All eyes on Srirangam house where Jayalalithaa’s ancestors once lived

The property is said to be more than 100 years old

A view of Komala Vilas, where Jayalalithaa’s mother once lived. — Photo: M. Srinath

An ancient house, Komala Vilas on East Chithirai Street in Srirangam was the site of much attention, on Tuesday.

The house, bearing the Door No 104, and said to be more than 100 years old, is believed to be the ancestral home of Jayalalithaa. There is little evidence to establish the fact and even most residents were not aware of it, until Jayalalithaa decided to contest from the Srirangam constituency in 2011, saying her ancestors had lived in the temple town.

The house kindled interest after Jayalalithaa, while addressing an election rally just a few meters away from the house, declared that her ancestors had lived in Srirangam. Some claimed that Komala Vilas was the ancestral house of Jayalalithaa based on the affirmation of a grand old woman who is no more now.

There is no document to prove that her ancestors had lived in the house, except the claim made by Kamala ‘patti”, who lived in a neighbouring house, that Jayalalithaa’s mother Sandhya and her sister Vidya had lived in Komala Vilas before moving to Mysore. Jayalalithaa’s demise turned the spotlight on the house again on Tuesday.

The house received a steady stream of visitors, including media persons, all through the day even as the mortal remains of Jayalalithaa were laid to rest in Chennai.

The present owners have little clue about the ownership in the past. “Since 2011, our house gets occasional visitors. Some take pride in taking pictures by standing in front of the house,” says S. Varadharajan (46), the current occupant of the house. His father-in-law Lakshmi Narashimhan (79) said that his mother Alamelu had bought the house in 1966 from a Dewan of Pudukottai Samasthanam. However, there is little information about the previous owners.