Not far from the famous Palkulangara Devi temple in the city is the remains of old Kaipally Veedu, an ancient family that rose to prominence during the reign of Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-1758). The details of the origins of Kaipally Veedu are lost in time. However, like many old Nair families located in Palkulangara and Perumthanni regions, Kaipally also boasts a strong association with the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and the Valiya Kottaram.
Soon after he vanquished his foes, Marthanda Varma started Bhadradeepam and Murajapam ceremonies at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple for the benefit of the kingdom and his subjects. The ceremonies attracted thousands of Vedic scholars, pilgrims, artists, and traders to Thiruvananthapuram. It was found out that a large crew was required to look after the nelpura and uralpura where paddy was husked for preparing the daily meals for the crowd. Apart from this special offerings were made to the chief deities on these days.
The king gave orders to recruit women from the surrounding areas to supervise the preparation of nivedyam for Sree Padmanabhaswamy on the occasion of Bhadradeepam. From amongst the numerous candidates, the officials chose a woman from the ancient Kaipally Veedu and the king called her ‘Durga.’ Thereafter, the matriarchs of the family added ‘Durga’ as a title along with their names.
The recorded history of the house starts with Kaipally Lakshmikutty Amma, a talented artist and vocalist, who was married to Nadavarambathu Krishnan Nair (later Pillai) from Irinjalakuda. After the marriage, Nair shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, where he became the ‘Vicharippukar’ (manager) of Nagercoil Ammaveedu. Krishnan Nair and Lakshmikutty had three daughters and a son. The eldest of the siblings, Karthyayini Pillai, was fortunate to receive a guardian in the childless Nagercoil Ammmachi, the widowed consort of Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma (r.1860-1880). An important chapter in the history of Kaipally Veedu commenced with Karthyayini Pillai marrying Sankara Pillai (later known as T. Sankaran Thampi), the principle favourite of Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma. However, the marriage did not last for long, as the King developed a liking for Karthyayini and in 1899 she became the King’s consort. As per tradition, soon after the wedding, Karthyayini Pillai, her mother and siblings were formally adopted to Vadasseri Ammaveedu.
As mentioned before, Lakshmikutty Amma (known as Lakshmi Pillai Thankachi after the adoption) was a talented singer. Her talent to compose and tune kirtans was imbibed by her son V. Krishnan Thampi, a renowned Attakatha composer and scholar. Thampi served as the Principal of Government Sanskrit College and started the first ‘Kathakali Club’ in Thiruvananthapuram. Karthyayini Pillai, officially known as ‘Vadasseri Ammachi Panapillai Amma Srimathi Lakshmi Pillai Karthyayini Pillai Kochamma’ was a veena player of no mean talent and she learned painting under the guidance of the durbar artists.
With the royal connection, the ancient Kaipally Veedu came to be known as Kaipally Ammaveedu. The old house was rebuilt in the last decade of nineteenth century. The old structure made way for a sprawling ettukettu complex with several associated buildings and gateways and a private pond. The ancient sarppakavu (sacred grove) and the thekkathin the compound are still preserved and can be seen alongside the remnants of the old house.
[The author is a conservation architect and history buff]
