EXPERIENCE CHITTOOR KOTTARAM
A royal portrait in the master
bedroom; and (facing) the entrance
to the stately palace
PRINCE’S
DIARY
IT’S A ROYAL-SIZED FICTION—PLAYING KING
FOR A DAY OR TWO AT A MANSION IN KERALA.
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMIT DIXIT
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CHITTOOR KOTTARAM
THE VIEW FROM THE
ATHANGUDI-TILED BALCONY
OVER THE CHERANALLUR
BACKWATERS IS SPLENDID
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OUTLOOK TRAVELLER • OCTOBER 2010
T
he regal approach sets
the tone for my stay. An
hour’s drive from the
Nedumbassery airport
in an SUV on smooth roads is of
course nothing remarkable but the
last leg of my journey, by design, is by
private boat. Tableaus of semi-rural
Kerala greet us as we putter off from
the Varapuzha jetty. A brahminy
kite swoops to make a kill. Ferries
ship passengers, vehicles and all,
across the water. A fishing net, of the
Chinese variety, is cast against the
evening sky. Then the boat slips into
a little canal and a little palace snaps
into view. The welcoming party is
already at the jetty.
It would be a travesty to call
Chittoor Kottaram a ‘hotel’. This
‘homestay’ (but without the term’s
self-effacing connotations), managed so ably by the CGH Earth group
these few seasons, is unique in many
aspects. One deviation from the
norm I’m immediately made aware
of, for, before I can enter, I must take
off my shoes, and remain barefoot
for the rest of my stay. The other USP
I already know about: this is a singlekey property, all three bedrooms,
living areas, sprawling grounds and
the boat at my sole disposal for the
duration of the visit.
The tika-and-garland routine
over, I mull over which bed I’m going
to grace that night. It’s a no-brainer
really and, shortly, the sprawling
master bedroom on the first floor has
a new occupant. And thus I settle
into a relaxed routine: a judicious
mix of mammoth meals and village
walks to work them off, cultural performances to improve the mind and
long siestas to assimilate them.
The origins of this palace of the
Cochin kings, set in Cheranallur—an island in the Periyar river
just north of Kochi (now, of course,
connected to the city by a bridge)—
seem wrapped in the mists of time.
Much as I tried, chatting with owner
Suresh Namboothiri included (more
of which later), I could not pinpoint
an exact date for its construction,
estimates ranging from four hundred to a hundred years ago. Naturally, this only adds to its aura.
That first evening, I’m treated to
some devotional songs (sopanam)
performed by Jai and Girish from
the temple next door. Sanskrit, the
language of religious observance
here, is Greek to me, yet the songs are
strangely moving. When they end,
almost on cue the drummer’s mobile
splinters the silence, whisking us
back to the twenty-first century. The
performers retreat to the temple, the
temple that lies at the very heart of
this tale. The story goes that a king of
Cochin, Rama Varma, was compelled
to move his royal seat from Perumpadappu to Thripunithura, following
an invasion by the rival Zamorins.
This separated the king, a devotee
of Lord Krishna, from his beloved
Guruvayur temple. To make amends,
he built a similar temple in this quiet
hamlet and subsequently an adjoining palace so he could visit his temple
in the comfort he was accustomed to.
This is why all of the food served at
Chittoor Kottaram is pure vegetarian.
What they don’t tell you is that it’s
pure ambrosia. I start off my dinner
with banana flower ‘kababs’ served
with peanut chutney, followed by a
drumstick and coriander soup. This
would normally do the job for me.
But there’s only a moment’s respite
before a massive silver platter
arrives. It’s laden with tribute:
pineapple salad, beetroot chapatis,
rajma masala, kadhai vegetables,
palak pumpkin, paneer cashew,
breadfruit with coconut, masala
papad, sweet pickle and vegetable
rice. There is nothing on that plate
that has not been kissed by ghee. The
spicing is subtle but confident. No
one hovers while I commune with
the grub. The palada payasam makes
for a sweet finish.
After dinner, I take the first of
those aforementioned walks, heading out of the eastern entrance,
which faces the temple. Even in the
late evening, the Chittoorappan temple is buzzing with devotees. There’s
a small market, replete with ‘fancy’
stores. Jai and Girish seem to be
leading some sort of ceremonial circumambulation of the main shrine.
My perambulation over, I head back
‘home’. At night I am cocooned in
the darkness, the sky reassuringly
studded with stars. In the starlight, a
mongoose scurries across the grass.
A robust breeze brings coolness
from across the water. Temple bells
start ringing long before daybreak.
The superlative staff (clockwise
from left): Annie; Milton; and
Junaid. Facing page: Athangudi
tiles grace the first-floor balcony
OUTLOOK TRAVELLER • OCTOBER 2010
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THE SLUG KOTTARAM
CHITTOOR
In a ‘product’ like Chittoor Kottaram, the staff plays a defining role
and here, I’m happy to report, all
is as it should be and more. There’s
Milton, who runs the operation
smoothly; Annie, who rustled up
that grand meal all by herself (and
does so every mealtime, every single
day—“There is no stepney,” as Milton so evocatively put it); Michael,
tender of the garden and custodian
of disarming smiles; Antony, who
helms the boat; and the force’s
junior-most, Junaid, who seems to
do a bit of everything.
