Payanam Travel Series #3 - Kaattu Bangla
A narrow road leaves the familiar landscape around Arani and gradually enters a forest.
There are no grand gateways announcing the destination. Trees close in on either side, the surroundings become quieter, and then an unexpected building appears in the middle of the wilderness.
Locally known as Kaattu Bangla, or the bungalow in the forest, this abandoned structure stands near Poosimalai Kuppam, around 16 kilometres from Arani in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu.
It is also known as the Poosimalai Kuppam Palace, the Glass Palace and, in some accounts, the Shooting Box.
The third episode of Payanam explores this unusual and largely forgotten building.
A Palace Hidden Inside a Forest
The location is what first makes Kaattu Bangla memorable.
The building stands within a reserved forest, surrounded by trees and small hills. Reaching it involves travelling along a narrow road that feels increasingly detached from the nearby town.
And then comes the surprise.
A multi-storeyed European-style bungalow rises from the forest. Its tall walls, sloping roof and projecting verandas look completely out of place in this isolated setting.
It does not resemble a traditional palace from Tamil Nadu. Nor does it look like an ordinary country house. It has the appearance of a building transported from another landscape and left behind among the trees.
The Arani Jagir Connection
The bungalow is associated with the former rulers of the Arani Jagir.
It is generally believed to have been constructed by Tirumalai Sahib of the Arani ruling family during the nineteenth century. Some accounts date the building to around 1860, though published versions differ about its precise age and original purpose.
A popular story says that it was built for the Jagirdar’s European or Anglo-Indian wife. Another account describes it as a hunting lodge or shooting box used during expeditions into the surrounding forest.
There is not enough surviving evidence to treat every story as established history. But the building’s secluded location suggests that it was intended as a private retreat rather than a conventional administrative palace.
Local tradition also credits the Jagirdar with developing the forest around the bungalow by planting trees in the area.
Why Is It Called the Glass Palace?
The building is sometimes called Kannadi Maaligai, meaning Glass Palace.
This does not mean that the structure was built entirely from glass. The name is believed to have come from the unusually smooth finish once given to portions of its walls. When maintained and polished, those surfaces may have reflected light with a glass-like appearance.
Time has taken away much of that finish. Yet traces of the building’s original elegance can still be recognised.
A Building Left to Decay
Unfortunately, the condition of the bungalow tells a very different story today.
Doors and windows have disappeared. Walls have been scratched, painted and damaged. Parts of the interior remain exposed to the weather, while vegetation continues to grow around the structure.
The isolation that once made the bungalow attractive has also made its protection difficult.
Its neglected appearance has encouraged stories of ghosts and mystery. But the real story is sadder and far more familiar, an important heritage structure has been left without adequate care.
More Than a Haunted Bungalow
It is easy to describe Kaattu Bangla as a haunted palace.
Its isolated position, empty rooms and ruined appearance certainly create that impression. But such a description reduces the building to a curiosity.
Kaattu Bangla is also part of Arani’s history.
It reflects the lifestyle of the former Jagirdars, the movement of European architectural ideas into the Tamil countryside and a time when imported building components could find their way into a bungalow hidden deep inside a forest.
The building deserves attention not because it appears frightening, but because very few structures of this kind survive in the region.
Watch Payanam – Episode 3: Kaattu Bangla
The third episode of Payanam travels to Poosimalai Kuppam near Arani and explores this forgotten forest palace.
The building may now stand silent and damaged. But its architecture, location and unanswered questions continue to make it one of the most unusual heritage sites around Arani.
Happy travelling.
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