PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE:

The Wooden Marvel of Travancore

 PREFACE

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CONTENTS
1. History
2. Location
3. Accessibility
4. Climatology and Topography
5. Flora and Fauna
6. Tourism
7. Culture and Food
8. Population and Density
9. Architecture Style
10. Built heritage
11. Materials
12. Electric plumbing and ventilation
13. Graphics and videos
14. Elevation and Contour
15. Plans and section

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 Constructed around
1610 CE by Iravi Varma
Kulsekhara (Ruled 1592-
1609). The small village
Padmanbhapuram was
earlier called as Kalkulam
in the Kanyakumari
district was once a
thriving capital of the
powerful Venad
Kingdom.

Around 1750 Anizham Tirunal

marthanda Varma (r1729-1758)
rebuilt the palace and the fort
after which he devoted to
Padmanabha Swamy, the tutelary
deity of the royal family, and called
himself PadmanabhaDasa.
Therefore, the old Kalkulam Palace
came to be known as
Padmanabhapuram Palace.

“Kartika Tirunal’s” nephew

Avittam Tirunal Balarama
Varma when he assumed
charge in 1798 resided mostly
in Thriruvananthapuram.
Thus, shifting capital from
padmanabhaopuram to
thiruvananthpuram.

1. HISTORY
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 HISTORY TIMELINE

Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma 1729-1758

1758-1798 Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (Dharma Raja)

Avittom Thirunal Balarama Varma

1798-1810
1810-1815 Gowri Lakshmi Bayi

Gowri Parvati Bayi

1815-1829
1829-1846 Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma

Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma

1846-1860
1860-1880 Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma

1880-1885
Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma

1885-1924
Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma

Sethu Lakshmi Bayi

1924-1931
1912-1991 Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma

•
Decline
The decline of Padmanabhapuram Palace
became rapid after 1839 A.D.
Padmanabhapuram lost its grandeur with the
emergence of Thiruvananthapuram
• Sree Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma, the last
Maharaja of Travancore, Sethu Parvathi Bayi,
the Queen Mother, and Dewan Sir. C. P.
Ramaswami Aiyer, in 1934, the ancient complex
was 'rediscovered' by J. H. Cousins, the Art
Advisor to Travancore Government, and R.
Vasudeva Poduval who headed the Archaeology
Department. In 1935.

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 LOCATION HOW TO REACH
PADMANABHAPURAM?
ROADWAY
:
Padmanabhapuram Palace is
located around 2Km from the
Trivandrum-Kanyakumari
National Highway (NH66) at
Thuckalay town. It is located
around 50km from Trivandrum
city
Nearest Bus Station- Thuckalay.

RAILWAY

The nearest railway station is

Eraniel which is located about
5km from the palace. Please note
that not all trains stop at Eraniel
and the next major station is at
Nagercoil (12km).
Nearest Railway Station- Eraniel

AIRWAY
The nearest airport is
Thiruvananthapuram International
Airport, 6 km from
Thiruvananthapuram city. Indian
Airlines flies to the city from Delhi,
LOCATION: Chakala, Thuckalay, Tamil Nadu Mumbai, Chennai (Madras),
Bangalore, and Cochin.
NOTE: It is around 20km from Nagercoil, 39km from Nearest Airport-
Kanyakumari town, and 52 km from Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
Nearest Airport-
Thiruvananthapuram

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 GEOGRAPHY

CLIMATE •

•
Latitude: 8.244597°

Longitude: 77.336750°

• Elevation: 49 m

• Current time: 19:39 IST

26.9 °C avg. temp
• Sunrise: 06:08 IST
• Sunset: 18:29 IST

• Timezone: Asia/Calcutta

7-inch avg. rainfall

Padmanabhapuram has a tropical

climate with high humidity
throughout the year.

With temperatures swinging

between 20 and 35 degrees
Celsius, hitting the beach or
rounding up the temples and the
various architectural pieces could
be a challenge in the day. The
humidity is quite high to venture
outdoors

The southwest monsoon after

arriving in Kerala progresses to
southern parts of Tamil Nadu.
Thundershowers are common at
any time of the day with
temperatures ranging between
24 and 31 degrees Celsius with
high humidity levels.

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FLORA
Almost a fourth of India's 10,000 plant species are found
in the state. Among the almost 4,000 flowering plant
species (1,272 of which are endemic to Kerala and 159
threatened) are 900 species of highly sought medicinal
plants. Kerala's windward mountains shelter tropical
moist forests and tropical dry forests, which are common
in the Western Ghats sonokeling (Indian rosewood),
anjili, Mullu Murikku (Erythrina), cassia, bamboo, wild
black pepper, wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm,
Aromatic vetiver grass, Coconut, Banana, Mango,
Jackfruit.