It is with Junaid that I go for a
pre-prandial walk in the morning. At
that early hour, the Chittoorappan
temple exudes a calm spirituality.
The wooden lattice for oil lamps that
surrounds all Kerala-style temples,
visible in daylight, is soot-black with
countless years of worship. The
temple tank has attracted the first
batch of bathers. We pass a meat
shop selling beef, pork, chicken and
duck, all under the same roof. That’s
just how syncretic Kerala is. At the
meat ‘farm’ next door, the caretaker
sends his ducks waddling off into the
water. There’s a bridge across the
backwaters and those iconic fishing
nets, the net for which now comes
from—you
guessed
it—China.
“That’s why
they’re called
Chinese fishing
nets,” Junaid, quite
correctly, points out. We
cross the bridge and find
ourselves at the charming
Vaduthala Church.
I would like to tell
you about the
sumptuous kingly
repast that I
returned to
but I’m
presently
sitting in a
chair in the balcony,
recovering. The view
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from this Athangudi-tiled gallery
over the backwaters is splendid. The
last time I was on these waters, I was
taking an eleven-rupee ferry ride
from Alleppey to Kottayam. Now
that I have my own little boat, I use
it to visit Shanmugam Road, Kochi’s
Marine Drive, where I go on a bit of a
spice-buying spree. I then point the
Grey Heron in the other direction,
and head to Sunset Point. Because
I’m worth it.
T
hat’s the leitmotif of Chittoor Kottaram. You’re lord of
the realm, if only for a night
or two. This is a unique privilege,
and I can see many guests falling for
it. (I’m made of sterner stuff.) Milton
takes his role as a subject rather seriously and has been referring to me
as ‘maharaja’ ever since I arrived. He
sensibly downgrades it to ‘prince’
that evening. Next morning, however, I’m back to being a king.
My chat with Suresh Namboothiri
took place in the gazebo over some
traditional Kerala snacks. He narrated the story with precision. The
palace had been abandoned since
the 1960s. Then a school rented the
premises in 1984. Suresh, a CA by
profession, was practising in Dubai
when his wife, Jayasree Varma,
who is a member of the Cochin
royal family, inherited the palace. This was in 1996. Drawn
by their legacy, they returned
in 1998. That’s when the
roofing was done. Proper
restoration was only
taken up in 2005 and
entrusted to Inspiration, a Kochi-based
architectural firm.
Inspiration did
such a good job, the
project earned a
nomination
for the Aga
Khan Award
for Architecture. It wasn’t
an easy job
Clockwise from above: the modest
'palace' with its terracotta-tile roof;
the master bedroom; and the
ottanthullal performer as Bheema
though. Barring the wall structure
everything had to be redone. The
padippura (gateway) had collapsed
and was rebuilt on the basis of an old
photograph.
It is like you would restore a
beloved family home. There are
practical modern touches, like insect
screens, glass doors that draw in
natural light and wood laminate
floors upstairs—not strictly heritage
restoration stuff. Some things work,
some don’t, but it all comes together.
There is a kulam (bathing tank)
lined with laterite stone on the
premises. It has a traditional
kulappura (entrance to tank). The
old wooden door gracing it was
brought from another royal home.
The tank is presently home to ornamental fish but there are plans to
convert it into a swimming pool.
The furniture is all made to old
designs, the rosewood for which was
personally sourced from a contractor friend—a Mr Patel. Replicas of
a distinctive bed with a wooden
canopy which was found in the palOUTLOOK TRAVELLER • JULY 2012
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THE SLUG
as well. What sets it apart is its single
performer, playing all the parts. The
presenter this evening is Maruthorvattom Kannan, who has been learning ottanthullal since the age of five.
“This is my life,” says the thirty-twoyear-old. For my pleasure, he enacts
that lovely story where Draupadi
asks Bheema to fetch her a lotus she
covets. Heading out on the quest,
Bheema finds a grizzled old Hanuman blocking his path (or rather his
tail doing it). In turns, I see Bheema,
Draupadi and Hanuman, but only
one person has taken the stage. The
action is well paced and I watch with
rapt attention.
T
he Cochin royals were never
known for their ostentation
and Chittoor Kottaram is
no Rajasthani pleasure palace. The
simple tiled roof and the modest size
of the building speak for themselves.
And yet it feels indubitably special. In
an experience so near perfect, I have
only two cribs: the shower area in the
master bathroom should be provided
with a shower caddy or at least a
soap dish. And pancakes stuffed with
coconut and banana and topped with
an orange and honey syrup are just
too much of a good thing.
