Cheena Kottaram or China Palace is a rest house that was constructed in 1904 for Sri Mulam Tirunal Rama Varma, the then-King of Travancore. The palace was completed along with the commissioning of Quilon-Madras rail line. It is a single-storied, red-brick building with seven rooms. The architecture of Cheena Kottaram is Indo-Saracenic—generally a blend of Indian architecture, European, Islamic, and Moorish architecture. Cheena Kottaram is yet to get the 'National Heritage Monument' accreditation.[1]

Cheena Kottaram
China Palace
Map
General information
Architectural styleIndo-Saracenic
Town or cityChinnakada, Kollam city
CountryIndia
Coordinates8°53′07″N 76°35′29″E / 8.885402°N 76.591475°E / 8.885402; 76.591475
Completed1904
ClientSri Mulam Tirunal Rama Varma

Etymology

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Kollamites called this rest house Cheena Kottaram (China Palace) because of its resemblance to the ancient Chinese buildings.

History

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Before the independence of India, the commercial capital of Travancore kingdom was Quilon (Kollam) - The city with maximum business & commercial reputation in the Travancore-Malabar Coast, with high level of export-import operations through the flourishing Quilon Port.[2] Kollam was known as Palace City that time as there were so many palaces in the city then. One and only airport in the Travancore-Malabar Coast was situated at Kollam city then. During that time, there were no rail-air connectivity to Thiruvananthapuram. Kings of Travancore used to travel from Kollam.[3] For that, they have built the Cheena Kottaram, close to the Quilon Junction railway station.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Royal connection". The Hindu. 15 July 2005. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Then and Now - Cheena Kottaram". Pazhayathu.Blogspot. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Quilon". IRFCA. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Cheena Kottaram to get a makeover". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 April 2015.