Singanallur Palace Pollachi

Rural India can rival any European countryside with its quaint charm. The amazing aspect of our land is its vast diversity. The landscape changes from region to region. So do the language, culture, lifestyle and architecture.
Filmmakers have always tapped such niche regions to showcase their films better. One region in South India that has caught the eye of many a filmmaker is Pollachi and its environs. For many years, it has stood as a backdrop for movies in many languages.
What has interested filmmakers most are the villages surrounded by lush farmlands and the magnificent Western Ghats as backdrop. And, Kongu villagers have still retained their simplicity and hospitality.
Even today, one can see them existing in companionship with Nature. Many of these villages boast ancient structures.
Lasting statement
In a village, a man makes a statement about his stature in many ways, primarily by building a house. Today, we will take a walk through a house that continues to impress people 70 years after it was built. Singanallur is a village on the banks of the near-perennial river Aliyar.


The village is about seven km from Pollachi. As we drive towards the village, two roads converge into one and we cross well maintained farms, water bodies, a railway crossing with an old keepers' room surrounded by large trees, villagers carrying on with their routine and bullock carts. The music of the birds and a place completely void of any kind of pollution are added incentives.
Driving into the village, the eye takes in a structure that makes you wonder who built it and lived in it.
The house was built by the father in law of S. R. Palaniswamy Gounder in 1934 and still stands as an evidence of his dream.
We also get to know of the existence of a similar house in a village called Kullukaparai in neighbouring Kerala that served as an inspiration for this building.
Walking past, one understands why scores of filmmakers have returned time and again to shoot their movies here. The two-storey house has been built with a blend of influences from Kerala, the colonial style and the local style of that period.
Interesting fusion
What is important is that the planners have managed an interesting fusion. The roof is covered by slope tiles and corridors surround the house on both floors. The ceiling is very tall and makes the house look massive from the outside.
The woodwork in impeccable, with rose and teak wood used all over.
The floors are coloured cement and most of them are in good condition. The roofs are held by round columns in the corridors, lending it a stately look. The doors are made in Kerala style with traditional locks.
Inside, the house is simplicity personified. Going into the large Kerala-style doorway, we pass through two small rooms on either side before entering the central part, an open court with rooms around.
Since this house was built only in the 1930's, one can see the change from houses built a little earlier, like the absence of lower ceilings with small doorways and central courts.
The first floor is accessed by a wooden stairway with interesting latticework on the railings. Once on the first floor, the scenic beauty of the Kongu region comes alive. One can see miles of beautiful farmlands, mountains and the river. The first floor has two rooms in the centre with corridors around them.
The house today stands only in about half an acre of land. The kitchen sections are in the back and store rooms and sheds lie on either side.


The house has been featured in numerous feature and ad films, like Thevar Magan. The income from films is one of the reasons why buildings like this are well maintained.
The original owners sold the property to a company named "Gounder Villa". Asked about the future of the structure, they say they have plans to restore and maintain it, respecting its heritage value. It is such a relief to hear that.