If you ask me, I’d say Chittoor
Kottaram takes hospitality to the
next natural level of evolution.
Once you’ve given your guests every
imaginable luxury under the sun,
pampered them till they’re spoilt
silly, feasted them till they beg to
fast, what more can you possibly do?
I’m sitting inside the answer. You
pare away all the extraneous stuff till
you’re left with the true essentials.
Who wouldn’t want this to be
their next holiday? Not a single
pesky stranger in sight. No pressure
to mingle. Staff who fall over themselves to please, yet there’s nothing
studied in their manner. Food that
Clockwise from above: Suresh
Namboothiri; Michael lights the
evening lamp; temple songs; and
stained glass on the stairs
ace have been used in the downstairs
bedroom. I particularly liked the
swing in the living room (where the
king once held audience), hanging not from chains but long logs
of teak wood. It makes the motion
somewhat...regal. A happy offshoot
of all this—it seems to have inspired
Suresh’s daughter to take up architecture as a profession.
Suresh ran the place himself for a
couple of years and counts Top Chef’s
Padma Lakshmi among his former
guests. He then handed over the keys
to CGH Earth, whose ethos he found
in sync with the offering. Serendipitously, Inspiration had previously
worked on SwaSwara, a CGH Earth
property in Gokarna.
That evening, I’m introduced to
ottanthullal, a narrative dance form
not witnessed by too many tourists.
A temple art form in its inception, it
is now performed in secular settings
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THE SLUG KOTTARAM
CHITTOOR
Clockwise from top: Kerala sadya;
vattayappam; and dessert
is unpretentious and wholesome. CGH Earth clearly is at the
top of the game. They care about the
environment for one—not a plastic
bottle in sight, the sanitary bag in the
bathroom made of recycled newsprint. Which other place charging
`20,000 a night can you think of that
does that? The true non-hotel hotel.
To be honest, as an only guest, I
had expected to be bored stiff at best
or driven over the edge by the solitude at worst. And yet here I was, on
my last morning, a little depressed
at the prospect of leaving my tiny
kingdom behind. Enduring parting
gifts helped lift my mood. There
were cashews from the garden and
a jackfruit sapling for the garden
back home. And, at my request, some
lawn grass which now runs rampant
in my own modest kottaram.
# THE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Chittoor Kottaram is in
Cheranallur, 29km from the
Cochin International Airport at
Nedumbassery. The airport is
well serviced by flights from all
Indian metros. The Delhi-Kochi
fare is `5,500 onwards. Chittoor
Kottaram is connected to Kochi by
the Chittoor-Vaduthala bridge and
is just 7km from Fort Cochin.
THE STAY
Chittoor Kottaram is a palatial
three-bedroom homestay managed by the CGH Earth group.
It can accommodate up to six
people. There’s an exclusive boat
at your disposal for transfers and
sightseeing. Meals are vegetarian.
Note that there is no menu and
most of the food is unapologetically local in provenance (lunches
are traditional Kerala sadyas
served on plantain leafs; dinners
tend to be more pan-Indian
affairs). Of course, dietary prefer96
OUTLOOK TRAVELLER • JULY 2012
ences can be accommodated.
Expect to be served deep-fried
rice flour balls stuffed with jaggery and suchlike with your tea.
You can’t eat just one. TARIFF
`20,000 per night for two. Valid
till September 30. This may seem
steep but is actually great value
for what’s on offer, including as
it does all meals and taxes, use
of the boat and cultural performances each evening. CONTACT
0484-3011711 (central reservations), cghearth.com
WHAT TO SEE & DO
> Given its proximity to Kochi,
Chittoor Kottaram serves as an
excellent base for exploring the
city. You can do all the usual
things from the comfort of your
palace, including must-sees like
Fort Kochi, Jew Town and its
Jewish Synagogue and the bustling Broadway Market in
Ernakulam. And you can visit
many of these places in the
comfort of ‘your’ boat.
> Go for walks around the
village. It's illuminating.
> Take boat rides. Chittoor
Kottaram organises backwaters
and sunset cruises in any case.
> Take in cultural performances
including devotional songs,
ottanthullal and many more.
> Ask Annie to share a recipe
or two. She’ll only be too happy
to and will throw in a practical
demonstration as well.
> If you have an interest in architecture, you might want to inspect
the Holy Infants’ High School, est.
1909, right at the Varapuzha jetty.
Don’t miss the nearby St Augustine’s Church, Moolampilly either.
> For shopping, especially spices,
skip touristy Jew Town and head
to Ashis Super Mercato on
Kochi’s Marine Drive instead.
This department store offers great
quality, and the prices are
reasonable. Also stock up on
sambar powders and superlative
peanut chikki here.
>The 10-day Chittoorappan
temple festival takes place in
April. You might want to plan your
trip around then.
n amit dixit
A Chinese fishing net strikes a pose
as the sun sets over the backwaters
OUTLOOK TRAVELLER • OCTOBER 2010
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