Padmanabhapuram Palace is Located 55 km away from Thiruvananthapuram on the highway to Nagarcoil-Kanyakumari, Padmanabhapuram was once the seat of the rulers of old Travancore or Venad State from the16th to the late 18th centuries. The name refers to the image of the lotus coming from the navel of Vishnu (Padma - lotus, nabha - navel, Puram - Town). The palace complex was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. (767 M.E and 784 M.E). The construction of the Perumal palace at the centre of the complex was completed in 1744 A.D. On the day of its completion, Maharaja Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma, dedicated this palace to Lord Padmanabha and named the palace Sri Padmanabha Perumal Palace. From then on the fort and the surroundings earlier known as Kalkulam came to be known as Padmanabhapuram.
Padmanabhapuram palace cover an area of around 7 acres. The complex consists of individual structures linked by a maze of corridors, colonnades, verandahs, courts and constructed of teakwood and granite and stands within the massive stone walls of 30 ft which kept Tipu Sultan at bay in the 18th century. Exquisite wall paintings, fascinating traditional Kerala architecture, floors finished to a high polish with a special compound of crushed shells, coconuts, egg-white and juices of local plants; sunny courtyards with carvings and sculptures are some of the outstanding features of this sprawling palace housed within fortified walls.
The palace has its main entrance from the west. The 'padipura' or the main gate reached after crossing a large courtyard, displays an ornamented gabled roof. The 'Pumukham', inside the second court, has a profusely carved rosewood and mahogany ceiling with 90 different inverted flowers, a polished granite bed in one corner and an ornate Chinese throne. There is an audience hall on the upper level of the two storeyed building with circular wooden columns and angled timber screens to let in light and air. The third court marks the beginning of the private zone of the palace. Here, on the north of 'Pilamottu Kottaram' is 'Upparikka Malika' (upper storey) or the Perumal Kottaram. Its four chambers, arranged one above the another, connected by steep steps, served as a treasury on the ground floor, the royal sleeping chamber on the second floor, the royal meditation chamber and shrine room on the fourth floor. On days of penance, His Highness took rest on the third floor, which also served as his prayer room. The 18th century Kerala murals on the walls remains unblemished even after centuries and surpass even those at Mattancherry palace in Kochi. There is also a four poster medicinal bed of 64 ayurvedic healing woods here, many presented by the Dutch.
Each room in the palace has its own characteristic style. A guided tour through the maze of 108 rooms leaves one breathless at the artistic expression and sheer opulence of these magnificent rooms. Painted mahogany musical ceremonial bows adorn a wall, a huge brass oil lamp hangs from an ornate teak, wooden ceilings profusely carved etc are a feast to the eyes.
The manthrasala (Council chamber) with a shiny hard 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 and some coloured mica in the windows, is situated right at the top of the portico of Pilamoottu Kottaram (palace). The 'mattuppavu' (balcony) situated on the south served as the dining hall of the palace employees. An enormous 2 storeyed hall served as an 'oottupura' ( dining hall), where 2,000 Brahmins were fed free once daily. The paintings in the prayer room are simply superb. However this room is mostly kept locked and one has to have permission to enter. The fourth court of the palace occupies the east part of the complex.
Kanakakunnu Palace
Kanakakunnu palace is located in Trivandrum close to the Napier Museum. It was primarily a summer palace of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore. Built by Sree Moolam Thirunnal the Palace was later renovated by Sree Swathi Thirunal by the introduction of tennis courts and other features. The palace boasts of beautiful chandeleires and also a large collection of royal furnitures and it was used more as a guest house to entertain the visiting dignitaries than anything else. hte palce with its stunning architecture is a remaining legacy of the colonial era.
Protected by the tourism department the palace plays host to a lot of cultural meets and programs. the palce grounds is anexcelletn for joggers ans family to relax in the evenings. The Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has listed this place as a heritage monument.
The Nisagandhi open-air auditorium, is located within the palace compounds and is a sought after venue for staging various cultural programs and other entertainment extravaganzas. the Nishagandhi open air auditorium palys host to a week long festival of Indian Classical dances including Barathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohinayattam etc. Various artists participate in this week long cultural extravaganza. The Sooryakanthi auditorium is a very popular venue which stages exhibitions, trade fairs and cultural programs. The palace grounds also hosts a week long food festival which sees the participation of hotels from all over Trivandrum.
