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PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE - KERALA
Today it’s just a little village with four temples, several houses and a bathing pond. But Padmanabhapuram was once the capital of the princely state of Travancore and the seat of its maharajas. Located about 40 km from Kanyakumari en route to Thiruvananthapuram, it nestles in the lap of. the Veli hills which are a part of the Western Ghats, and is watered by the river Valli. An old granite fortress with a perimeter of 4 Ian surrounds the village. And, at the heart of this fortress, lies the magnificent palace built by the maharajas of Travancore.
The palace consists of a duster of buildings, each a marvellous example of South Indian architecture. These structures were built at various times by the different reigning monarchs of the kingdom. Archaeologists believe that the oldest of them, the thai kottaram or mother palace must have been built in the sixteenth century. When in the late eighteenth century, the capital of Travancore was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, the palace began to fall into decay. Some restoration work was attempted in 1934 at the behest of the royal family. After independence, the district of Kanyakumari, which includes Padamanabhapuram, became part of Tamil Nadu, but even today the palace is administered by the archaeological department of the Government of Kerala. Padmanabhapurarn is today a popular destination visited daily by hundreds of tourists. One enters the palace through the poomukham, and at once one is surrounded by exquisite woodwork. From the entrance wepass straight on to the nwntrasala, the king’s council chamber where he discussed matters of state with his ministers.
This is one of the most beautiful areas of the palace, dark and cool, the heat and dust kept out by elegant latticework and colored window panes. The floor is dark but its perfect finish is thanks to the ingredients that have reportedly gone into its making: burnt coconut white and so on. Beffia as one has succeeded in perfection elsewhere. riot modem materials.
From the council on to the oldest structure ace complex, the thin pert opinion dates the of this mother palace This building has been designed traditional Kerala style with an inner courtyard into which the sloping roofs from the four sides taper down. Four pillars, one in each comer, support the roof. In the southwest comer is a relatively small room with an elaborately carved ceiling: ekantha mandapam (Building of Solitude). Among wood carvings of every description, of special significance here is a pillar made of a single piece of wood on which intricate floral designs have been carved.
The palace sprawls over a large area and requires much climbing up and down steep narrow stairs. Central to the complex is a four-storeyed building. At the top there is the king’s worship chamber, the walls of which are covered with some of the finest eighteenth century murals in this part of the country, depicting scenes from the Puranas and the social life of the people. The ceremonial sword of the maharajas of Travancore is also kept in this chamber.
This part of the palace is now closed to the public for fear of what malicious or negligent visitors might do to the artwork. Below the worship chamber is a complex of rooms which includes the king’s bedroom, which sports an ornamental bedstead of elaborate woodwork. Said to be made of 64 kinds of medicinal wood, this bed was apparently a gift from the Dutch. Generations of maharajas slept on it, in the fond hope, one assumes, that by so doing disease and death could be averted. An interesting feature of the rooms of this palace is that the walls have built-in recesses for storing swords and daggers. This gives us an insight into the insecurity that haunted the head that wore the crown.
Visitors to the palace are taken around by officially appointed guides, who very often talk too much. This detracts from the pleasures of walking along cool passages on polished floors. These guides have been trained to reel out the historical significance of the various exhibits and sometimes, one suspects, they don’t hesitate to manufacture a bit of history to add spice to their presentations. They are poorly paid and, I suppose, some of the nit-picking visitors must get on their nerves too. Still, it seems to me that a more educated and reticent batch of guides could enhance the quality of the experience offered to the visitor.
A relatively new addition to the palace is the beautiful and spacious dance hall. This hall was built at the behest of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, a patron of the arts, who reigned in Travancore from 1829 to 1846 AD. A composer himself, he has gifted a rich legacy to classical Camatic music. With its solid granite pillars and hall gleaming black floor, the wears an aura of serenity and dignity.
Sitting alone there for a few minutes, away from the chatter of guides and visitors, it was easy to travel a century and half into the past and see before the mind’s eye.
Thiruvanthapurma is well connected tomost part of India by road rail and air. Padmanbhapram is 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the nearest railhead is Nagercoil, 16 km away. There are frequent buses from Thiruvanthapuram to Nagercoil and Kanyakumari. Bus travelers must get down at the Thuckalay bus stop and take a txi or autorikshaw to the palace less than 2 km. away.
Tanglangla. A rough road leads to this pass, at 5,328m, the highest on the road. There’s a little temple here and you can get a free cup of tea at the government teashop... A high pass is the most incredible feature in the mountains. From a peak you see breathtaking views, but from a pass you see the other side. Beyond this white and black world you can see the colors of a desert. And silently saluted the universe.
You can follow the Gya River down to the Indus at Upshi, after which it would be plain sailing. Here, the colors of this valley began to reveal themselves. There were cliffs of marble in combinations of pink and purple, blue and red, green and copper. Past the turning to the fabled Hemis monastery, you can see the imposing Shey Gompa.
