Ettayapuram Palace, Ettayapuram
Ettaiyapuram
Palace located in the town of Ettaiyapuram in Tuticorin district is a famous
tourist spot. During the region of Pandyas at Madurai, people from Chandragiri
near Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh were brought and posted as “watch keepers
(DhisaiKavalars) of Ilasanadu”. This was later called as Ettayapuram. When the
local chiefs refused to pay the taxes to the Pandya kingdom, Ettappan at
Ilasanadu collected the taxes with the help of his army. Later Pandya king
appointed Ettappan as a ruler of the place. After the rule of 150 years
Ettayapuram was formed in 1565 in this place.
Ettaiyapuram
Palace is one of the most famous tourist spots of Thoothukudi and is located at
a distance of about 35 Km from the city center. Ettaiyapuram is known for
depicting the cultural history of Tamil Nadu. You might find a lot of peacocks
in the compound of this place. The advantage attached with visiting this place
is that it is in its original state yet and you would get to see the
architecture of Pandyas kingdom all by yourself along with the peacocks.
The
Ettayapuram palace is only a stone's throw from Bharathiyar house but no one
seems to know exactly where their king once lived. The area was fenced with big
broken gate. Inside, past a wide, empty area and a palatial mansion that seems
uninhabited, is a white, domed building in a corner besides what seems to be a
broken down stable.
One look
at this enormous white-stone palace, with its tapering, circular domes,
intricate floral carvings along the walls, shuttered windows, and stone lion
turrets, and this was the home of the Raja of Ettayapuram. Legend has it that
Ettappan had given out information about the whereabouts of Veerapandiya Kattabomman
(who was in hiding) to the British and this caused the brave heart’s death by
hanging. The area surrounding this grand, dilapidated palace is empty.
