Kanyakumari - Padmanabhapuram Palace
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Kanyakumari - Padmanabhapuram Palace
The ancient historical town Padmanabhapuram is one of the four municipalities in the district is 55 Km. south of Trivandrum, about two km. east of Thuckalay and 35 km. from Kanyakumari on the Trivandrum-Cape Comerin road. This town is surrounded by a fort with an area of 187 acres. The ancient capital of Travancore might be constructed before AD 1601.
The palace with an area of seven acres, is situated in the very centre on the Padmanabhapuram Fort, amidst hills, dales and rivers. The palace which is situated in Kanyakumari District is under the control of a Curator of the Archaeological Department of Kerala Government. The fort which was built with mud originally was dismantled and reconstructed with granite by Maharaja Marthanda Varma. The height of the walls varies from 15’ to 24’ according to the inclination of the ground.
Entrance Hall: The entrance to the main edifice is controlled by another ornamental gateway with retainers for watch and ward. The gabled entrance has wooden ceiling profusely ornamented with lotus medallions. The most striking feature of the entrance is the clock-tower which is one of the oldest in India erected in 1832 A.D. and still continues to be in working order.
The first floor the Poomuham has a council chamber or Mantrasala which is meant for holding discussions with ministers and prominent citizens. The floor off this hall, which is polished with the admixture of coconut shell ashes, eggs fermented in molasses and lime reflects the figure like a mirror. Next to the Mantrasala is the Dancing Hall which was used exclusively for the members of the royal family.
Adjacent to the Council Chamber and to the south of dancing hall is the dinning hall called “Uttupura”, with two floors (the ground and the first) each measuring roughly 78 by 6 metres and it would accommodate about 2000 people at a time. Feeding of about 2000 poor persons, it is said, was done here every day and so the king was called ”Dharmaraja”.
Uppirika Malika : The most attractive building in the whole palace is the ‘Uppirika Malika’ which consists of three storied. ‘Uppirika’ is the abbreviated term of ‘Muppirika’ which means the residence of the eldest member of the family. A wooden cot is erected on the top most floor in the belief that “Lord Vishnu” the chief deity. The first floor contains a wooden cot made of 64 medicinal plants, on which Maharaja used to sleep. The medicinal cot was presented to Maharaja “Marthanda Varma” by the Dutch East India Company in 1750, as a mark of friendship.
The Navarathri Mandapa: To the west of the Zuppirika Mandapa is the Navarathri Mandapa which is a spacious hall of exquisitely beautiful granite pillars with drooping pendants reminiscent of the Nayakar style of architecture. In the Navarathri Mandapa, performances of Bharatha Natya and musical recitals took place in the royal presence.
The old palace at Padmanabhapuram 15 kms from Nagercoil on the highway to Trivandrum is a rare archaeological museum containing fine architectural, works, sculptures, mural paintings and weapons of war. The ancient town is surrounded by a square fortification of stone about 4 kms perimeter. The beautiful Mantrasala (Council Chamber) which displays exquisite wood carvings, Thaikottaram the oldest of all edifices, Ayudhasala, the store house of weapons utilised for war, the three storied edifice called " Upparikka Malika" containing the famous Chamber of murals hailed as "the Ajanta of Kanyakumari" and a wooden cot made of 64 medicinal plants, the hall of historical oil paintings known as "Chitralaya", the Navarathri mandapa with a shrine of Saraswathi and an ancient clock tower are the note worthy features of the palace. The story of Ramayana which has been depicted dramatically around the inner prakara on 145 wooden panels in the Ramaswamy temple inside the fort is one of the bes specimens of wood art in the whole of India.
The rulers of Travancore, a princely state for over 400 years, which included a good part of present-day Kerala and part of western Tamil Nadu, ruled from this palace, replete with outstanding wood carvings, stone sculptures and fantastic murals. The paintings in the prayer room are some of the best found anywhere in India. However this room is mostly kept locked and one has to have permission to enter it. Each room in the palace has its own characteristic style and is unique in its outlay. One is transported to a bygone era as soon as one steps into the entrance hall (a verandah). A huge brass oil lamp hangs from an ornate teak, rosewood and mahogany ceiling carved with ninety different lotus flowers. On the wall is a painting of onamvillu, ceremonial bows being offered to a reclining Lord Vishnu on the occasion of Onam (a harvest festival). Another interesting artifact is the sword placed in front of Lord Vishnu’s idol in the prayer room.
The palace is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on all days except Mondays. Frequent buses run from Thiruvananthapuram’s Thampanoor bus stand to Padmanabhapuram. Another way is to board any bus for Nagercoil or Kanyakumari and alight at Thakkalay.
Kanyakumari - Padmanabhapuram Palace
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