Raj Bhavan (Kerala)

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Raj Bhavan, Kerala
General information
Architectural styleTraditional Kerala
Location Thiruvananthapuram, India
Client Governor of Kerala
Technical details
Floor area22,000 sq ft (2,000 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectTravancore Royal Maramath

Raj Bhavan (translation: Government House) is the official residence of the Governor of Kerala. It is located in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Built in 1829 as Palace Guest house of Travancore Government Guest, this heritage structure hosts the present governor of Kerala is Justice (Retd) P Sathasivam. [1]

Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction between translating and interpreting ; under this distinction, translation can begin only after the appearance of writing within a language community.

Official residence Residence at which a nations head of state, head of government, governor or other senior figure officially resides

An official residence is the residence at which a nation's head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure officially resides. It may or may not be the same location where the individual conducts work-related functions or lives.

Thiruvananthapuram Metropolis in Kerala, India

Thiruvananthapuram, commonly known by its former name Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major Information Technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.

Contents

History

The Kerala Raj Bhavan was originally constructed by Royal Government of Travancore as a guest palace to accommodate state guests and heads of states while on their official visits to Thiruvananthapuram. For a brief period from 1914 to 1918, the palace was used as War Office of Travancore Army and state armed forces during World War I. During this period, the palace was also the official residence of General Chief of Staff of Travancore Army. For a brief period from 1919 to 1937, the palace was again converted as a guest palace after commissioning of Kowdiar Palace, the royal residence of Travancore Maharajas. From 1937 onwards, the building became guest house of University of Travancore used by various foreign faculties and guest professors. [2]

Travancore historic state in India

The Kingdom of Travancore (Thiruvithamkoor) was an Indian kingdom from 1500 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of modern-day central and southern Kerala with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikkam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin, as well as the district of Kanyakumari, now in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The official flag of the state was red with a dextrally-coiled silver conch shell at its center. In the early 19th century, the kingdom became a princely state of the British Empire. The Travancore Government took many progressive steps on the socio-economic front and during the reign of Maharajah Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, Travancore became the second most prosperous princely state in British India, with reputed achievements in education, political administration, public work and social reforms.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Kowdiar Palace Palace of Kingdom of Travancore, Trivandrum

Kowdiar Palace in Trivandrum, Kerala, India was built in 1934 by Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal, on Pallikettu (wedding) of his only sister, Maharani Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi with Lt. Col. G. V. Raja. After the Constitutional Amendment of 1971, the properties and estates of the royal family were partitioned and divided equally among the branches of the two Travancore Queens, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and Sethu Parvathi Bayi. This Palace belongs to the heirs of Sethu Parvathi Bayi as it was built by her son Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal.

When Kerala was formed in 1957, there were three Raj Bhavan, the Bolgatty Palace of Ernakulam, Devikulam Palace of Munnar (Summer Palace of Travancore Maharajas) and Thiruvananthapuram Raj Bhavan. However, the Government of Kerala later decided to do away with former two Raj Bhavans by converting Bolgatty Palace into a heritage hotel and Devikulam Palace as Government Guest House.

Government of Kerala

The Government of Kerala headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram is a democratically elected body that governs the Indian State of Kerala. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state government maintains its capital at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and is seated at the Kerala Government Secretariat or the Hajur Kutcheri.

Complex and building

Built in the Kerala traditional style, the main building of the Raj Bhavan has certain architectural features such as high ceiled, spacious rooms with large windows and doors, with a tinge of Victorian finish. Constructed atop a breezy hillock, it is surrounded by sprawling meadows, velvety lawns, green houses with many species of Anthurium, Orchid, etc. There is also an enchanting fountain at the centre of the main lawn facing the office room of the Governor.

There are 3 major structures, with the main building being the oldest and heritage complex. The main structure is of 22,000 sqft built up space has 3 large halls, a state banquet hall, conference hall, Governor's office, Governor's Secretariat, department offices, conference room and a large library. The East Wing houses Governor's private residence with 18 suites and rooms for personal staff, apart from private dining room and Kitchen. The West Wing houses residences of chief officers, guest rooms and a mini-museum. The Chitra Thirunal Hall, located in West wing, is used for all state ceremonies. A ball room exists in west wing where the New Year celebrations and Onam,Pongal etc celebrations are conducted in Raj Bhavan.

Raj Bhavan Library

Kerala Raj Bhavan has one of the largest private collections of books among other Raj Bhavans of India. The Raj Bhavan has a good library of about six thousand books on a variety of interesting topics. The Public Relations Section is in charge of the Library. The books have been indexed and neatly displayed on shelves.

Exteriors

With an area of 3.24 hectares, Raj Bhavan Gardens is the centre of attraction to the visitors. The trimmed grass gives the lawn a look of a green carpet spread out, and the artificial water fall, and the three green houses add to the charm of the gardens. Dendrobium, Aranda, Catlia, Arachnis, Moecara, Vanda and Dove orchid grace it. A good collection of Rose and Bigonia are also there. The beautiful statues brought in from Mayiladi, near Sucheendram, Tamil Nadu and placed at appropriate points contribute to the charm of the Kerala Raj Bhavan Gardens. There are also two impressive Band Stands built in regal style, besides a Children's Park, Tennis Court and a Shuttle Court on the premise. The lawn hosts the annual At Home ceremonies during Independence and Republic days.

Other structures

Also situated in the campus are the 71 Quarters for the Officers and Staff of Kerala Raj Bhavan (the quarters of ADC are situated in the Raj Bhavan - Kowdiar road), Raj Bhavan Dispensary, Office of the Electrical Wing and the Raj Bhavan Employees Co-operative Society. There is a post office exclusively for Raj Bhavan named "The Kerala Governor’s Camp Post Office", where there are facilities for sending speed post, telegrams etc. A security office with 40 security officials and 20 special branch officials are posted.

See also

British Residency building in India

The British Residency, also known as the Government Guest House or Residency Bungalow, is a two-storeyed palace situated at Asramam in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies close to the site of the old Kollam Airport situated at Asramam in the city and was built by Colonel John Munro between 1811–19. It is a noted Kollam landmark like the Chinnakada Clock Tower.

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References

  1. "Governor: Shri Justice (retd) p sathasivam". The Official Web Portal of Government of Kerala. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. http://www.rajbhavan.kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=28

Coordinates: 8°30′56″N76°57′48″E / 8.5156°N 76.9632°E / 8.5156; 76.9632

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.