Aligned to the West Fort area of the capital remains in stately reserve a nondescript mansion that has all the bearing of a monument of tradition. Much like a veteran who doesn’t need to flaunt his worth.
Inside it, there are the remnants of a 400-year-old magnificence albeit dimmed by time. The space once enclosed Travancore’s first prison complex from the time the legendary Kerala Varma was kept in confinement here till 1862, when the Central Prison at Poojappura was set up. It was also here some other high-profile prisoners were housed, the fabled Kayamkulam Kochunni being one of them.
Come September, this building, which now holds the regional office of the State Archives department, will make another mark in time, being probably the country’s first palm leaf manuscript museum.
