V. Nagam Aiya, the then Deputy Peishkar, submitted a report to the Government of erstwhile Travancore on his findings about an ancient Bhagavathy temple with its gopuram “ in a most dilapidated condition ” situated atop Chitaral Hill. The ancient site finds mention in Ward and Conner’s famous map as ‘Sharaul’, located towards north-west of Kuzhithurai (now part of Tamil Nadu). Visakam Tirunal Rama Varma, the then Maharaja of Travancore, had strong ties with Chitaral and its neighbouring regions, wrote to Aiya, that in his opinion the Bhagavathy temple was once a Buddhist pagoda and that the Brahmins had appropriated and adapted it to their own purpose. The observations made by the erudite monarch were flawless except for his remark, which was based on popular belief of those days, on the Buddhist origin of the temple.
Today, the ancient shrine at Chitaral is well known for its intriguing history. Once it was a Jain centre that transformed into a Bhagavathy temple around 1205 A.D.; later it was mistaken for a Buddhist pagoda and now it has emerged as a sought after tourist destination and ASI protected site. Apart from bas relief carvings of Jain deities, Padmavatidevi, Parsvanatha, and the Tirtankaras, the temple boasts inscriptions and carvings dating to the time of its Brahmanical occupation.
C.V. Raman Pillai, who was aware of the popularity of the Bhagavathy temple amongst locals residents, makes a passing reference to ‘Chitaral-Amma ’ in his epic work Dharmaraja . Thikkurishi Gangadharan, a noted scholar, considers Chitaral, popularly known as Malayil Coil (temple atop a hill), as one amongst the four main Bhagavathy temples located in Kanyakumari District. The temple and its surroundings spring to life and activity during a 10-day festival celebrated in May.
The gopuram of the temple, as predicted by Nagam Aiya, did not remain intact for long. Some believe that the structure made of burnt brick and covered with ornamental lime stucco work perished in heavy rain while others say that it was struck down by lightning.
Today, the remains of the old gopuram has been consolidated and preserved by the ASI. Reconstruction of the tower was not possible since there was no drawing or photographic documentation of the original structure.
Today, more than 130 years after Nagam Aiya wrote his report, old photographs of the temple has surfaced from a private collection of the late Durbar Artist C. Neelakanta Pillai (1885-1961).
Pillai, it seems, had visited Chitaral during the early decades of the twentieth century when he had photographed the gopuram that was partially in ruins. An assortment of old photographs from the artist’s album reveals yet another valuable find. In one of the folios is a sepia–tinted photograph of the temple with the gopuram intact. The photograph can be dated to the turn of the nineteenth century, perhaps clicked by the government photographer who may have accompanied Nagam Aiya on his trip to Chitaral.
Neelakanta Pillai’s artistic assignments took him to several sites associated with the history of Venad rulers. “He was a talented photographer,” recalls Saraswathy Amma, the artist’s daughter. “Father’s close association with the royal family helped him to procure pictures from the royal collection as well,” she says, providing clues on exactly how the Chitaral photograph turned up in her father’s collection.
(The author is a conservation architect and history buff)
