Heritage structures across India faced neglect and then demolition when restoration became too costly or far beyond conservation. In the last decade or so heritage lovers and historians have been creating awareness among the public and have approached the government to give importance to the heritage sites. They also seek private participation to adopt sites frozen with past history in their areas collectively to save them before falling apart. The beneficiary is the next generation of people. Over the last decade, like-minded heritage enthusiasts have raised awareness to protect such buildings. One such loss is the 250-year-old police station on Kothaval Chavadi Theru in Vilakkuthoon, Madurai—the oldest police station south of Tiruchi
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| Vilakkuthoon police station, madurai. de-de.facebook.com |
Above image: Vilakkuthoon police station, Kothaval chavadi Theru (street), Madurai city, TN. Oldest police station south of Tiruchi since the days of colonial rule 1840s. It is said the 250 plus year old building was to be rebuilt with better facilities like all the 25 police stations including Avaviapuram, Teppakulam, Thiruparankundram, Vilakkuthoon and others. in this sprawling city will have a spacious hall for the petitioners and and others. The decision as taken in August 2021.
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| Vilakkuthoon Madurai in.pinterest.com |
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| Madurai Vilakuthoon police station. placefinder.in |
The historical Vilakkuthoon called Kothaval chavadi Theru (street),was set slated for demolition years ago. The Kotwal (meaning police guard) Chotwal Choultry or guard station which existed here once, apparently one of the earliest police stations during the early colonial period when the British had established the police system.
Choultries, common in the Nayak and early colonial era, were civic hubs offering travelers rest and shelter, making them early examples of public welfare structures. This police choultry, however, gained prominence as a British colonial control center, especially post-1840s when the Vilakkuthoon Light Tower was erected in memory of Collector Blackburn. Vilakkuthoon itself became symbolic of colonial-era administration, housing multiple key institutions including the commissioner’s office, and remnants of Pandya-era walls (Vittavasal). With the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal also serving at one point as the collectorate and court, this zone became the epicenter of colonial civil and criminal authority in Madurai.
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| Madurai city, TN .mapsofindia.com |
. The site, once a Kotwal Chavadi or police choultry, is believed to have existed during the brief Maratha rule (1740–43) or earlier, following the Nayak era. Functioning as a police main guard since 1850, it officially became a police station on July 9, 1912. A plaque once read “Cutwal’s Choultry Police Main Guard.” The area, historically important, also housed the Vilakkuthoon light tower erected in 1840 in memory of Collector Blackburn. Colonial records, including a Sessions Court trial from 1858, link the station to Madurai’s early policing history. The station also served as a tax collection point. In August 2021, a decision was made to modernize all 25 city police stations, including those at Avaniapuram, Teppakulam, and Thiruparankundram, with improved facilities. Despite public outcry, the Vilakkuthoon station was demolished. Nearby, the Vittavasal gate of a Pandya fort and the Nayak-period rampart near the Periyar bus stand also await conservation but lack official heritage recognition. Members of INTACH and local historians stressed that modernization must not come at the cost of heritage. The demolition marked a permanent loss of a historic civic structure linked to Madurai’s legacy.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2022/02/vilakkuthoon-police-station-kothaval.html
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