Padmanabhapuram Palace, also known as Kalkulam Palace, is a Travancore-era palace located in Padmanabhapuram in the Kanyakumari district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The palace is owned, controlled and maintained by the Kerala Government.

Padmanabhapuram is the former capital city of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore. It is around from Nagercoil, from Kanyakumari town and from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The palace complex lies inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, part of the Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby.

History

The palace was constructed around 1601 CE by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Venad between 1592 and 1609. The founder of modern Travancore, King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1706–1758) who ruled Travancore from 1729 to 1758, rebuilt the palace in around 1750. King Marthaanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to his family deity Sree Padmanabha, a form of Lord Vishnu and ruled the kingdom as Padmanabha dasa or servant of Lord Padmanabha. Hence the name Padmanabhapuram or City of Lord Padmanabha.

In 1795 the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Thiruvananthapuram, and the place lost its former glory. From 1839, the Navrathri Festival was no longer held in the palace, which contributed to its further decline.

In 1935, with support from the Travancore royal family, the palace was converted into a museum. When the states of India were reorganised on linguistic lines, and Kanyakumari was transferred to Tamil Nadu, the Palace remained under the ownership and control of the Government of Kerala. The Palace is maintained by the Archaeology Department, Govt of Kerala.

In 1993, Thekkae Kottaram was converted into a heritage museum, exhibiting antique household articles and curios. The collection of items give an insight into the social and cultural ethos of the traditional Kerala household in earlier times.

Other features

thumb|250px|right|[[Eustachius De Lannoy, Dutch East India Company surrenders to Maharaja Marthanda Varma, Kingdom of Travancore after the Battle of Colachel]]

thumb|Bed made of 64 types of wood

thumb|Chinese pickle jars

The Padamnabhapuram Palace complex has several other interesting features:

  • The palace is located near Thuckalay, Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu state but administered by the Government of Kerala state.
  • The clock tower in the palace complex has a 300-year-old clock, which still keeps time.
  • A big hall now bare, which can accommodate around 1000 guests, and where ceremonial feasts were held, on auspicious occasions.
  • A secret passage, now blocked, through which the king, his immediate family members, and their entourage could escape to another palace, located several kilometers away in the event of any emergency. Name of this palace is Charottu Kottaram.
  • A flight of steps leads to a bathing pond, which has lost its freshness due to neglect and years of disuse.
  • The palace complex also has a section of curios and several interesting objects:
  • An entire room filled with old Chinese jars, all gifts by Chinese merchants.
  • A variety of weapons (which were actually used in warfare), including swords and daggers.
  • Brass lamps, wood and stone sculpture, a variety of furniture and large mirrors made of polished metal.
  • A gallery of paintings depicting incidents from the history of Travancore.
  • A wooden cot made of up to 64 wooden pieces of a variety of medicinal tree trunks
  • Polished stone cot, meant for cool effect
  • Toilet and well

<gallery>

File:Padmanabhapuram Palace exterior facade.jpg|Padmanabhapuram Palace exterior facade

File:Padmanabhapuram Palace 1.jpg|Padmanabhapuram Palace (Side View)

File:Forecourt Padmanabhapuram Palace Mar24 A7C 10099.jpg|Padmanabhapuram Palace forecourt

File:Padmanabhapuram Palace 5.jpg|Padmanabhapuram Palace

File:Padmanabhapuram Palace 7.jpg|Padmanabhapuram Palace and Pond

File:Kuthira Vilakku 1.jpg|Kuthira Vilakku

File:Clock Tower Padmanabhapuram Palace Mar24 A7C 10102.jpg|Clock tower

File:Floral Beams Uppirikka Malika Padmanabhapuram Palace Mar24 A7C 10142.jpg|Engraved wooden ceiling, Uppirikka Malika

</gallery>

See also

  • Kuttalam Palace, Tamil Nadu, also under the ownership of the Kerala government.
  • List of State Protected Monuments in Kerala
  • Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in India
  • Eraniel
  • Marthandavarma (novel)

References

  • Protected Monuments in Kerala, Archaeological Survey of India
  • Padmanabhapuram Palace at the World Heritage Tentative List