Built in the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace seems to have resisted the sweeping march of time. On the Thuckalay-Kulasekharam route, turn from Thuckalay to the Palace, which is just one km from Thuckalay. For many, the palace is a pitstop on the way to Kanyakumari from Thiruvananthapuram. The palace has a handful of families who have lived here for generations.
I was walking towards the biggest wooden palace in Asia. The Palace is nestled by the bustle of shops and hotels. A walk after crossing the main entrance takes you back to the reign of royal kings of Travancore. The first sight of the palace was impressive. Once you enter the large lawn, you can watch a 300 year old clock which still keeps time.
Our first stop inside is 'Poomukham', where the king entertained special guests. The entrance of this building is shaped as a triangle and it showcases the indigeneous architechtural style of Kerala.
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| Poomukham |
The most striking feature of the building is the wooden ceiling, where ninety flowers have been carved and each of them is unique.
Another attractions in the 'Poomukham' are Kuthira Vilakku ( hanging brass lamp with a knight on horse-back), a Chinese chair presented to the King by a Chinese merchant and the 'Onavillu' presented to the King as tribute by landlords and cheiftains of different clans during the Onam festival.
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| Kuthira Vilakku |
First floor of the building is 'Mantrasala' ( King's Council chamber), which is decorated by wooden window grills and beautiful craft work of wooden ceiling. This is the most impressive part of the palace.
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| Mantrasala ( King's Council chamber) |
The floors throughout the palace are in shades of bone white, rich earthy brown and black. The ingredients of the floor include egg shells, lime, tender coconut water, coconut oil etc. The coloring added by using,coal from burnt coconut shells, for black, red hibiscus and henna for brown and egg shell and lime for ivory.
Next to the Mantrasala is Oottupura ( Dining Hall ), a two-storeyed building, which can accommodate over 1000 people at a time in each floor.
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| Oottupura ( Dining Hall ) |
At the farther end of the hall is the exit. Next our stop was at 'Thai Kottaram' also known as mother palace. This Nalukettu style building was built during the reign of Ravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. The ceilings were carved out of wood and were a treat to the eyes.
Next up is the 'EKANTHAMANDAPAM'. The main attraction in this building is 'Kannithoonu' a ceiling supporting pillar built of jack fruit tree.
And then there was the majestic King size bed- a wooden cot made up of 64 different pieces of wood which are of medicinal quality. The Queen's dressing room nearby had another cot.
Next up is 'Ambari Mukhappu' which was was built for the kings to view chariot races (temple car's race) during festivals and to appear before the public on special occassions.
Next up is Navarathri Mandapam. Various cultural programes were conducted in this place during the Navarathri festival. The dance floor was polished to mirror-dance perfection so much that it is known as 'Kannadithara' or mirror floor. Separate rooms with 'Kilivathil' ( small wooden windows built in the wall) have been made for the king to view the programmes without being seen by the common public.
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| Navarathri Mandapam |
After hours of Palace hoping, we came out of the main Palace compound. Then we walked to the Thekke Kottaram Heritage Museum which is adjacent to the Padmanabhapuram Palace. The Thekke Kottaram has three small buildings carved in traditional architecture. One of the buildings has its balcony opening to a pond below. One building houses the heritage museum and the third one used to be a ‘Thekkini’ or place of worship. When you enter the heritage museum, you can see age-old domestic appliances, musical instruments and other artifacts..
Padmanabhapuram Palace showcases centuries-old tradition in timeless glory.
