KANYAKUMARI - a place 4 LIVE...
This majestic old palace is situated at Thuckalay, on the way to Kanyakumari, 63kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Though the palace is situated in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu State, it is administered by the Government of Kerala archaeology department. After the state "reorganization in 1956 the Palace and its premises were retained under the administrative control of the Government of Kerala. The income and expenditure of Padmanabhapuram Palace are shared equally by the Government of Kerala and the Govt.of Tamil Nadu. It was known as Kalkulam Palace and situated about the centre of a fort (186 acres) constructed in 1600 A.D. 776 M.E. The palace was constructed around 1601 CE by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, who ruled Travancore between 1592 CE and 1609 CE. It is famous for its 17th and 18th century murals, carved mahogany ceiling, colored mica windows, secret underground passages, inner courtyards, durbal hall, museum, four poster medicinal bed, Belgian mirror, pictures of Lord Krishna, granite dance halls and special black shiny floors which are made from a unique combination of egg white, jaggery, lime, burnt coconut, charcoal and river sand. The important edifices in the Palace complex are Poomugham (entrance hall), Manthrasala (council hall) Manimeda (clock tower), and Natakasala (the hall to perform Kathakali), Uttupura (dining hall) Thaikottaram (Mother Palace), Uppirika Malika (storeyed building) Kannadithalam.,Navarathri mandapam, Indravilasom, Chandra vilasom etc.
The Palace has a compound of about 6.05 acres of land. Anizham Thirunnal Martanda Varma, the maker of modern Travancore, constructed the navarathrimandapa in stone, in place of wooden structure and the ˜Uppirika Malika ˜ a four-storied building named as ˜Perumal Kottaram' in 1744 A.D, 919 ME. He renamed the Kalkulam Fort as Padmanabhapuram in the same year, and the Palace also came to be known as Padmanabhapuram Palace.
The Padmanabhapuram palace was the ancient capital of the Travancore kings. The palace is known for its planning and military architecture and remained the center of power till 1790; later the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram. Photography is charged here. You would need to do a guided tour of the palace complex as it is massive with a maze of 108 rooms, each having its distinct style, mood and artistic expression. Visitors to the palace are not allowed to enter wearing shoes or slippers in order to maintain the polish of the floor. The best time to visit the palace is during the months from November till the end of May. The place is less crowded during the monsoon months of June and July. The palace is open to tourists from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Mondays and national holidays.
Padmanabhapuram Palace - PHOTOS
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Padmanabhapuram Palace -Journey Experience
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