Heavy rain has ruined a historical building on the Tamil Nadu border at Bodimettu, which was used as ‘chunkapura’ (Customs House) under the erstwhile Travancore rule. It was one of the few buildings still in use in the district as a legacy of the Raj era. The building, with the royal insignia of conch on the facade, was constructed in 1905 by Sri Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, ruler of Travancore. It was later renovated by Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. The building was known as ‘chunkapura’ as taxes were collected there. Till its collapse, it was functioning as the godown of the Commercial Taxes dept.
Stone and ‘surkhi’
A portion of the building fell at a time when a proposal for its renovation was under consideration. According to local people, the renovation of the building was long pending and the structure, constructed using stone and ‘surkhi,’ was in a dilapidated condition and the roof was leaking. Had renovation been done on time, the building could have been kept intact, they said.