Kuthiramalika Palace
The Padmanabhaswamy Temple is Trivandrum’s most salient landmark Right next-door, in the East Fort, stands the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum also called the Puttan Malika Palace. This enclosure of several palaces forms the nexus of the Trivandrum Fort. Built in the 19th century by the famous poet monarch of Travancore, Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma, the Kuthiramalika Palace preserves the relics that represent the rich heritage of the erstwhile state of Travancore. This majestic palace museum is a fine example of Kerala Architecture. As one approaches inner palace, attention is drawn to the spectacularly carved slanting wooden beams of the upper galleries. The horses carved out here are astoundingly lifelike. The Kuthiramalika Palace Museum displays King Swathi Thirunal’s paintings and collection of musical instruments and an assortment of war arms belonging to the royal family of Travancore. The very first room tourists enter exhibits 14 life-size images portraying stills from the legends of Kerala and the traditional dance form of Kerala, Kathakali. Visitors are fascinated by the exquisitely carved ivory cots and thrones of the rulers. A musical tree that reproduces the seven 'swaras' or notes of Carnatic music when tapped is a major draw. The display of both objet d'art and arms of war points to the royals’ inclination of winning over the hearts of men by pacific and cultural means rather than by outright warfare and their immense spiritual maturity.
The Kuthiramalika Palace Museum is a major tourist attraction of the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram and is easily accessible. Located at a distance of about 1 km from the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Junction and about 6 km from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the museum truly showcases the beautiful spirit of the state of Kerala and reveals to the international visitor glimpses of the glorious history of India.
Koyikkal Palace
Koyikkal Palace is located at Nedumangad, 18 kilometers from Trivandrum, Koyikkal Palace is a major tourist attraction. This ancient palace is built in the traditional Kerala architectural style with slanting roofs and a courtyard inside. This palace was built for Umayamma Rani of the Venad royal family. This magnificent double storied palace now houses two museums, set up by the Archaeology Department. The Koyikkal Palace of Thiruvananthapuram is a beautiful monument that stands as an evidence of the rich historical legacy of Kerala. The two museums in the palace are the Folklore museum and Numismatics museum.
The Folklore museum was set up in the year 1992 and houses many ancient musical instruments and models of folk arts. One can also find rare articles like an ancient percussion instrument that was used while a ballad like Ramayana. Another small instrument that was a very sweet sounding instrument, made of wood and string is also exhibited over here. This instrument was used during Onam festival in Kerala in old days. The museum also has a number of household utensils made in brass and copper that was used during ancient times.
The Numismatics museum over here is one of its kind, as it houses a vast collection of coins from different eras. An ancient coin belonging to the Venetian era is also exhibited here and it is believed that this coin was presented to Jesus Christ. Ancient coins belonging to the time when trade first started in Kerala are also exhibited over here. The museum has a huge collection of Roman coins and also has coins belonging to different empires that ruled India.
Kilimanoor Palace
Kilimanoor palace, the royal house at Kilimanoor has a history that stretches back to some 300 years. Though the palace complex has some older buildings that were constructed much earlier the palace was finished in the present form in the year 1753. The palace is renowned as the birth place of the celebrated Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
The Palace complex is mostly constructed in the traditional residential structures of Kerala similar to that of the Nalukettu. It covers more than six hectares, and also comprises small and medium sized buildings, two ponds, wells and sacred groves (kaavu). The construction of some of the buildings is attributed to Raja Ravi Varma who is said to have built and maintained them from the proceeds of his paintings. Families related to the Travancore royal house continue to live here.
Krishnapuram Palace
Krishnapuram Palace is located at a distance of 47 kilometers from Alappuzha. It is one of the important Alappuzha Tourist Spots. Krishnapuram Palace of Alappuzha is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Mondays. The palace is about 39 kilometers away from Kollam. The nearest railway station is Kollam Railway station and the nearest airports are Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at about 103 kilometers and Cochin International Airport at about 132 kilometers.
The three-storied Krishnapuram Palace in Alappuzha is built in Kerala style of architecture. It has got gabled roofs, dormer windows and narrow corridors. This palace has been the residence of the rulers of the Kayakulam kingdom. Due to its historical value as well as importance for tourism, the Krishnapuram Palace is now turned to an archaeological museum with a fascinating 49 square meter Gajendra Moksham, which is the largest single band of mural painting so far discovered in Kerala. The palace has been renovated in the 18th century and is now under the archaeology department.
This 18th century Krishnapuram Palace was built during the reign of Marthanda Varma, who was a Travancore Monarch. The compound has beautiful gardens with lush greenery all around the palace.
Dutch Palace
Dutch Palace, Kochi is more popularly known as Mattancherry Palace. It is located at Palace Road, 10 km from Ernakulam city, Kochi. The palace was constructed by the Portuguese and presented to the then Rajah of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma. The Rajahs of Keralas made subsequent renovations of the palace, giving it a Hindu texture. In fact, it has become one of the best testimony of the Hindu Temple Art.
