Kerala Tourism Padmanabhapuram Palace- History & Location

An introduction to Padmanabhapuram Palace

Our God's own country is a major tourist place in the world history. Actually the tourist importance of Kerala is mainly due to its sceneries, hill stations, palaces, museums, temples, beaches etc. The interesting fact is that the list goes on & on. There is no end for this list. Among the palaces present in Kerala, Padmanabhapuram Palace is having an important place. This palace is considered as one among the beautiful palaces, located in Thuckalay, in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India. Actually this palace is not under the boundaries of Kerala state, but it is controlled by the Archeology department of Kerala Government. When considering the exact location we can say that this palace is located at about 55kms from Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. The Valli River flows nearby to this palace. Do you want to know more about Padmanabhapuram Palace? Then check out the below points.

History regarding the Padmanabhapuram Palace

The present generations of Kerala state may be having a curiosity to know the history regarding the Padmanabhapuram Palace that was believed to be constructed in ancient times. The first important point regarding Padmanabhapuram Palace is that it was believed to be constructed in 1601 AD by Iravi Iravi Varma Kulashekara Perumal, the ruler of Travancore. Another fact is that the architecture of this palace has attracted each & every person. Actually the credit goes to King Marthanda Varma, who completed the design of this beautiful Palace. The palace was known as Kalkulam Palace in the earlier times. King Marthanda Varma, who ruled his kingdom as servant of lord Padmanabha or Padmanabha Dasa changed the name of this kingdom to Padmanabhapuram Palace. The nearest bus station is Thuckalay located in Kanyakumari disrict of Tamil Nadu & nearest railway station is that of Nagercoil & Iraniel. Trivandrum National Airport is the airport which is nearest to Padmanabhapuram Palace.

Important structures seen in Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram Palace is famous for its structural designs. Most of the interior designs of this palace have attracted several tourists from different parts of the world. The amazing fact is that most of the structures were made in wood. From these points we can understand the talents of people who lived in ancient Kerala. The following are some of the important structures seen in Padmanabhapuram Palace. They are
1.Mantrasala or King's Council Chamber
2.Thai Kottaram or Mother's Palace
3.Nataksala or Hall Of Performance
4.Four Storeyed Central Building or Uppirikka Maliga
5.Thekee Kottaram or Southern Palace

The King's Council Chamber or the Mantrasala is an important part of the Padmanabhapuram Palace. As the name indicates, Mantrasala is a place where king as well as ministers holds consultations regarding the kingdom. This palace has so many importance regarding its structures which include windows with colored mica, floorings which were made of burnt coconut shell, egg white etc.Mother's Palace or Thai Kottaram is considered as the oldest structure in the entire palace. There is an inner courtyard called nalukketu in this Thai Kottaram. The sloping roofs of this inner courtyard are supported by four pillars on four corners. Chamber Of Solitude or Ekantha Mandapam is located on the south west corner of this Thai Kottaram. If anyone gets a chance to visit this palace, they should never miss to see the wood carvings of this palace.

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Nataksala or Hall Of Performance was built by Maharaja Swathi Thriunal & meant for performing dances & music. The royal ladies used to watch the performances by the peepholes, which were present in the wooden enclosure of the hall. Apart from this, the Nataksala consists of soild granite pillars & gleaming black floor. The Uppirikka Maliga was constructed by King Marthanda Varma & this is also known as a Four Storeyed Central Building. It should be noted that this Four Storeyed Central Building consists of ground floor houses, first floor houses, second floor houses & finally top floor houses respectively. Most of them were used as royal treasury, King's bedrooms, King's resting & studying rooms & finally the worship chamber of the royal household. Nowadays The Thekke Kottaram or The Southern Palace is considered as a heritage museum.

Some important features of Padmanabhapuram Palace

By going through the above points you may be able to understand the structural features of this palace. Apart from this, some other features of this palace are the clock tower, a secret passage, presence of old chinese jars & a variety of weapons, brass lamps, wood & stone sculpture, toilet and well, mirrors made of polished metal, wooden cot, polished stone cot, paintings etc. Among the above mentioned features, I think you may be able to understand the meaning of the word secret passage. The secret passage was used in emergency by King, family members as well as servants to escape to a nearby palace called Charottu Kottaram. But now this is blocked.

Official address & working times of Padmanabhapuram Palace

Research Officer
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Thuckalay P.O
Nagercoil
Kanyakumari District
Phone: 04651-250255
Working time: Tuesday to Sunday 9 AM – 4:30PM
It should be noted that this palace will be closed on Monday as well as National Holidays.

Admission tickets of Padmanabhapuram Palace

Adults: Rs 10
Children: Rs 2
Cameras: Rs 10
Video: Rs 1000

Padmanabhapuram Palace- History & Location