MONUMENTAL VISIT REPORT

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

Happy Moments