Pathuthoon Lane or 10 pillars lane in Madurai

From the archive record

There are 10 tall pillars in a narrow lane called the Pathuthoon Lane. Each pillars is 12 metres (40 ft.) high and 1.20 metres (4 ft.) in girth. The locals refer to it as the Ten Pillar Lane.It appears that King Tirumalai Nayak had two palaces, ‘Swarga Vilasam’, comprising of the main palace which was recently renovated and `Renga Vilasam’, which belonged to his brother, Muthialu Nayak. Apparently, the 'Renga Vilasam' was destroyed but the 10 pillars, which formed that courtyard of the palace, survived.Today, this lane is full of small houses and equally small shops on both sides. The 10 granite stone pillars are used as thethering poles for animals and bycycles. However, they stand tall and firm, seemingly unaffected by the hustle and bustle of life below, mute terstimony to past glories