Summary:
Though it is hard to pinpoint the exact location of the market, according to prominent historians, it may the prototype of the modern Chala market. Some vessels used at Padmanabha Swamy temple went missing and finally surfaced in a shop at Chala market. This record, according to most historians, points to the existence of Chala market from the medieval times. Raja Kesava Das, the celebrated Dewan, was the architect of the Chala market that we see today. One of the earliest reference to Padmanabha Swamy temple and its immediate environs comes from Ananthapuravarnanam, a thirteenth century composition by an unknown poet..