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 H.H. Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, as a retreat for their family. In 1964 Valiya Koil Thampuran sold the entire property the Government of Kerala; since then the property has been converted into a deluxe hotel. A dispute arose when the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which was running the hotel, sold it to a private hotel resort group. The NRI businessman Dr Ravi Pillai now 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, deluxe hotel.