Padmanabhapuram Palace November 2007

Visited Palace on 23rd of November 2007 with Anju (my younger bro). We were visiting the shivalaya temples in the morning and came to Padmanabhapuram in between to visit Thampi uncle and family. He suggested going to the palace which was a brilliant idea.

Padamanabhapuram Palace complex is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District that was part of old Travancore. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil, and about 50 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram. The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills which form a part of the Western Ghats The river Valli flows nearby


Thampi uncle kindly came with us and showed us around the palace

The palace was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravipillai Iravivarma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. In the late 18th century, the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Trivandrum, and the place lost its former glory. However, the palace complex continue to be the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hall mark of traditional Kerala style building art. The palace I beleive is still under the governance of Kerala state.

The backyard


Thai Kottaram, literal meaning, Mother's Palace - believed to have been constructed before 1550. There is a secret passagehere through which the king, his immediate family members, and their entourage could escape to another palace, located several kilometers away in the event of any emergency.

Nataksala, literal meaning, the Hall of Performance, or of Performing Arts

Cot made with about 64 medicinal woods

Old style tea making outside the palace...V. Nostalgic

Will write on all about Shivalaya ottam soon......