Location
: In Thuckalay, 64 km from Thiruvananthapuram, situated in Tamilnadu, a
neighbouring State.
Visiting hours :9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Mondays.
A magnificent wooden palace of the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace lies
at the land's end of mainland India. An enticing piece to any lover of art and
architecture this old palace of the Rajas of the erstwhile Travancore (1550
to 1750 AD) is a fine specimen of Kerala's indigenous style of architecture.
The antique interiors are replete with intricate rosewood carvings and sculptured
decor. The palace also contains 17th and 18th century murals. One can see: the
musical bow in mahogany, windows with coloured mica, royal chairs with Chinese
carvings, 'Thaikkottaram' or the Queen Mother's palace with painted ceilings,
rose wood and teak carved ceilings with 90 different floral designs. Durbar
Hall with a shiny black floor specially made from a combination of egg white,
jaggery lime, burnt coconut, charcoal and river sand, granite tubs to cool curd
and buttermilk, secret underground passages, the King's bedroom with a four
poster medicinal bed, mural paintings, pictures of Lord Krishna, hanging brass
lanterns lit continuously since the 18th century, hanging cage through which
eagles tore criminals to death, open air swimming bath, the King's sister's
dressing room, granite dance hall, Saraswathi (goddess of knowledge) temple,
large earthen urns, room for scribes and accountants, carved figures on columns
holding oil lamps, pooja (worship) rooms with jackfruit tree columns, fish carvings
on the ceilings, enormous teak beams, Belgian mirrors and an outer cyclopean
stone wall fitted together without mortar. The visitor is often overwhelmed
by the royal splendour of erstwhile Travancore. Though the palace is situated
in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu State, it comes under the purview of the
Government of Kerala's administration.
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