Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram was the seat of the Travancore rulers before the capital moved to Thiruvananthapuram, and the complex covers about six acres of timber buildings in the Kerala style: steep tiled roofs, carved wooden ceilings, latticed screens, and floors finished in a polished black composite whose recipe, said to involve egg white, lime, burnt coconut shell and juices, is not fully documented. The king's council chamber has coloured mica in the windows to soften the light. Because state boundaries were redrawn in 1956 the palace lies in Tamil Nadu but is still owned and run by the Kerala government.

Background

Also called Kalkulam Palace, the complex sits below the Veli Hills, which belong to the Western Ghats, close to the river Valli and inside an old granite fortress about four kilometers long. Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, ruler of Venad between 1592 and 1609, built it around 1601 CE, and Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma rebuilt it in around 1750. The capital moved away in 1795, and the Navrathri Festival stopped being held here in 1839. With support from the Travancore royal family it became a museum in 1935. The oldest building, Thai Kottaram, predates 1550. Inside are 18th century murals of scenes from the puranas and a bedstead of 64 types of medicinal woods, given by Dutch merchants.

Source: Wikipedia, "Padmanabhapuram Palace"

Highlights

• The carved ceilings - timber ceilings worked in flower and figure patterns.
• The black floors - a polished composite whose recipe is uncertain.
• The council chamber - coloured mica windows filtering the light.
• The clock tower - a wooden clock said to have run for centuries.

When to go

October to March; the palace closes on Mondays. Mornings are quietest. Interiors are dim and best seen when daylight is strong.

What to expect

The complex is administered by Kerala inside Tamil Nadu, which occasionally causes confusion over holidays and closures. Photography is restricted or charged. Shoes are removed and the tour route is fixed.

Nearby

Kanyakumari lies southeast; Thiruvananthapuram is northwest.

Key facts