Residents rally to protect crumbling Vazhi Ambalam in Kollam's Kareepra

New Indian Express

29-04-2025

KOLLAM: Once a vital rest stop for weary travellers under the Travancore dynasty, the more-than-a-century-old 'Vazhi Ambalam', a traditional roadside waiting shed, still stands in Kollam, albeit in a crumbling state.
Alongside it lies a Chumaduthangi (load-relieving stone), a structure used by travellers to keep the heavy load they carried on their heads. An adjacent travellers' well, a crucial source of water in its time, is already in ruins.
Located in the quiet village of Kareepra in Kollam, the Vazhi Ambalam is one of the few surviving examples of its kind. Locals, who still use it for shelter, are urging the authorities to restore it, saying it connects them to their roots and to a forgotten culture of communal travel. With the adjoining well lost to time, the decaying structure now stands as a symbol of neglected heritage - and a community's fight to preserve it.
According to Suresh Madhav, a local historian and teacher at NSS College, Pandalam, the structure and its associated components might have been built during the reign of Travancore king Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma.
'Such structures were usually built by local landlords for travellers. Those days, everyone from royalty and priests to workers and traders travelled long distances. And these sheds served as essential resting places,' he said, adding that residents would often gather at the Vazhi Ambalam during leisure time.
'Kings even sent spies and police officials to these spots to gather intelligence. These are were not just shelters, they hold countless folklores and secrets of history. If we lose them, we lose an irreplaceable part of our past,' he said.
It is said that during summer, various landlord families sponsored the distribution of sambharam (buttermilk) to travellers, who took shelter at the Vazhi Ambalam. Once thatched with coconut leaves, the shelter was later repaired with roof tiles, thanks to the residents. 'We have worked hard to keep it standing with the help of the community. The people and local authorities have promised to support its upkeep. It gives us hope for the future,' says Biju Madhusoodanan Pillai, a social activist and local resident.
Residents also noted that the Vazhi Ambalam was built on the land belonging to the Kaduthanathu Valiya Madom family. 'Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma and his ministers used our ancestral home as a hideout when facing opposition from the Ettuveetil Pillamar, the powerful Nair nobles who once challenged Travancore's rulers,' said Vasudevan Potty, a family member and resident.
'Before reaching our house, the king and his ministers reportedly rested at this Vazhi Ambalam for a day. My forefathers recounted that although we were not a wealthy family, we sheltered and fed them. Even after all these decades, the structure remains, but its future is uncertain. Many today are unaware of its historical significance,' he said.
P K Anil Kumar, the ward member of Kareepra panchayat, said the local body currently has no plans to allocate funds for the structure's maintenance.
'It is an important structure for us, and people are showing great enthusiasm for its preservation. But at present, the panchayat has no plans to allocate funds for maintenance. In the future, if necessary, I will do the needful,' he said.