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Fit for kings
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In the bustling Raja Street stands a grand old lady, Parvathi Illam
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FROM A DIFFERENT ERA Parvathi Illam PHOTO: M. PERIASAMY
Today Coimbatore is expanding in all directions. It has grown from a hospitable, sleepy town into a place of bustling activity.
The old town, the epicentre of the city, is undoubtedly the most commercial and historical area. Some fabulous buildings stand there. But they are fast diminishing.
A heritage building stands on Raja Street. The road has no palace or any royal presence, nor does history have a clear explanation as to why it is named so.
While there are many theories like the possible existence of a Palace belonging to Tipu Sultan, there is no documentary or visual evidence to back them.
Unmatched grandeur
The building in question is Parvathi Illam and it has a fair amount of documentation. It stands opposite another grand and ornate Narasu's-Coffee building.
These two are a reminder of the glory of one of the most important roads in Coimbatore. Many larger, taller and grander rivals have come up along the road, but none will ever match up to the grandeur of these heritage structures.
Two commercial establishments dealing in traditional metal vessels and in consumer goods are housed at Parvathi Illam.
A traditional Nadar family of Nanjundapuram owns the building for the last 70 odd years. Karupanna Nadar a philanthropic and spiritual man, bought it in the year 1929 from Sevalai Chettiar. But documents say that the house existed even before 1916. The Nadar family made several additions to the building.
They once used the building as a commercial and administrative base to look after their interests in agriculture and toddy.
The 5000 sq ft building is not in the best of shape, but it is restorable.
"I would like to retain the oldest part of the building and put it to some good commercial use without disturbing its architecture," says Sanjay Shankar, the present owner. We also get to know from old documents that the road was called "Madhe Raja Mahal Stree".
It is said that all the buildings of that age in this road were built with verandahs and balconies to facilitate people to view the Temple car procession during festivals.
The two-storey building is typical of that age; one gets the feeling that the emphasis was more about creating an imposing façade.
Even though in many parts the structure is unstable and decaying, the stained-glass windows and the wooden stairway lend it considerable charm.
The parapet is shaped like a fort wall and this gives the building an imposing appearance. Only the front part is from the 1916 era and the rest has been added about 30 years ago.
Today most of the building is unoccupied but for the two tenants on the ground floor.
It is evident that misuse over the years has brought the structure to its existing state.
The owners now want to use the heritage building.
Raja Street has been the prince of streets for over a century and continues to be so, and the heritage buildings on it are its crowning glory.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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