FAUNA
Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard (Panthera pardus),
Nilgiri Tahr, Common Palm Civet, and Grizzled Giant
Squirrel. Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python,
and crocodile. Kerala's birds are legion-Peafowl, the Great
Hornbill, Indian Grey Hornbill, Indian Cormorant, and
Jungle Myna are several emblematic species. In lakes,
wetlands, and waterways, fish such as Kadu (stinging
catfish and Choottachi (Orange chromide- Etroplus
maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) are found.

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 TOURISM
AND
CULTURE

The best season to visit

Padmanabhapuram Palace in
winter. It begins in October and
ends in February. The
temperature remains pleasant
throughout the day. You can also
visit it during the monsoon
season, between July and
September, but the weather
might be too humid for a
comfortable visit to the palace.
Also, plan your visit during the
morning hour, so that you can get
ample time to tour around the
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palace missing nothing of
importance.
SITE PLAN

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 ARCHITECTURE FEATURES

Structural
elements such
Timber is as pillars and
used for beams. The
constructing humid tropical
the walls climate and the
heavy
and the roof
monsoons have
frame
an important
role in the
evolution of a
particular
The many internal architectural
courtyards served style in Kerala.
multiple purposes – as
light wells facilitating
better lighting and
ventilation in the
A unique feature of
interiors. the complex is that
the vast pile of
buildings is
interconnected using
covered corridors
and overhead
walkways that
provide easy access
to different sections
of the palace
complex. The
orientation of the
buildings in the
complex is such that
where direct sunlight
won’t be available.

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Ticket counter
Upon entering the palace, on the left, you can see
the ticket counter. This structure has been adapted
from the mint of the ruler’s era. The ticket price is
10/- and for the foreigners, it is 100/-. The ticket
counter has a gable roof with terracotta tile which is
a classic feature of the Kerala mukhappu style.

Antique museum
The antique museum is the built form for which this
palace is known the most. The museum has been
adaptively reused and reconstructed from the
stables of the palace. The museum displays
sculptures and memoirs from the ruler’s period.

Poomukham (entrance hall)

Poomukham is the first built form that is visible on
entering the palace. This structure’s significance was
that it allowed the king’s visitors to be welcomed in
the palace complex. This structure consisted of a
granite bed for the king’s rest, a hanging oil lamp for
luminance purposes, and a display of greeting cards
for the king. This was all under the gabled roof made
up of treated teak wood which is supported on the
stone and wood columns with intricate details.

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 MANTRASHALA
The translation of Mantrashala
is the Council's chamber. This
place was used by the king and
his council members to discuss
and make decisions for the
subjects of his reign. The
chamber has delicate and
beautiful lattice works with
windows that provide
ventilation and light. The floor
is dark-colored and made up of
a varied mixture of surkhi and
egg whites which gives it a fine
and perfect finish.

OOTTUPURA
Translation: dining hall
This is a two-level dining hall
which used to have a catering
capacity of 2000 meals per
day. It was used by all the
people within the palace
complex. An array of stone
columns runs in the center of
the ground floor hall of the
oottupura, and on the first
floor, it has parallel rows of
wooden columns which are
supporting the trusses of the
structure. This linear structure
has a length of 72m and a
width of 9m.

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THAI KOTTARAM (MOTHER PALACE)
Thai kottaram was considered as the mother palace. It is the
oldest structure of the palace complex. The palace is a two-
storied structure; the floor plan being 100sq. meters in the
area.

Upon entering, a place for performing religious ceremonies

and prayers can be perceived as an Ekantha mandapam. The
highlight of this space is an elaborately carved six-foot pillar
made of a jackfruit tree trunk. It rests on a stone base and is a
fine example of the caliber of local carpenters of the old days.
The wooden roof with lotus motifs is a beautiful architectural
specimen.

On exiting the mandapam, a central courtyard can be seen

that is known as a nalukettu surrounded by nine rooms. There
is an underground tunnel in the corridor which leads to the
Charod palace. The upper floor of the Thai kottaram has the
living room for the women of the palace and also the corridor
is connected with the Plamuttu Kottaram which served as a
residential purpose for the members of the royal family.

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UPPIRIKA MALIKA
This is a four leveled building located in the center of
the palace complex. This building stands apart with its
unique pagoda-style roof and thick walls. This
structure has a special context because each level has
a different message to convey. The ground floor level
was the Royal treasury above which was the king’s
bedroom and on the second floor is a hall for
meditation and religious fasting and on the third floor
is the worship chamber of Padmanabha Swami. This
arrangement of the floors symbolizes that wealth will
always be below man and man will always be below
the almighty power and his well-being. The unique
thing about the king’s bedroom was the ornamental
bedstead made of 64 types of herbal and medicinal
woods, which was a gift from the Dutch merchants.
The ceiling of the King's bedroom is painted with
pictures of dragons, etc which are inspired by the
Chinese culture.

