SERIES - 4

Svāti Tirunāḷ: King Among Musicians - Episode 3

Chandrakala Radhakrishnan

The Kudiramālikā Palace was a stone’s throw away from Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi Temple. Siva sighed, relieved at the proximity of both these places - such a time-saver. Skanda drank water, reflecting on the list of questions he had for his father. As they approached the entrance, Skanda squinted his eyes to read the nameboard. “Appā, you said it's Kudiramālikā, is it also called Puttenmālikā Palace?”

Siva nodded. “Kudiramālikā, because the palace has 122 horses carved into its wall, however, officially it is known as the Puttenmālikā palace”. Making way through a narrow corridor that lent itself to the door, Siva looked up at the two-tiered structure for a brief second. A Vastu expert had sometime posted on how the main entrance placement of the Kudiramālikā Palace, in the south i.e direction of Yama (Yamakōṇa) - could have possibly caused the early death of the Mahārājā. Siva wasn’t really convinced of the article, yet couldn’t help wishing that maybe, the Mahārājā could have lived longer than he did.

Skanda quickly made his way inside and stopped near a row of Kathakali statues, starting to mimic their expressions to Siva’s amusement. They continued into the palace viewing the various artefacts with Skanda mostly admiring at how every room had a different ceiling that was visually breathtaking. It was nice to walk on the cold floors of the palace made of egg whites, charcoal and slaked lime. Who knew literally walking on eggshells could be so pleasing - because as an idiom, this phrase would have completely meant the opposite.

They eventually walked by the ivory cradle, the sight of which reminded Siva of the beautiful lullaby “Ōmaṇa Tiṅaḷ Kiḍāvō” written by Śrī Irayimman Tampi, one of the greatest musicians of Travancore on the birth of the Mahārājā. After all, this event wasn’t an ordinary one - his long-awaited birth was what saved the fate of the kingdom from falling into the hands of the British. 

The lullaby also never held back in celebrating the preciousness of the little prince - by treating his arrival at par with the choicest of the auspicious things & sights that nature could offer. Very surprisingly, the lullaby doesn’t contain words referring to sleep - the various rāga-s in which this piece would be sung are meant to induce sleep. 

Skanda, busy making note of these facts sulked, “Appā, I wish someone had composed a lullaby for me after I was born, that would’ve been so cool”. Siva cheered him up saying, “Well, you’re still small, I’ll compose one in your name before your birthday comes up”. Skanda clapped his hands and let out a glee.

Up next came the incredible portrait of His Highness Cittirai Tirunāḷ Balarāmā Varmā, the last ruling king of Travancore. Skanda walked from one side to the other side of the room with his eyes on the painting and exclaimed, “Appā, his eyes and shoes are following me in whichever direction I move, is he watching me?” Siva mocked, “Of course, he’s just keeping an eye on you just in case you touch his stuff, be careful” letting out a giggle.

Further down, they viewed the weaponry consisting of small to big knives, shields and spears. The Kings of the Travancore dynasty were trained in the martial arts of Kalari and had varied knives – some that could even be concealed in their Muṇḍu/Dhōti to use when necessary.

The next section was something Siva eagerly looked forward to. A series of instruments that the Mahārājā used - Vīṇa, Mṛdaṅgam & Svarabat were on display. Skanda’s curiosity peaked at the sight of the Svarabat. He asked, “Appā, can I learn to play this?”

Siva responded by examining the instrument carefully. “Unfortunately, Skanda, there’s no one who can play or teach you to handle this instrument currently. The Svarabat was often used in Hindusthāni music and even some Harikatha performances. In fact, in the court of Mahārājā Svāti Tirunāḷ, among the troupe of Hindusthāni musicians was a gifted Svarabat player - Syed Sulaiman from North India. In due course, the Mahārājā came to be one of the talented few who knew how to play this beautiful instrument.”