A palace carved in wood

Looking at ancient India’s rich Buddhist caves, with their ceremonial horseshoe arches adorning intricate stone-carved entrances, one encounters joinery details of typically timber architecture. But the original exquisite timber structures have now largely vanished. They were too aesthetically delicate and ornate to survive in wood — battling climate and corrosive forces of nature.

While most old temples in India transitioned to stone and brick, a few surviving wooden ones still stand out for their resplendent glory. A tall 13th century twin-tower temple complex dedicated to Goddess Bhimakali near Sarahan in Himachal Pradesh displays intricate wooden carvings and traditional slanting roofs.

Similarly, in the southern tip of the country lies the iconic Padmanabhapuram Palace in Kerala, famous for its refined ornamentation in wood. It is cited as the largest and best-preserved example of traditional wooden architecture in Asia, built primarily in teak and rosewood.

The remarkable 16th century wooden palace of the erstwhile Maharajas of Travancore (1550 to 1750 AD) is replete with intricate wood carvings and ornate murals. Located 52 km from Thiruvananthapuram, it is based on the historic building system Taccusastra (the science of carpentry), unique to this region.

Padmanabhapuram was the capital of the erstwhile Travancore state from about 1555 to the latter half of the 18th century. This land is rich in timber and traditionally all construction was done in wood, with laterite (locally available building stone) used minimally for plinths and walls. The region is characterised by a superior quality of building skills and great craftsmanship.

“Constructed primarily of wood, these buildings were erected with relatively strict adherence to the canons of Taccusastra — which were formulated over the years of experience obtained in building construction — crystallised into a number of formulae, governing proportions, dimensions, orientation, location and procedures, thus creating a genetic code for timber architecture,” mentions the UNESCO site. It is currently on the tentative list awaiting official recognition as World Heritage property.

An ornate bracket supports a wooden beam.

The roof structure of the palace is constructed out of timber, covered with clay tiles. From the street, the temple complex appears as a play of pyramidal roofs arranged around open courts. There are around 14 purpose-designed structures.

Nalukettu, the traditional Kerala architectural style, is characterised by a rectangular structure with four blocks surrounding a central open courtyard. The construction has been done primarily using wood, mud, stone, and interlocking joinery techniques without nails.

It adheres to Vaastu Shastra principles, featuring specific, oriented spaces for kitchens in the southeast and bedrooms in the designated quarters.

The abiding experience of moving around in the palace precincts is to savour the genius of ‘light and lattice’ along the path of movement. In a great understanding of the hot and humid coastal climate, that has to contend with incessant rain and sultry weather in summer months, the cooling narrow corridors leading up to great royal courts make for a sensory experience: a play of light and shade.

These narrow, low passages open up into large audience halls for royal meetings with murals and artefacts.

The 14 features, including palaces and other ancillary structures, were gradual additions to the initial Thai Kottaram or Mother Palace. The later additions showcase the changing styles in architecture, with the influence of the Portuguese and the Dutch. The uniformity of style is maintained, while variety is achieved in differences in the details of decorative motifs.

The murals on the four walls of the topmost floor of the three-storeyed building or the Uppirikkamalika of this magnificent palace display the stylistics of the 17th and 18th century architecture of Kerala.

Carved doors and pillars, arching wooden grills along the verandah, the exquisitely carved brackets supporting the verandah, are some of the architectural features characteristic of this regional style resplendent at Padmanabhapuram.

Special features like the large bay window called Ambari Mukhappu on the external facade, supported by elaborately carved Vyala figures (a Hindu mythical creature), the remnants of the semi-transparent shell decorations of the windows, later restored with coloured mica, and the Manimalika or the clock tower, of which the movement is regulated by weights, are some of the unique features of the palace.

India is indeed a land full of rare and unique architectural styles, but few are as authentic and unique in its climate-responsive idiom as this one.

— The writer is former principal of the Chandigarh College of Architecture