This historical palace was built in the 18th century during the reign of Marthanda Varma, the legendary King of Tranvancore. Situated near Kayamkulam, Kerala, this three storeyed building was used as a temporary house for the royal kings. When you are travelling through NH-47, from Kochi to Kollam, after Kayamkulam bus stand, you can see a board indicating the direction to the Palace which is just half kms from the main road.
The palace is also an excellent example of the Kerala style Architecture. After taking entry tickets and crossing the main gate, you will reach the entrance gate of this palace which is a traditional Padippura (entry of a house).
The palace has four Nadumuttoms ( Central Court yards ) popularly known as 16 kettu ( 4 each for one Nadumuttom) and 22 rooms in ancient Kerala architecture style.
You can see the exhibits of some antique items too.
Another exhibit is a pallakku - used by the King to travel- which was carried by servants on their shoulders. A Bible written in Sanskrit is another attraction. The west side of the Palace is a big pond.
There is an entry to the pond from the middle of house which is called as "Kula Kadavu" in local language . This entry is used to bathe in the pond and one can reach here by climbing down the brick steps .
Another attraction in the palace is an exhibit of the Gajendra Moksham, which is the largest single piece of mural painting so far discovered in Kerala. The painting is placed at the entrance to the palace from the pond. According to the legend, the king used to pay his homage to Lord Vishnu just after his bath from the pond. There are few mural pictures on the walls which are damaged with time.
 |
| Mural of Gajendra Moksham. |
Clay tile flooring have been used on the floors. You can watch the kitchen of the palace and the articles used during those times.
One can find a huge collection of rare antique bronze sculptures, wood sculptures, coins, megalithic remains and mural paintings. The palace also houses exhibites of a big collection of old coins used in the earlier time.Bigger coin in the picture is Chakram and the Smaller one Kashu.
Another attraction is Rasi palaka ( the coin board) - a wooden board with small niches used to count small coins and coins mints.
There are halls were the King conducted his meetings,inner balconies,balcony with a view to the rear pond. Roof is made of solid wood. All rooms have natural ventilated windows.
Traditional interior of the palace is noteworthy. Around the room, there is a walkway covered by wooden rafter work. There are stairs made of wooden steps.
You can find a well attached to the building. Through the front side windows, you will get a beautiful view of padippura and entry gate.
There are displays of old swords of the King. I saw the famous ‘Kayamkulam Vaal (Sword)’ – a double sided sharpened sword used by the King.
Then I came out of the palace to watch the surroundings. In the middle of the garden is an old Anchal box with a conical sign. It is made of cast iron brought from England. There are around 150 such boxes in various places in kersla.
From the left side of the entry gate, you can watch a beautiful statue of Buddha and Buddha Mandapam ( hall). It is said that the Buddha statue was recovered from a pond.
A must-visit for all art and history lovers
Visiting time:
All days of week, except Monday, from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
0 comments:
Post a Comment