Heavy, huge wooden gates, more than 12 feet high and nearly eight feet across, open the door to the past; to a lifestyle that has vanished into oblivion. Spread out on nearly an acre, six sprawling, red-tiled buildings, all packed with artefacts and antiques, introduce visitors to a slice of life in the south of erstwhile Travancore.
The efforts of one man, Abhilash Kumar, Charitra Malika (House of history), as the complex is called, is situated deep in a bylane a little after the excise check post at Amaravila, 18 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Work on shifting the more than 300-year-old main building, known as Chuttumalika, from the vicinity of Padmanabhapuram Palace was begun in the late sixties by Titus Bhaghyanathan, Abhilash’s father.
Abhilash Kumar
Perturbed by the rapid pace at which life and lifestyles were changing, Abhilash decided to uproot his ancestral home on the other side of the Kerala border in Kanyakumari district and move it to Amaravila in Kerala. He feels that ever since Kanyakumari stopped being a part of Kerala after the reorganisation of States on a linguistic basis, a vital segment of Travancore history was relegated to the background or neglected.
Abhilash began collecting anything and everything that was once essential in a household or was part of the lifestyle of the common man during erstwhile Travancore. Arranged neatly, the verandahs of the wood and laterite structures are filled with grinding stones of different sizes and shapes, brass utensils and items of everyday use, stone, wood and earthen urns, wooden containers, iron implements, weapons, paraphernalia for Ayurveda treatment and so on.
Different kinds of grinding stones that were commonly used in households in erstwhile Travancore at neatly arranged at Charitra Malika
“Most children would not be able to identify these implements that were used in the kitchen even about 20 years ago,” he says, pointing to the grinding stones that were used to pound rice, grind dough or crush masalas. “As time goes on, it is natural for lifestyles to change. But then efforts must be made to conserve that so that a new generation is aware of how their grandparents and ancestors lived,” asserts Abhilash.
Measures from another era, commonly used for measuring paddy have been collected by Abhilash Kumar
Farming implements, bullock carts, several wooden granaries ( pathayam ), the tools used by traditional toddy tappers, ingenious, kitchen hacks,...it is a veritable museum that this one man has assembled.
The oil press at Charitra Malika
Charitra Malika is a testimony to Abhilash’s determination and dedication. Although it would take more than four or five hours to see the entire place, Abhilash quickly runs us through the building and underground spaces such as a kalari, where warriors were trained, a labour room and a treatment room where various kinds of Ayurveda regimes were followed and so on.
The roof of the Aatmeeya Poomukham that does not have any nails in it for assembling
Explaining the significance of the position of the buildings according to Vastu Shastra and architectural marvels incorporated in the building, such as a hollow pillar and beam that is connected to the granary and served as a secret place to save and hoard coins, Abhilash says traditional houses were built in accordance with the lay of the land and laws of Thachu Shastra (the ancient rules of building). He believes that following these calculations and rules ensured the health and prosperity of the residents.
No helping hand
“The Aathmeeya Poomukham, for instance, was usually the place where the karanavar (senior-most male) of the house would usually be seated for taking important decisions. The roof of this building has been assembled without a single nail and the maths had to be precise for it to fall into place when it was put up,” he explains. Spending from his own pocket, Abhilash has recreated these vignettes of the past. However, he is disappointed that the government is not lending a helping hand to preserve the collection and guarantee its safety.
The 23,000 square feet Charitra Malika and its wonders are open to visitors from educational institutions for a nominal fee. Although he had tried appointing guides to take visitors around, Abhilash had to discontinue that since he could not afford their salary. Now, he himself takes visitors around the place. “I am not sure how long I will be able to keep this up sans any support. It is physically and financially exhausting,” he says. “I will keep it going as long I can and then just give it away to some charitable trust that I can rely on,” he says, getting ready to take a batch of students from an academic institution in the city.
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