Padmanabhapuram Palace Kerala Part 1

Pabmanabhapuram Palace is situated at 65 km from Trivandrum on the road to Kanya kumari. The legendary kings of Venad ruled from this magnificent 16th century wooden palace. The Padmanabhapuram Palace, is now within the State of Tamilnadu (India) but it was once the traditional home of the Royal family of  Travancore (now Kerala State), so it is maintained by the Kerala State government. The palace is one of the best examples of the traditional wooden architecture of Kerala. Such stately homes were adorned with carved wooden ceilings, curved and slatted shuttered windows, intricate interlocking beams for the roof, sculpted door panels and pagoda like tiled roofs. Mantrasala or King’s Council chamber is the most beautiful part of the entire palace complex. It has windows with colored red mica, which keep the heat and the dust away, and the interior of the council chamber remains cool and dark.  Delicate and beautiful lattice work can be seen all over the council chamber. The floor is also beautifully done, with a fine and perfect finish. The floor is dark and is made of a mixture of varied substances, including burnt coconut shells,egg white etc. The remarkable aspect is that this particular floor finish and texture could not be duplicated in any other construction. I am presenting the first lot of photographs clicked during my visit to this magnificent Palace in May 2012. The images reveal the splendor and style in which Royalty lived. More photographs will follow in the next post.

Entrance Compound - milling with visitors to the Palace

Entrance-way to the Palace

The Front Facade with pagoda like tiled roofing & intricate ornamented wood carving

An ancient clock still ticking away

Splendid view of the glorious palace entrance

A granite settee at the entrance foyer for visitors

A royal chair

A beautiful hanging brass lamp

Intricate wooden ceiling design

Another view of wooden ceiling, hanging lamp & tiled roofing

The Royal Durbar or Mantrasala- to hold discussions with council of ministers or prominent citizens

Another view of the Mantrasala.