deity, other temples nearby, pujas and important events of the temple. It is available in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
Thanks to the worldwide fame of the shrine, the temple is always crowded. My customers, mostly North Indians, usually shop for photographs and souvenir pieces. And they love to bargain, which I don’t encourage much. However, in spite of the popularity, the surroundings lack many primary facilities. There aren’t enough lodges, toilets and bathrooms, good hotels and parking lots.
Above all, I am quite worried about the future of the handicraft industry. There aren’t enough raw materials available and there is a shortage of skilled labour.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
As told to Athira M.
