Though Padmanabhapuram palace is administered by the government of Kerala and is also the palace of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom, it is geographically situated in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Beautifully nestled amidst hills which form a part of western ghats, this palace is situated at a distance of 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram, where the present Travanacore royal family resides. Built in the early 17th century, the palace lost its glory once the royals moved to Thiruvananthapuram in the late 18th century. This palace which holds a special place amongst all palaces of the royal family is well managed by the archaeological department of the government of Kerala and attracts numerous tourists.
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| Entrance to the palace |
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| Carvings on the exteriors |
The palace boasts of quintessential Kerala style architecture which has been explicitly displayed everywhere. External structures, roofs and pillars portray magnificent wood and stone works which would leave every visitor spellbound. Also it has numerous guides appointed by the government to help the visitors understand the culture and history of the palace. The inner rooms, corridors, floors, kitchens, dining area, inner courtyard, performance hall, king's council chamber, clock tower, queen's dressing room etc have been well maintained. The palace pond however has a different look with green water and weeds.
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| Council chamber |
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| Inner courtyard |
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| Corridors |
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| Queen's dressing area |
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| King's seating area to watch chariot racing |
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| A peep hole view to the performance hall |
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| Performance hall |
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| Palace pond |
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| Temple inside the complex |
The wood carvings on the pillars and the roofs look exquisite with intricate works. Years of labour has gone into the making of those lovely creations. Also displayed are the medicinal cot of the king, the stone cot, swings, hanging lamps, paintings depicting various ceremonies and portraits of the rulers. The complex also has a small temple and a southern palace which now serves as a museum and has a huge collection of artillery, curios and house hold items of the royal family.
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| Wood carvings on pillars |
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| Wood carvings on roof |
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| Stone cot |
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| Medicinal cot |
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| Paintings |
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| Displays at the museum |
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| Displays at the museum |
Padmanabhapuram palace still looks majestic, exhibits a lot of grandeur and is definitely one of the best preserved palaces in the country. A visit to the same will definitely help to delve deep into the history of the Royal Kingdom of Travancore.
Signing Note- Lose yourself amidst marvelous carvings, palatial rooms and magnificent heritage of the palace.
Route- Thiruvananthapuram- Neyyatinkara- Thuckalay- Padmanabhapuram
Distance- 53 Kms
Nice monochromes Niranjan.
ReplyDeletePadmanabhapuram Palace has a special place in all the Malayalis hearts not just for its architectural splendor and exquisiteness but also for the fact that it is the place where some famous movies like 'His Highness Abdulla' and 'Manichithrathazhu' were shot. I remember trying to identify the places where some crucial scenes were shot, the last time when I visited the palace
Thanks Malini. Its a beautiful palace. I could easily identify the places where His Highness Abdullah was shot.
ReplyDeletebeautifully taken monochrome shots...
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWhat a beautiful palace :) The pictures are amazing :)
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Thank you. Keep visiting.
DeleteBeautiful!!! they capture the essence of the place!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHum... next time I see I should go further South in India!! Stayed about 1.5 months but mainly Delhi, Rajasthan, Varanasi and Kolkata. It was lovely!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Nirajan for your post and nice b&w pics :)
Thank you. South India does have lots of places to visit. You should make it next time. Thanks for visiting my blog.
DeleteThe pics have a magical and mystical quality about them.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot.
DeleteBeautiful pics. I was here once in 2006. great place
ReplyDeleteThank you. Thanks for dropping by.
ReplyDeleteNice to see some black and white images. The carvings look nice.
ReplyDeleteSabyasachi
Thank you. Thanks for dropping by.
ReplyDeleteNice post! B&W works well but, I like that color of wood!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kusum.
DeleteAwesome post Niranjan. I'm so glad you got to see this place. That was a fabulous tour of the palace that you gave us. The traditional architecture is what I was most attracted to. It was also nice to see that all those royal artifacts are well kept. What's the medicinal cot about? I thought the enna thonni was technically the medicinal cot :). What metal is it made of?
ReplyDeleteI think it's good idea that you chose to put up black and white pics. That way we are not distracted from the antiquity of the place. I'd like to see this place some day. For now -- thank you. :)
Thanks a lot. :). Its a must visit place if you are keen on architecture and heritage. The medicinal cot is one which made of a variety of medicinal woods. Head there soon.
DeleteIt's wood. I noticed the sheen and thought it was metal :).
DeleteI would love to. And someday I will. Thank you. :)
Probably the monochromes made it look like metal.
DeleteI've been wanting to go to this palace for a long time now. Hope I can get this accomplished soon.
ReplyDeleteNice Pictures to go with the informative blog.
Thank You. Head there soon.
DeleteWonderful shots of palace. This is definitely in my wish list.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteNice images..I have been to this Palace during my south India trip in January this year...we started at Thiruvanathapuram and ended the journey at Chennai, visiting Madurai, Rameshwaram, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari and Mamallapuram on the way!!
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Thank you. Thats a lovely south india itinerary.
DeleteI loved the B/W photographs. They provide more depth. Your narration is also beautiful. The mass dining area is missing.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot. Didnt post the photo of the mass dining area. Keep dopping by.
DeleteWow stunning photos. Loved them all.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Keep dropping by.
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