Palace Ramalinga Vilasam

The Palace portraits good information of the history of the place. The old instruments used by the people has been on display. There were lot of the paintings are on display which are still good since its been done using organic extracts. The paintings narrate Ramayanam, Bagavatham, war scenes with Thanjavur Marathas and lifestyle of Sethupathi kings, who ruled ramanathapuram kingdom as per the guide information.

Pamban paalam and Ramnad palacenAfter Tirupullani temple we had lunch and the auto-driver Saravanan took us to see Pamban bridge .It took us about an hour to reach the bridge and as we crossed Uchipulli and Mandapam the driver explained how potable water was easily available in these places and explained the greenery around. As he stopped on the bridge the wind kept shaking the auto and 9yards saree was helpful. There were many many shipping boats in the sea which were not sailing perhaps because of the winds. At the end of the bridge was visible the lighthouse as also the spire of a darga. As we looked down we saw the 100 year old cantilever bridge across the sea which opened up to allow ships to pass by. The train ride on the bridge we missed due to improper planning. We looked around in wonder and felt this spot could be made more attractive for tourists. On the bridge were raw mango sellers selling a manga for Rs.70 each. Thinking of the seafarers who had the home in the sea and remembering their risky life my mind went to 'Riders to the sea' by Irish playwright J.M. Synge in which a mother loses all her sons in the sea. Having sighted the Indian ocean and some islands at a distance we headed towards Ramanathapuram.nHaving spent several days in my chitappa's house in 1966 was eager to see this town. Chitappa taught at Schwartz High school which gave us a person like Kalaam. The town was a lot like Tiruchi with all kinds of shops and fast-food outlets. Anyway our destination was Ramnad Palace known as Ramalingam Vilasam. Situated along with petty shops on the noisy road it takes you back to the 17th/18th century Sethupati kings. The majesty of the building is unquestionable and the huge pillars with ornate yaali motifs at the top form a corridor leading to a pedestal with images. As we looked at the weapons used by the royalty and the platform built for placing the royal crown the murals on the wall attracted attention. It would be worthwhile to revive them and label them in Tamil English and Hindi. Also spot lights would make things more significant.As went further inside and entered a door with beautiful carvings above we reached the statues we saw from a distance.Though decked up differently we realized the cute Rama Parivar (Rama Seetha Lakshmana and Hanuman.) This place was full of Rama and His association with the place and the people of this region. Portraits of the Sethupathi kings evoke awe and majesty at the past splendour of Bharat. A Ravi Verma painting on the wall invites a closer viewing which reveals the creases of the woman's saree and the ornate zari work. The caretaker told us that there were several rooms upstairs with murals but being tired we decided to see them on the next visit.. We were told that the present descendant of the king lives nearby and gives audience with prior permission. As we walked out of the premises we felt that it would be nice if this place was advertised better and the place maintained better to attract more people. Visitors should be taken on a guided tour and perhaps a sound and light show should be done to make us and our future generations understand the glory of our kings who remembered that they were servants of SriRama.

Many old places were changed

Not good