Today it’s just a little village with four temples, several houses and a bathing pond. But Padmanabhapuram was once the capital of the princely state of Travancore and the seat of its maharajas. Located about 40 km from Kanyakumari en route to Thiruvananthapuram, it nestles in the lap of. the Veli hills which are a part of the Western Ghats, and is watered by the river Valli. An old granite fortress with a perimeter of 4 Ian surrounds the village. And, at the heart of this fortress, lies the magnificent palace built by the maharajas of Travancore.
The palace consists of a duster of buildings, each a marvellous example of South Indian architecture. These structures were built at various times by the different reigning monarchs of the kingdom. Archaeologists believe that the oldest of them, the thai kottaram or mother palace must have been built in the sixteenth century. When in the late eighteenth century, the capital of Travancore was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, the palace began to fall into decay. Some restoration work was attempted in 1934 at the behest of the royal family. After independence, the district of Kanyakumari, which includes Padamanabhapuram, became part of Tamil Nadu, but even today the palace is administered by the archaeological department of the Government of Kerala. Padmanabhapurarn is today a popular destination visited daily by hundreds of tourists. One enters the palace through the poomukham, and at once one is surrounded by exquisite woodwork. From the entrance wepass straight on to the nwntrasala, the king’s council chamber where he discussed matters of state with his ministers.
This is one of the most beautiful areas of the palace, dark and cool, the heat and dust kept out by elegant latticework and colored window panes. The floor is dark but its perfect finish is thanks to the ingredients that have reportedly gone into its making: burnt coconut white and so on. Beffia as one has succeeded in perfection elsewhere. riot modem materials.
From the council on to the oldest structure ace complex, the thin pert opinion dates the of this mother palace This building has been designed traditional Kerala style with an inner courtyard into which the sloping roofs from the four sides taper down. Four pillars, one in each comer, support the roof. In the southwest comer is a relatively small room with an elaborately carved ceiling: ekantha mandapam (Building of Solitude). Among wood carvings of every description, of special significance here is a pillar made of a single piece of wood on which intricate floral designs have been carved.
The palace sprawls over a large area and requires much climbing up and down steep narrow stairs. Central to the complex is a four-storeyed building. At the top there is the king’s worship chamber, the walls of which are covered with some of the finest eighteenth century murals in this part of the country, depicting scenes from the Puranas and the social life of the people. The ceremonial sword of the maharajas of Travancore is also kept in this chamber.
This part of the palace is now closed to the public for fear of what malicious or negligent visitors might do to the artwork. Below the worship chamber is a complex of rooms which includes the king’s bedroom, which sports an ornamental bedstead of elaborate woodwork. Said to be made of 64 kinds of medicinal wood, this bed was apparently a gift from the Dutch. Generations of maharajas slept on it, in the fond hope, one assumes, that by so doing disease and death could be averted. An interesting feature of the rooms of this palace is that the walls have built-in recesses for storing swords and daggers. This gives us an insight into the insecurity that haunted the head that wore the crown.
Visitors to the palace are taken around by officially appointed guides, who very often talk too much. This detracts from the pleasures of walking along cool passages on polished floors. These guides have been trained to reel out the historical significance of the various exhibits and sometimes, one suspects, they don’t hesitate to manufacture a bit of history to add spice to their presentations. They are poorly paid and, I suppose, some of the nit-picking visitors must get on their nerves too. Still, it seems to me that a more educated and reticent batch of guides could enhance the quality of the experience offered to the visitor.
A relatively new addition to the palace is the beautiful and spacious dance hall. This hall was built at the behest of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, a patron of the arts, who reigned in Travancore from 1829 to 1846 AD. A composer himself, he has gifted a rich legacy to classical Camatic music. With its solid granite pillars and hall gleaming black floor, the wears an aura of serenity and dignity.
Sitting alone there for a few minutes, away from the chatter of guides and visitors, it was easy to travel a century and half into the past and see before the mind’s eye.
Thiruvanthapurma is well connected tomost part of India by road rail and air. Padmanbhapram is 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the nearest railhead is Nagercoil, 16 km away. There are frequent buses from Thiruvanthapuram to Nagercoil and Kanyakumari. Bus travelers must get down at the Thuckalay bus stop and take a txi or autorikshaw to the palace less than 2 km. away.
Tanglangla. A rough road leads to this pass, at 5,328m, the highest on the road. There’s a little temple here and you can get a free cup of tea at the government teashop... A high pass is the most incredible feature in the mountains. From a peak you see breathtaking views, but from a pass you see the other side. Beyond this white and black world you can see the colors of a desert. And silently saluted the universe.
You can follow the Gya River down to the Indus at Upshi, after which it would be plain sailing. Here, the colors of this valley began to reveal themselves. There were cliffs of marble in combinations of pink and purple, blue and red, green and copper. Past the turning to the fabled Hemis monastery, you can see the imposing Shey Gompa.
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