Pathu thoon is getting an increasing attention as one the travel attraction in Madurai. You can reach there for a happy leisure spending. You will surely love its architectural works. Pay a visit there and share your experience.
Pathu thoon, ten pillars in Tamil, has been emerging as one of the important tourist attractions in Madurai. Many tourists, who come to pay a visit at Sri Meenakshi Temple, they include it as one of must see place en-route. As the name suggests, you can guess that ten architectural pillars are the main attraction of it. It stands as the part of a grand monument named The Thirumalai Nayak Palace. The palace was built by the then Nayak king, Thirumalai Nayak. He constructed this in 1636 for keeping elephants. The local people say, The Thirumalai Nayak Palace used Pathu thoon as the shelter for the elephants. It is an important part of Thirumalai Nayak Palace. The pious king got this palace constructed as a full hearted devotee of the city goddess Meenakshi Amman. He is so devoted and dedicated to God that he transferred his capital from Trichy to Madurai in order to come closer to the Meenakshi Amman temple. The ten pillars are known to the world for their timeless beauty. Unfortunately, some parts of the pillars have been covered by some shops and a few residential complexes.
If you go to pay a visit at Sri Meenakshi Temple, take a chance to reach Pathu thoon. It is only 2 kilore away from the Sri Meenakshi Temple, one of the most appreciated and highly acclaimed temples in Madurai. As soon as you will reach there, you get to see the part of gigantic palace (The Thirumalai Nayak Palace) with Pathu thoon. It is one of the wondrous things in Madurai. In spite of being a part of old architectural structure- The Thirumalai Nayak Palace, it can create its own identity with richness, complexity and splendors. You get stunned when you really get to know (from the local people) that the reaming part is four times lower than the original structure. There were two distinct parts in the original structure. The first part was known as Swargavilasa. The second part was familiar as Rankavilasa. Swargavilasa, which in Sankrit means heavenly pavilion, was made for King's harem and housing. Rankavilasa was made for king’s brother. The entry to the roof was strictly prohibited by royal order. The castle was again divided into various parts. There was a museum in this castle for giving the royal family mere fun. Anyway each pillar had an attractive painting. A major portion of Rankavilasam palace was demolished by Thirumalai Nayak's Grandson. However a small portion of the main structure of Rankavilasam remains as "Pathu Thoon" or “Ten pillars”.
This heritage temple is maintained under the archaeological survey of India. If you go to Maudari at any occasion, don’t forget to pay a visit at Pathu thoon.
