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INTRODUCTION
The
Study Tour as per the curriculum was an exposure trip to a place of historical
importance. The monumental visit programme of Fathima Memorial Training College
of Teacher Education was planned for a day. It was a journey from College to Kuthiramalika,
Trivandrum
OBJECTIVES
The
expected outcome includes providing situations for the student-teachers to
learn and get acquainted with the process of organizing /conducting a study
tour/field work and understanding the environment around.
TOUR REPORT
We gathered in our campus at around 7:00 am. Our
beloved and respected principal Dr Anitha. N provided the necessary instruction
before the departure. We started from the college at 7:30 am in two different
tourist buses with the guidance and company of our teachers Mrs Simi Aravindh,
Mrs Parvathy Sudhakar, Mrs. Asha Ansar, Mrs Sini K.S and along with our all in
all Jaya Praveen Sir and Sanish Ikka. We reached destination, Kuthiramalika Palace at about 10:30 am. It is a
beautiful two-storeyed palace built by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma on the south-eastern side of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Also, known as horse palace it houses numerous artefacts. There we got a guide
who explained each basic detail including the history and architecture of the
palace. The palace gets its name from the 122 horses that are carved into the
wooden wall brackets that support the southern roof. The official name of the
palace is Puthen Malika (New Mansion). The palace forms part of a vast complex
of royal buildings near Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The building was left
unoccupied for more than a century, following the demise of Swathi Thirunal in
1846.
Kuthira
Malika is an example of traditional Kerala architecture, with its typical
sloping roofs, overhanging eaves, pillared verandahs and enclosed courtyards.
Intricate carvings adorn the wooden ceilings, with each room having a
distinctive pattern. The construction of the palace was completed by 5000 Vishwabrahmins in
four years. The palace is made from teakwood, rosewood, marble, and granite. The roof of the palace is made of
wood and 42 beams support the carved patterns. The roof is supported by
granite pillars. In all, the palace contains 80 rooms, of which 20 were
opened for visitors in 1995. The floor inside the palace is made of egg whites, charcoal, and limestone, which make it cold and smooth even
in hot weather conditions. The concert venue built in the palace premises
uses traditional sound reflectors comprising fifty clay pots hung upside down
from the ceiling.
On the first floor are rooms that once served as
the audience chamber, the library and an alcove that Swathi
Thirunal used for meditating and for conceiving many of his
famous musical compositions. This place offers a direct view of the
Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram. The small wooden stair there
contains carvings of peacock, elephant, and dragon. Ceiling of the rooms
contain paintings of parrot, peacock, and elephant. One of the rooms displays
an illusion portrait of Varma. The face and the shoes of the king appear
facing the onlooker from every corner of the room.
The
palace complex also has a section of curios and several interesting objects:
Ø An
entire room filled with old Chinese jars, all gifts by Chinese merchants.
Ø A
variety of weapons (which were used in warfare), including swords and daggers.
Ø Brass
lamps, wood and stone sculpture, a variety of furniture and large mirrors made
of polished metal.
Ø A
gallery of paintings depicting incidents from the history of Travancore.
Ø A
wooden cot made of up to 64 wooden pieces of a variety of medicinal tree trunks
Ø Polished
stone cot, meant for cool effect
Ø Toilet
and well Our expedition through the mansion offered all the sights, sounds and
feels of a different world.
After
that wonderful experience, we started at about 2:15 pm and halted at a nearby
restaurant for lunch. After some shopping at the end we started our journey back
to Thiruvananthapuram at 3:30 pm.
CONCLUSION
The studious attitudes and efforts got
completed successfully. Thus, the FMTC Study Tour 2016 has come to a full
circle as we touched our College campus at about 6:30 pm. Each one of were
tired but the trip has been the best and provides relief from
the rigid and tight schedule of studies and we hope we’ll have more exciting
trips to places like this in near future
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| Happy Moments |
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