Sivaganga Palace is a palace in

Sivaganga district Sivaganga District is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in Tamil Nadu state, India. This district was formed on 15 March 1985 by trifurcation of Ramanathapuram district into Ramanathapuram district, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunaga ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, southern India, about from

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

. It is an old royal palace, with many historical connections. The palace was used as residence by queens

Velu Nachiyar "Veeramangai" Rani Velu Nachiyar (3 January 1730 – 25 December 1796) was a queen of Sivaganga estate from 1780–1790. She was the first Indian queen to wage war with the East India Company Company rule in India, in India.

(1780–90), Vellacci Nachiyar (1790–93) and Rani Kaathama Nachiar (1864–77). No remains of the original Sivaganga Palace exist, but a new palace, known as "Gowri Vilasam", was built by Padamathur Gowry Vallabha Thevar (1801-1829) in the year 19th century. A heritage site of

Chettinad Chettinad (also known as Chettinadu) is a name that collectively refers to a locality that comprises 56 villages in the Sivaganga district and 20 villages in Pudukkottai district, Pudukottai district, which was historically ruled by the Ramnad ...

, it was the property of Rani Velu Nachiar.

Early history

The original palace, built in 1730, was the venue of secret negotiations between

Veerapandiya Kattabomman Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. He fought the British East India Company and was captured by the British with the help of the ruler of the kingdom of Pu ...

and the

Maruthu Pandiyar The Marudhu Pandiyars (Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu) were '' de facto'' rulers of Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, India, towards the end of the 18th century. They were known for fighting against the East India Company. They were finally execut ...

brothers to attack the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. It came under attack by various combatants several times between 1762 and 1789. The only remnant of the original palace was in the form of a high wall which has since been destroyed.

Gowri Vilasam

A new structure was built in the early 19th century by Padamathur Gowry Vallabha Thevar (1801-1829) and named the Gowri Vilasam. After Thevar died, his brother, Oyya, occupied the palace with his sons. He took over the leadership of the kingdom on the ruse that the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

would take over, as the king had died intestate. They created false documents by forging the signature of the late king to take over the kingdom and crowned themselves sitting on the black marble stone of the court of the palace.

Architecture and fittings

The now dilapidated Gowri Vilasam is built in the architectural style of the Tirumala Naikas, which has some features of the Rajaputana

arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

. There was a clock on the front gate of the facade on the southern side of this place, no longer in a working condition. Within the palace is the Temple of Sri Raja Rajeshwari, with the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

Raja Rajeswar of the Royal House of Sivaganga. The temple is functional and the renowned poet

Papanasam Sivan Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema a ...

is said to have composed many popular songs extolling the deity. The temple also has a statue of the king Kandumekki Woodaya Taver.

Grounds

The palace grounds contain the Durbar hall of the past kings, which honour notable poets. Within the palace grounds is a black marble square, with a carved marble seat which was used to rule a court of justice; it was used during the dynastic period for the crowning ceremony of new kings. Another important feature is the "teppakulam", a large masonry tank or reservoir which fronts the palace.

References

{{coord, 9, 50, 55, N, 78, 29, 11, E, type:landmark, display=title Houses completed in 1730 Houses completed in the 19th century Palaces in Tamil Nadu Buildings and structures in Sivaganga district