| Padmanabhapuram Palace |
| About: |
Padmanabhapuram Palace is located in small town in Padmanabhapuram, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala.Padmanabhapuram Palace is a magnificent palace that speaks volumes about the ancient architecture of Kerala. Padmanabhapuram palace is a place that should not be missed at any cost. The palace walls are adorned with ancient murals that date back to the 17th century. The ancient relics include royal seats with Chinese engravings, musical bow in mahogany, colored windows, beautifully painted and carved rosewood ceilings etc.This magnificent structure is constructed of wood, brought from nearby forests.The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which form a part of the Western Ghats and has the river Valli flowing past nearby.This town Padmanabhapuram, 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 palace complex continues to be one of the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hallmark of traditional Kerala style building art. Definitely worth a visit,The interiors of the palace are magnificent and give an idea of the royal life that one must have led in the palace. A big hall called the Durbar hall has shiny black flooring. It may seem like a granite floor at a glance but in reality, the floor is made of a combination of jaggery, lime, burnt coconut, charcoal and river sand. This floor could not be duplicated again in any construction. The palace also has a secret underground escape route (now blocked), open air swimming pool, dance hall, massive paintings and idols of Indian Gods and Goddesses, carved figurines carrying lamps, etc. There is also a unique stonewall that is held together till date without the use of mortar.
In Padmanabhapuram Palace, Mantrasala ( King’s Council chamber) is the most stunning place to visit. The oldest construction of this palace is the Thai Kottaram (Mother’s palace). The comparatively new structure of Natakasala (Performance Hall) is also a visual delight. The 4-storeyed building located at the central part of Padmanabhapuram Palace which was used as the worship arena of the royal family is another place of attraction. A lot of visitors also visit Thekke Kottaram (Southern Palace) which acts as a museum for storing antique items. Though located in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, Padmanabhapuram Palace is heavily influenced by Kerala architecture. This monument is under the protection of the Kerala State Archaeology Department.The name Padmanabhapuram also has a mythological significance to it. It stands for an image of the lotus coming from Lord Vishnu’s navel (Padma refers to lotus, nabha means navel and Puram stands for Town).
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| Location info: |
| Address:Kanyakumari,Kanyakumari District ,Tamil nadu ,India |
| District:Kanyakumari District |
| Nearest City: Thiruvananthapuram |
| Best time to visit: Throughout the Year |
| Climate/Weather: |
| The climate is of tropical humid type with an oppressive summer and The temperature normally ranges between summer – Max.36.2, Min.20.6, and winter – Max.35, Min.18 |
| History: |
Travancore was formerly known as Thiruvithamcode, Vanchedesam, Velnad, Venad and Vanavanad. The rulers were known as Vanchibhoopathis. The prefix Vanchi indicates that the ancestors of the rulers were Chera Kings whose capital was Thiruvanchikulam.
It is said that Venad was in existence even before the beginning of Malayalam Era. The first Venad ruler was Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal.
The West facing palace dates back to the days of Veera Udaya Marthanda Varma. The Kalkulam fort (udayagiri fort) which encompasses an area of 186 acres was built in 1601 AD. The last to rule Venad from Padmanabhapuram was Marthanda Varma the great. In 1750, he surrendered his Kingdom to Lord Padmanabha (Truppadidanam) and ruled on his behalf. Since then the rulers of Travancore were known as Padmanabha Dasas.In 1750 Marthanda Varma found it necessary to change the capital to Trivandrum. Then his successors used this Palace to spent short periods (holidays). Gradually its historical and cultural significances faded. It was Sree Chithira Tirunal who ascended the throne in 1931, took the initiative to revive art, architecture, sculpture and other fine arts of Travancore. Thus Padmanabhapuram Palace, its congregation of typical Kerala features in architecture, roofing, carved wooden frontages, doors, corridors etc, makes it a complex of artistic eminence.
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| Interesting places to Visit: |
| Kanyakumari Beach: The Kanyakumari beach with multi-colored sand and rocky shoreline is definitely one of the most beautiful beaches in south India and offers a great change from all other beaches. The waves that hit the shore are quite strong and frequent, that means that one does not get to enjoy a step into the shallow water or a sea bath.Vivekananda Memorial Rock It is about 500 meters away from mainland. This memorial stands on one of two rocks separated by about 70 meters. It was built in 1970. This memorial is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, the greatest social reformer. Swamy Vivekananda was supposed to have meditated on the rock where the memorial stands today. A meditation hall is also attached with the memorial.Gandhi Mandapam :Not far from the Kumari Amman Temple is the Gandhi Mandapam, constructed at the spot where the urn containing the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was kept for public view before a portion of its contents was immersed in the three seas. It resembles an Oriyan temple and was designed so that on Gandhiji’s birthday (2nd October), the sun’s rays fall on the place where his ashes were kept. |
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| How to reach? |
| Nearest Railway Station:Tirunelvelli (90 kms) |
| Nearest Airport:Trivandrum (80kms) |
| Road Transport:Kanyakumari is very well connected to all the major cities in the Southern India.there are good number of buses to every cities |
| Nearest Visiting places: |
VattaKotai Fort & Beach:Vattakottai Fort (or ‘Circular Fort’) is a seaside fort near Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defence-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.It was constructed under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the VOC, who became commander of the Travancore army in the 18th century, by earning the trust of the Travancore King Marthanda Varma. De Lannoy constructed Vattakottai, as part of the defence-fortifications he undertook throughout Travancore.
Kanyakumari Temple :Kanniyakumari is famous for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets, especially on full moon day. It is at its best during Chitra Pournami when the sun and moon are face to face at the same horizon. The temple overlooks the shoreline. It is dedicated to Parvati as Devi Kanya, the Virgin Goddess who did penance to obtain the hand of Lord Shiva. The deity, Devi Kanyakumari is’ the protector of India’s shores’ has an exceptionally brilliant diamond on her nose ring which is supposed to shine out to sea. |
| Nearest Petrol Pump: |
| Kanyakumari |
| Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:Hotel Singaar in KanyakumariHotel Sea View in KanyakumariHotel Samudra in KanyakumariHotel Trisea in Kanyakumari |
| Help Line/Phone Number: |
Police Station:Kanyakumari Police Station Phone:246224Asaripallam Police Station
Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
Write a reviewOffice Of The Superintendent Of Police
Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil NaduKottar Police Station
Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu |
| Nearest Hospital:CSI Hospital: 222222Vijayakumar Hospital: 275045Abdul Kadher Hospital: 240804Catherine Booth Hospital: 275516Dr. Kumarsamy Health Center: 270636Kumaran Nursing Home: 231418Irudhayams Hospital: 241561Bedesta Hospital: 232233Jeyasekhran Hospital: 271620Krishnakumar Hospital: 230021J. Mathias Hospital: 223137Manju Nursing Home: 273849Holy Cross Hospital: 230897Moses Mathias Hospital: 232601Moris Mathias Hospital: 276009 |