The Dutch Palace in Kochi is a two stored building built around a central courtyard. This traditional style of architecture is known as 'nalukettus' in Kerala. The entrance of the palace is arch shaped, which leads to the suite of public rooms. The rounded doors and windows, the masonry walls of Dutch Palace gives it a European look.
But the Indian flavor is more prominent in this palace. There is a temple in the courtyard of the palace, dedicated to the protective God of the Kochi Royal family, Pazhayannur Bhagavati. There are two more temples on either side of the Dutch Palace at Kochi, each dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna. The interior wooden panels of Dutch Palace depicts the weapons, headdresses, robes and palanquins of the Rajas of Kochi. The mural paintings of Dutch Palace exhibits epic scenes from the puranic legends like Ramayana and Mahabharata. These paintings are mainly found in the bed chambers and covers almost an area of 1000 sq ft.
The tourists to Dutch Palace, Kochi also have the privilege to visit the famous Kochi synagogue. It was built way back in 1567.
Arakkal Palace
The Arakkal Palace is located in Kannur district and is owned by the only royal Muslim family in Kerala known as the Arakkal family and the Arakkal museum is dedicated to this family. The museum is only a section of the palace which holds the durbar hall. Even though the museum has been renovated by the government at a whopping cost of rupees 9,000,000 the Arakkalkettu is still owned by the Muslim family. The Arakkal family trust does not fall under the control of any of the government department primarily the archaeology department. It is located three kilometres from Kannur town. The Arakkal kingdom once ruled Lakshadweep islands and the coastal areas of Malabar. The Arakkal family trust is close to two hundred years old. The palace was renovated and converted into a museum only recently in 2005.
The architecture is interesting exhibiting local flavours such as using materials like wood and laterite and there is a large open ground to offer the daily Muslim prayers which is done for five times called “Namaz”. “Kettu” is the palace complex which interconnects the Namaz area. There are four mosques around the palace. One of these blocks has a cot, seating chair and a lamp is always lit as this place is considered sacred. It looks like business was booming at this time as there were trade houses and warehouse facilities. The family followed a matrilineal system of descent and there was no discrimination done based on gender. The male rulers were known as Arakkal Raja and the female rulers were known as Arakkal Beewis.
Aranmula Palace
Aranmula palace is a traditional keralite palace which has a history of 150 years. FOKANA, a consortium of Non-Residential Malayalis in the United States of America and Canada is promoting a company, Central Travancore Development Corporation (CTDC) for the overall development of Central Travancore region. CTDC is planning to build a domestic airport in Aranmula. Apart from the above specialities, Aranmula is famous for many other things like - Valla Sadhya, thanungu perukku. The Aranmula Tiruvaranmulayappan temple is very famous and one of the biggest in Kerala. Other small temples in Aranmula are: Ganapati Temple,Kadakal, Punnamthottam, Kuruvilakkavu, Kaippuzha, Pallimukkom etc. EDAYARANMULA:THE ORGIN OF THE PARTHA SARAT uruvilakkavu, Kaippuzha, Pallimukkom etc. EDAYARANMULA:THE ORGIN OF THE PARTHA SARATHY Is a 2KM From aranmula temple on chengannur road. Very beautiful and natural place in the bank of river PAMPA. VILAKKUMADOM is located in Edayaranmula were Krishna arrived travelling through the Pampa River by a small boat made by six bamboos(arru mula )and hence the name Aranmula. From there he went to the current temple location at Aranmula. Aranmula "kodiettu" and "Pushpabhishekam" which constitute the holy procession of the idol of Krishna starts from the Vilakkumadom during festivals and ends in the "Aarattukadavu" located in the banks of pampa near the temple
Laxmipuram Palace
Laxmipuram Palace is situated in Changanacherry Taluk in Kottayam District in the state of Kerala in India. It was the seat of the royal family of Koi thampurans and has produced many illustrious writers such as Kerala Varma Valia Koi Thampuran and A. R. Raja Raja Varma. Noted Malayalam singer and classical musician L. P. R. Varma also hails from this palace. A vassal king, who had commitment to the Travancore Royal family, used this palace to rule from Changanacherry. The father of Swathi Thirunal, the king of Travancore in 1836, hailed from this royal house.
The palace was the seat of the royal family of Koi Thampurans. Kerala Varma Valia Koi Thampuran, A R Raja Raja Varma and L P R Varma (noted Malayalam singer and classical musician) belonged to this palace.
Changanacherry lies around 18 km south of Kottayam. Changanacherry Railway Station is the nearest railway station.
