Halcyon Castle

Halcyon Castle was built in 1932 in the princely state of Travancore, in the modern-day state of Kerala, India. It was constructed by M.R.Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, as a retreat for their family.[1] In 1964 Valiya Koil Thampuran sold the entire property to the Government of India; since then it has been a luxury hotel. A dispute arose when the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which was running the hotel, sold it to a private hotel resort group.[2]

Status

Ravi Pillai owns the hotel and the entire adjoining land area measuring around 65 acres; he has contracted with the Leela Hotel Group to manage the 5-Star hotel.

References

1. Varma, Indira (25 December 2005) "Halcyon days at Kovalam" The Hindu Chennai (Madras), India;
2. Radhakrishnan, S. Anil (9 April 2003) "Report to be submitted on Halcyon Castle row" The Hindu Chennai (Madras), India;