What attracts visitors to Ramalinga Vilasam, the palace of the Sethupathis who ruled Ramanathapuram, are the mural paintings depicting scenes from Ramayana, Bhagavatam, Sthalapuranam of the temple and events from the life of Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupatha.

However, the 18th-century frescoes have lost their sheen. They have been damaged by the passage of time and neglect. Though the walls are in good condition, the paintings have deteriorated. They may disappear if efforts are not made to preserve them.

Ramalinga Vilasam Palace Museum in Ramanathapuram. | Photo courtesy: B. Kolappan

According to a senior archaeologist “since the surfaces are covered in dust, they have to be cleaned before conservation work begins. Also, there is no need to repaint them as this will destroy the original paintings”. The palace today serves as a museum and is under the control of the Archaeological Department.

According to S.M. Kamal, author of Sethupathi Mannar VaralaruThese paintings were done during the rule of Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi who ascended the throne in 1713. Ramalinga Vilasam resembles a temple with structures like Garbhagriha, Artha Mandapam and Maha Mandapam.

Painting for awareness

Faded graffiti adorns the walls inside the Ramalinga Vilasam Palace Museum in Ramanathapuram. | Photo courtesy: L. Balachander

“The king wanted these paintings to create social and political awakening among the people of the Marwar border,” Kamal explains.

Exquisite murals inside the Ramanathapuram Palace. | Photo courtesy: The Hindu

What makes the Ramalinga Vilasam’s frescoes special is that they cover every inch of the palace. “They can easily be compared to the Ajanta paintings,” writes Kamal.

The palace located in the middle of the fort was built during the reign of Raghunatha Kizhavan Sethupathi (1678–1710), and was constructed with the help of Seethakathi, a merchant and philanthropist of Keezhakarai.

Noted archaeologist R. Nagaswamy, who along with author N.S. Ramaswamy had prepared an archaeological guide to the combined Ramanathapuram district, had noted that Ramalinga Vilasam is the only palace that has extensive mural paintings of a secular nature, comparable to the Pahari and other styles of north India.

The panels are labelled in both Tamil and Telugu. Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi is depicted in various postures, with his name mentioned several times in several places. According to the guide appointed by former Ramanathapuram collector S. Narayanan, “The arched ceiling depicts Sethupathi in various attires and postures. He is shown receiving the royal sceptre from Goddess Raja Rajeshwari in one panel. In another, he is shown listening to the Rama Katha. In yet another panel, he is dressed like Manmatha and his wife Rati.”

The Ramalinga Vilas Palace Museum also has panels depicting the war between Sethupathi and the Marathas of Thanjavur. | Photo Credit: L. Balachander

“Some panels depict the battle between the Sethupathis and the Marathas of Thanjavur north of Aranthangi. Even the names of the cannons are mentioned,” the guide said.

A mural depicting a battle scene adorns the wall of the Ramalinga Vilas Palace Museum in Ramanathapuram. | Photo courtesy: L. Balachander

One panel shows Sethupathi meeting three Europeans and welcoming a Jesuit missionary.

Art lovers visiting the Ramalinga Vilas Palace in Ramanathapuram will find a collection of interesting murals – some of which depict battles, while others have scenes from the Ramayana. | Photo courtesy: L. Balachander

The mural is significant because missionaries had a tough time in Ramanathapuram and John de Britto, a Jesuit priest, was exiled from Ramanathapuram after he converted the Palayakar of Seruvati. “Britto’s return to Ramanathapuram in 1692 infuriated Kizhavan Sethupathi and he ordered his execution, overruling the objections of the Palayakar of Seruvati,” writes Kamal.

Ramayana on the walls

Nagaswamy observed that the rear hall was considered sacred by the Sethupathi. The walls are adorned with paintings depicting the entire Ramayana.

Murals on the walls of the Durbar Hall inside the Ramalinga Vilas Palace in Ramanathapuram. | Photo courtesy: L. Balachander

An engraved panel shows Madura Nayak Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha Nayak performing Ratna Pattabhisheka to Sethupathi. Kamal believes these paintings must have been made during the period of Muthu Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi. He believes this style belongs to painters from Andhra Pradesh as Madurai was under the rule of the Nayaks.

Vallaris and other arms

A collection of the traditional musical instrument Valaari used by Sethupathi and the Marudu brothers. It looks like a boomerang. | Photo credit: L. Balachander

The museum also has the Valari, a boomerang type weapon used by Sethupathi, the ruler of Sivaganga, and the Marudu brothers. It became such a big nightmare for the British army that the East India Company banned it after defeating the Marudu brothers and offered a monetary reward to anyone who handed over the weapon. Colonel Welsh, who had become a friend-turned-foe of the Marudu brothers, admired this weapon a lot. He had learnt to use it from the younger brother Chinna Marudu.

A collection of various types of swords with British insignia. Preserved inside a glass cupboard at the Ramalinga Vilas Palace Museum in Ramanathapuram. | Photo credit: L. Balachander

Weapons kept in a glass cabinet at the Ramalinga Vilas Palace Museum in Ramanathapuram. | Photo courtesy: L. Balachander

“It was he who first taught me to throw the javelin and the koleri stick, a weapon hardly known elsewhere, but in a skillful hand, [it is] “It could certainly be thrown to any distance within one hundred yards,” Welsh wrote in his memoirs.

Ramanathapuram is known as Maravar Seemai, which has a special place in Tamil history. Ramalinga Vilasam is a testimony to the heroic Sethupathis who ruled the region. The paintings and the history behind them will disappear forever if steps are not taken to preserve them.