Nedumpuram Palace
Nedumpuram Palace is situated in Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. The palace belongs to a branch of the Kulasekhara dynasty that ruled the principality of Udayamangalam in Northern Kerala. The family belongs originally to the Valluvanad royal line of ascension who presided over the Mamamkamfestival. During the southern campaign of Tippu Sultan, the family relocated to the south of Kerala and took shelter under the patronage of the King of Travancore. The family divided into two branches establishing principalities within Travencore in Mariapalli and Tiruvalla. The current palace stands at the earlier location of a palace that belonged to the Raja of Tiruvalla.The palace is constructed in the traditional complex 'pathinaru kettu' structure (lit. 16 blocks) which divided the structure into four blocks of rooms with indoor open courtyards connected to each other. The structure is supported by teak beams and false ceilings. At present the building is in disrepair. It is built in the kovilakam style. A single block of this architecture is called Nālukettu and is generally constructed as a single dwelling of many joint families.
Foe each block of 'Nalukettu', barring the foundation and floor is made of carved and slotted wood and has a close resemblance to East Asian gabled and thatched structures. In later years, tiles replaced the coconut fronds.
Pandalam Palace
Pandalam Palace is the permanent home for the royal family of Pandalam who are the descendants of the Pandya kings of Madurai. Pandalam is a holy town, second only to Sabarimala. Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sabarimala, had his human sojourn here as the son of the Raja of Pandalam. Ayyappa spent his childhood days at palace and protected the King and the kingdom from the attacks of enemies. After sometime, Ayyappa disappeared into jungle and people started to worship him at Sabarimala temple.The Valiya Koickal temple near the palace, on the banks of river Achenkovil, has been modelled on the Sabarimala shrine. Pilgrims usually stop here to worship before proceeding to Sabarimala. Three days prior to Makaravilakku festival, the sacred ornaments for Lord Ayyappa are taken from the Pandalam Valiyakoickal Sastha Temple palace in a procession to Sabarimala. The Raja or his representative with ceremonial sword, escort the Thiruvabharanam to Sabarimala for the Makaravilakku festival.
Shakthan Thampuran Palace
The Thrissur Sakthan Thampuran Palace located in Kerala is an important landmark in the town and also has much historical significance. It is a major tourist attraction and all history lovers will definitely want to go through this magnificent piece of historical significance. The great ruler Raja Rama Varma built Trichur Shakthan Thampuran Palace. The Archaeological Department of the state now looks after the maintenance of the palace. The Raja was an able ruler who achieved great heights during his reign and is held in high esteem by the people of Kerala even today.
The palace has been constructed in a unique combination of Dutch and traditional Kerala style of architecture. Very few structures in Kerala have such a unique combination that has been skillfully blended together to make such a magnificent palace. The palace has mainly two stories and a traditional Kerala "Naalukettu". The palace is marked by high roofs, thick walls, large rooms and Italian marble flooring. The construction and interiors are done so tastefully and comfortably that it remains cozy irrespective of weather conditions.
Anyone who visits the palace will come to know that the rulers of Mysore have also stayed in this grand palace. In fact, the great ruler Tipu Sultan is believed to have set up a flag mast in front of the palace, which can be seen even today. The palace also has a serpent grove, locally known as "Sarpakaavu", which has been worshipped since ancient times. Serpent worship is almost a ritual in Kerala and has been practiced since many centuries. The palace also houses a museum that has collections like ancient bronze sculptures and statues and ancient manuscripts.
Halcyon Castle
Halcyon Castle was built in the 1930's in the city of Travancore, state of Kerala, India. Originally the castle was built by Sri Rama Varma Valia Koil Thampuran, consort of Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (who was the aunt of Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma), and it served as a summer retreat.[1] This royal palace has been converted into a deluxe hotel. The castle became disputed when the ITDC (India Tourism Developement Corporation) who was running the hotel sold out the hotel to a private Hotel resort group.[2] The government of Kerala is trying to take the possession of the castle by claiming it as a heritage site, although, not without challenge by the hotel group.[3] The Halcyon castle is also known as Kovalam Palace, as it is situated in the international beach resort of Kovalam in Trivandrum. The palace is now under the possession of Leela Group, which runs the 6 star deluxe hotel in Kovalam.
Poonjar Palace
The Poonjar Palace is a glorious testimony to the regal opulence of a bygone era. Within the palace walls is an extraordinary royal collection of antiques and exquisite furniture including a palanquin, a thoni - carved out of a single piece of wood - for Ayurvedic massages, huge chandeliers, palm leaf engravings, jewel boxes, varieties of lamps, sculptures of Nataraja (the dancing Siva), grain measures, statues and weapons. A unique conch preserved here is taken out once a year for ritualistic purposes.
Near the palace is an amazing replica of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple.
The walls of this temple bear sculptures that narrate stories from the Puranas (the legends of ancient India). However, the most fascinating thing here is the Chuttuvilakku (row of lamps) carved out on the stonewalls of the Sastha Temple nearby. Such rocks cut lamps are rare in India.