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THEKKE KOTTARAM (SOUTH MANSION)

Thekke kottaram is not within the same compound of the

palace. The southern palace is as old as the Thaikottaram,
which would make it 400 years old. It serves as a heritage
museum exhibiting antique household articles and curios
from the olden days giving an insight into the social and
cultural ethos of that period.

There are three small buildings in one compound. First,

the L-shaped structure which is in the west direction
was used by the King for his treatment after the war
and his health amenities and was also used as a granary
and a resort; the other structure in the east direction
was solely used for Ayurveda treatment of ladies and
old; it also served as a nursing home; this structure was
connected to a pond (Kulappura). The last structure was
the temple in the south direction which served to the
Kali Devi deity

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Navarathri Mandapam was used for
cultural performances, music, dance,
and other entertainments which NAVARATHRI MANDAPAM
were conducted every year during
the Navarathri festival. The
marvellously sculptured granite
structure is in three parts; thus one
could appreciate the sheer beauty of
the Dravidian architecture in stone.
The rectangular performance hall
and the adjoined temple where the
idol of Goddess Saraswathy is placed
has public access from the
Thekkaetheruvu.

The Navarathri mandapam follows

the king’s namaskara place where
the king used to pay his respects
following which was the Saraswathi
Temple constructed by Marthanda
Varma in 1744 AD.

AMBARI MUKKAPPU
It was built for the king to
view the chariot races
during festivals and also to
appear in front of the public
on special occasions. This is
located on the first floor of
the complex. The
ornamentation on this
structure is inspired by the
'ambari' of that of an
elephant.

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 The royal office is rather a
long corridor than a room
on the first floor. The
corridor was provided with
small but plenty of windows
for light and ventilation. The
corridor was used by the
king’s employee to get the
palace’s affairs in order.

AYUDHAPPURA THEKKETHERUVU MAALIKA

OR ARMOURY
Located on the first floor this
building was meant for
utilitarian use, so it is devoid
of any ornamental details. It is
located on the western
perimeter of the palace
complex. Armory is essentially
two long rooms 3m wide and
22m in length.

PANTHADIKALA MAALIKA

The painting hall is on the first floor. The

corridor displays some paintings of the
honorable days of the palace. The paintings
also convey a timeline of the 14 kings who sat
on the throne.

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INDRA VILASOM
This building on the first floor was constructed for the
accommodation for the foreign tourists and
dignitaries coming to visit the king. Unlike the other
buildings in the complex, it has not been constructed
in the traditional Kerala style of architecture. The
influence of foreign architecture is clearly evident. The
high ceiling, balustrade, wide wooden staircase,
pillared veranda on the northern and southern façade
featuring twin columns are distinguishing elements.

LAKSHMI VILASOM (PUTTEN KOTTARAM)

This is a one-storeyed building which was the last to
be added to the palace complex. It was used as a
guesthouse by the king's visitors. The architectural
style adopted is remarkable for its inclusion of colonial
elements quite different from the rest of the
structures.

ANTHAPURAM
Also known as the Udyar Vilakam. This place was used
by the ladies of the palace as a dressing area. This area
had two big mirrors adjacent to each other. The
special feature about the mirrors is that the back of
the mirror is coated in silver and was called a Belgium
mirror.
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MANIMALIKA (CLOCK TOWER)
The northern wing of the
Poomukha Malika houses the
mani meda or the clock tower.
The large clock, estimated to be
around 200 years old, is based
on a classic ‘weights and pulley’
mechanism. The functioning of
the clock is regulated by a
heavy pendulum. A thick
circular band frames the face
of the clock marked with
Roman numerals. A projecting
gable that protects the clock
from natural elements is
supported by two wooden
pillars set on a balcony with
fine filigree work.

WATCH TOWER
Watch tower is the meeting point of
northern and western parts. Once
served as armory and security check
post.

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ARCHITECTURAL SKETCHES

First Floor Plan Roof: Padmanabhapuram Palace

Roof Plan: Padmanabhapuram Palace

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 ELEVATION AND SKETCHES

Poomukham

Section of Poomukham Section of Poomukham

Section of Poomukham

Section of Padmanabhapuram Palace: The gradient in plinth heights, roofs and spatial volumes throughout the
complex truly reveals its inner wholeness, a direct manifestation of its internal functional and social facts.

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CREDITS

• Video: Tarunya Singh

• Site Visit:
1. Gayathri
2. Teja
• Booklet and editing:
1. Osheen
2. Snigdha
3. Kanishk
4. Gayathri
5. Teja
• Editorial and research:
1. Shivani
2. Rishika
3. Ashna
4. Snigdha
5. Osheen
6. Gayathri
7. Teja
• Plans and Sections:
1. Yatindra
2. Bhargavi
3. Ayush
4. Aman D
• Sources:

1. Avinash
2. Priyanshi
3. Kanishk
4. Aman A
5. Divyansh
6. Kelish
7. Vivek

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