Saturday, July 7, 2012

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.

58 comments:

  1. beautiful ......
    where is the secret treasure???
    :-)

    regards

    anu

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  2. @Anu: The treasure lies in the secret vaults of Pabmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum not in this Palace !

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  3. This is a beautiful place...seen it during my college days!

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  4. The place is one of the rare magnificence in architectural splendour and the way Royalty lived in harmony with the surrounds. Did you not notice that even today in the height of summer it is pleasant inside?

    However I feel pathetic the way the place is maintained , a lot is desired. And the guides are atrocious.

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  5. Great architecture. My husband, daughter and I visited this place during our holiday in Kerala.

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  6. I can feel how the feel would be inside the palace. I felt it at a palace in Kochi, sometime back. It was so cool inside with seats in the small windows. I wanted to sit there and read some good book.

    They are so simple, yet rich with the beautiful wooden works. Thanks for sharing, Ramakrishnan Sir.

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  7. Yes! I have seen this grand wooden palace! Quite cool and dark inside. Lovely pictures of mantrashala.

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  8. The carved wood ceiling is a work of art with beautiful variations of the flower designs, exquisite details!

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  9. the carving just amazes me every time you show these wonders! and i like that granite bench, too!

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  10. Visited Kanyakumari back in 1996 but never visited this place. Great pics!

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  11. This looks like a splendid palace!
    I'm impressed by the granite settee, the royal chair, and of course by the intricate carvings everywhere.

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  12. You would make a great tour guide! I really enjoy your posts and photos.

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  13. That was informative with many photos. Have heard a lot about Padmanabhapuram Palace, but haven't visited it yet.
    Great post!

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  14. Amazing that this palace was built during the 16th century. It is well kept considering its age.

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  15. Beautiful! The building somehow reminds me of others in Nepal.

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  16. My friend Ram,
    I really do enjoy your posts like these. There is always so much to learn and see. Thank you for sharing such treasures with us.

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  17. Beautiful pictures...
    It was home of the kerala royal family which is now away from kerala...

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  18. thanks for sharing beautiful pictures of home of kings from kerala which is now away from home...

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  19. The wooden carvings are superb. Beautiful photographs too. I visited this palaca some two years ago and wrote about it in my Hindi blog.

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  20. Beautiful palace. The wooden carvings are exquisite.

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  21. I love that clock and all the details.
    Indeed the floor is very nice.
    I like the way you describe things of the ancient!Thank you for that!
    BShell

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  22. Lovely captures of the beautiful palace:)

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  23. OMG...such a beautiful palace...Thanks for sharing

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  24. Its an awesome palace with fantastic architectue. Nice captures.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  25. Again Nostalgic, So beautifully photographed, especially the lamp. Reminds me of the film Manichitra..

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  26. Ola!

    Belo Palácio...respira-se arte por todos os lados!!

    Um abraço from Brasil!

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  27. Great and interesting post!
    What a beautiful building.
    Love the carving.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great summer.
    Mette

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  28. Thanks for the tour of the beautiful palace. The details are very intricate.

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  29. Interesting building.....beautiful wood carving! Thanks for sharing.
    Ruby

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  30. I have been here many times when I was a kid..feeling nostalgic now :) beautiful palace and clicks :)

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  31. i am always amazed by the woodwork... look at the details and the craftmanship!! Wow, simply breaht taking!

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  32. Very interesting post of a bautiful place.Have a great week ahead.

    Shantana

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  33. Beautiful climatic photographs. I am greeting

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  34. So amazing this place Ram! One day, i want to visit India with all it's treasures! Have a super day!

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  35. Beautiful place, I loved the royal chair. Thanks for sharing!

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  36. That was a treat for the eyes, heart and the mind. The pagoda like palace is oozing with idyllic charm, thanks to the minefield of images. Excellent travelogue.

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  37. Good morning!
    Thank you for being with us in my sister's birthday. It was an honor to us.
    No she as no blog but she has got a professional website with the things she does, an the articles she writes...
    ...an no, you did not called me Elizabeth...but there would be no problem if you did! ...LOL...It's Okay!

    HUGS
    BShell

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  38. The palace is magnificent. Thanks for sharing.

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  39. Fiquei encantada com a beleza de suas imagens, são perfeita e bem focadas.
    Gostei tanto do seus blog e do seu trabalho que ja estou te seguindo para voltar outras vezes pra ver e ler suas postagens.
    Parabéns!
    Grande abraço aqui do Brasil!

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  40. Splendid! So traditionally beautiful. With that flooring and that "odde" roofing, that place must be one cool place.
    How far is this the palace from the temple?

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  41. @Divya: The Temple is in Trivandrum and the Palace is located at Padmanabhapuram near Thukkalay around 65 Kms on the Tvm-Nagercoil road.

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  42. Beautiful shots. Just shows how rich India was in terms of architecture!! So intricate, amazing.

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  43. Each country has interesting things to know. Everyday I can learn something new. Your blog is very interesting and the wood art is incredible beautiful. I greet you from Argentina. Elen Lackner
    (Thank you very much for your words to me in Andy´s blog. )

    ReplyDelete
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