(Listing Name)
land is used for the administration of the
Serial No.: 01
NAME: Pannai Valaagam(O.L.V
Nursery School)
Location
Latitude: 10°49’10.4” N
Longitude: 79°36’23.6” E
Address: OLV Nursery School, Pannai
Valaagam, Kangalangcherry, Thiruvarur.
District: Thiruvarur.
Approach: It can be accessed through a
5m wide road connected to the Thiruvarur
- Mayiladuthurai State highway.
Typology
Property type: Building
Subtype: Originally Residence—later
converted into School.
Date of Construction: 1964
Ownership
Single/Multiple: Single
Name of owner: The Diocese of Tanjavur,
Tanjavur.
Property Use
In use/ not in use: In Use
Present use: School
Past use: Residence
Significance
(Historic, Cultural, Social, Association,
Local legends)
The building and its surroundings have
an interesting history. In Tamil, the word
pannai refers to cattle and hence, the term
pannai valaagam –the name of this place—
refers to cattle rearing or poultry farming.
A.T.P. Panneer Selvam, the original owner
of this place, was a prominent member of
the Justice Party—famous during India’s
struggle for freedom from British rule
(pre-1947). He owned over 200 cows and
hence, the name Pannai Valaagam for this
place. This is a large campus having a
Church, Old Age Home for Men and
Women, Hospital and a Nursery School.
The place also has more than 50 acres of
agricultural land and the income from this
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Old Age Home. Panneer Selvam had no
children and hence, on the suggestion of
his elder brother Fr. Sabestin, he donated
the present property for charitable
purposes. Elsewhere in Thiruvarur, a
locality has been named after Panneer
Selvam. Later, his house and his
milkman’s house were converted into a
Nursery School—the structures that are
being listed now. Next to the milkman’s
house, there was a cowshed that no longer
exists. The old church in the campus was
demolished and a new church was built
diagonally opposite to the old one.
Architectural Description
(Architectural style, site & surroundings,
plan, decorative features, façade)
The site is located on the picturesque
banks of the river Vettar, a tributary of the
river Kollidam. The present building faces
north and consists of two houses-- A.T.P.
Panneer Selvam’s house and his milkman’s
house with the adjoining cowshed area.
Panneer Selvam’s house is a single storey
structure, 18ft high. It has five
entrances--three accessed through the
main road, one accessed from the
backyard and another now used as the
access to the School Headmistress’s room.
The backyard entrance is richly
ornamented and now serves as the main
entrance. This entrance is accessed
through a flight of four steps that lead to
an ornate porch with arched openings on
each of the four sides and four columns,
one each at its four corners. The upper
part of the walls adjoining the columns
and the ceiling are richly ornamented with
floral motifs and other designs. The porch
leads to a large corridor with a row of
columns. Beyond this corridor, the main
hall is divided into three classrooms. The
Headmistress’s room and the staircase are
located on one side of the main hall. Other
rooms including a store room are also
located next to the hall. The adjacent
Milkman’s House has a pitched tile roof. It
has a central courtyard enclosed by the
taalvaram (passage around a courtyard).
The structure has windows covered with
jali work.
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Building Material and Construction

Technique
Wall: Flat brick with lime plastering.
Roof: Madras Terrace (Panneer Selvam’s
house), pitched pan tile roof (Milkman’s
house).

Condition Description
(Signs of Distress, Structural problem,
additions &alterations, Repairs &
maintenance, Threats)
It shows no sign of distress and
structurally good. But a portion of the old
building has been demolished. Slight
alterations in the interior to suit the needs
of the classrooms.
State of Conservation
(Good/Fair/Showing signs of
deterioration/Advanced state of
decay/Danger of disappearance)
State of conservation is good--no signs of
deterioration.

Grade
Archaeological: A/B/C -C
Architectural: A/B/C -B
Historical: A/B/C -A
Associational: A/B/C -A
Social/Cultural: A/B/C -A
Final Grading: I*/I/IIA/IIB/III - I*

Sources
(Please write all sources of information
here)
Information from the School authorities.

(Month, Year)
(Page Number)
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