Padmanabhapuram Palace
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Padmanabhapuram Palace, also known as Kalkulam Palace, is a
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
-era palace located in Padmanabhapuram in the Kanyakumari district of the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. The palace is owned, controlled and maintained by the Kerala Government. Padmanabhapuram is the former capital city of the erstwhile kingdom of
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
. It is around from
Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...
, from
Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...
town and from
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
in Kerala. The palace complex lies inside an old
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, part of the Western Ghats. The river
Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...
flows nearby.


History

The palace was constructed around 1601 CE by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled
Venad Venad was a medieval kingdom between the Western Ghat mountains of India with its capital at city of Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143 ...
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 Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
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 Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
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.


Construction

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 architecture.


Unique rooms

The Padmanabhapuram Palace complex consists of several structures: * Mantrashala, the King's Council Chamber * Thai Kottaram (), constructed before 1550 * Nataksala; the Performance Hall * A four-storeyed mansion at the centre of the complex * Thekke Kottaram; the Southern Palace * Indira Vilasom, a guest house built to host guests and foreign dignitaries


Central mansion

The four-storeyed building is located at the centre of the palace complex. The ground floor houses the royal treasury. The first floor houses the King's bedrooms. The ornamental bedstead is made of 64 types of herbal and medicinal woods, and was a gift from the Dutch merchants. Most of the rooms here and in other parts of the palace complex have built-in recesses in walls for storing
weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
s like
sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
s and
dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...
s. The second floor houses the King's resting and study rooms. Here the King used to spend time during fasting days. The top floor (called ''upparikka malika'') served as the
worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...
chamber of the
royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...
household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...
. Its walls are covered with exquisite 18th century
mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...
s, depicting scenes from the s, and also few scenes from the social life of the Travancore of that time. The top floor was supposed to be Sree Padmanabha Swamy's room. This building was constructed during the reign of King Marthandavarma. He was also designated as Padmanabha Dasa and used to rule the Travancore kingdom as a servant of Sree Padmanabha Swamy.


Southern Palace

The southern palace, known as Thekkae Kottaram or Nirappura, is separated from the palace complex by a public road. This residential complex consists of three buildings. The core residential building is called ''thai veedu''. It faces east, unlike the main palace which faces west. Facing the entrance is ''thekkath'' (private worship place). The third building is ''kulappura'' (bathing ghat and shelter) near a pond. 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.


Uppirikka Malika

To the northwest of Thai Kottaram is one of the most notable parts of the royal complex, Uppirikka Malika (. The complex was built in 1745 by King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma. The ground floor of this building housed the coveted Tranvcore royal treasury. Above this treasury was the king's bedchamber. wherein lies the famous Sapramancha Kattil (). Supposedly, 64 timbers with medicinal properties makes up this grand poster bed. A stair from the King's room leads us to his fasting chambers, where the King resided when he fasted in devotion.


Other features

The Padamnabhapuram Palace complex has several other interesting features: * The palace is located near Thuckalay, Kanyakumari district of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
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 Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow pe ...
, 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


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


External links


Protected Monuments in Kerala
Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

Padmanabhapuram Palace
at the World Heritage Tentative List {{coord, 8.250916, 77.326702, display=title Kanyakumari Kingdom of Travancore History of Kerala Palaces in Tamil Nadu Royal residences in India Travancore royal family Monuments of National Importance in Kerala World Heritage Tentative List for India