Padmanabhapuram palace - Location : In Thuckalay,
64 km from Thiruvananthapuram, situated in Tamilnadu, a neighbouring
State.
Padmanabhapuram palace - Visiting hours : 9:00 am
to 5:00 pm on all days except Mondays.
A magnificent wooden palace of the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace
lies at the land's end of mainland India. An enticing piece to any
lover of art and architecture this old palace of the Rajas of the
erstwhile Travancore (1550 to 1750 AD) is a fine specimen of Kerala's
indigenous style of architecture.
The antique interiors are replete with intricate rosewood carvings
and sculptured decor. The palace also contains 17th and 18th century
murals.
One can see: the musical bow in mahogany, windows with coloured mica,
royal chairs with Chinese carvings, 'Thaikkottaram' or the Queen Mother's
palace with painted ceilings, rose wood and teak carved ceilings with
90 different floral designs. Durbar Hall with a shiny black floor
specially made from a combination of egg white, jaggery lime, burnt
coconut, charcoal and river sand, granite tubs to cool curd and buttermilk,
secret underground passages, the King's bedroom with a four poster
medicinal bed, mural paintings, pictures of Lord Krishna, hanging
brass lanterns lit continuously since the 18th century, hanging cage
through which eagles tore criminals to death, open air swimming bath,
the King's sister's dressing room, granite dance hall, Saraswathi
(goddess of knowledge) temple, large earthen urns, room for scribes
and accountants, carved figures on columns holding oil lamps, pooja
(worship) rooms with jackfruit tree columns, fish carvings on the
ceilings, enormous teak beams, Belgian mirrors and an outer cyclopean
stone wall fitted together without mortar.
The visitor is often overwhelmed by the royal splendour of erstwhile
Travancore. Though the palace is situated in Kanyakumari district
of Tamilnadu State, it comes under the purview of the Government of
Kerala's administration
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