Palat House: A Heritage Home in the Heart of Kerala
Palat House is a historic heritage home in central Kerala that has played an important role, both regionally and nationally. This hundred year old building has been home to a plethora of judges, diplomats, civil servants and scholars, including Sir C. Sankaran Nair, the only Malayali to be President of the Indian National Congress, and K.P.S. Menon, the veteran diplomat and writer.
When Chettur Sankaran Nair (1857-1934) married Palat Kunjimalu, the alliance brought together two prominent ‘tharavads’ of the region, the Chetturs and the Palats. Palat House – named thus in accordance with the matrilineal tradition of the Nairs – was built by Kunjimalu for her daughter Saraswathi (1902-1999) at the time of her marriage to K.P.S. Menon (1898-1982).
After a lifetime of travel, the Menons retired in 1962 and made Palat House their permanent residence. The house became an intellectual and political hub, with numerous political figures, diplomats, writers, and artists making a point of stopping in the small town of Ottapalam to visit the Menons. In recent years, the couple’s grandchildren have lovingly restored the home by installing modern amenities while retaining the simple and elegant beauty of the original “tharavad” structure, complete with a “nadumuttam” (inner courtyard) and “kolam” (bathing pond).
