- Built
- Around 1601 CE
- Timings
- 9 am to 5 pm
- Closed
- Mondays and national holidays
- Distance from Nagercoil
- About 20 km
- Distance from Thiruvananthapuram
- About 65 km
- Managed by
- Government of Kerala
History
The palace dates to about 1601 CE, when Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal ruled Travancore. It was greatly expanded around 1750 by Marthanda Varma, the ruler who shaped modern Travancore and dedicated his kingdom to Lord Padmanabha, ruling as the deity's servant. That gave the town its name, Padmanabhapuram, the city of Padmanabha. In 1795 the capital shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, and the palace slowly lost its political role.
What to see
Walking through the complex shows how a Kerala royal household lived, with sloping tiled roofs, courtyards and cool wooden rooms.
- Council chamber with mica-panelled windows and carved ceilings
- Thai Kottaram, the Queen Mother's palace, with ornate wooden ceilings
- Durbar hall with a glossy black floor made from a traditional lime, jaggery, egg white and charcoal mix
- Murals painted in the 1600s and 1700s
- The king's medicinal bed, secret passages and brass lamps
- Granite troughs once used to keep curd and buttermilk cool
Timings
The palace is open from 9 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Mondays and on national holidays, and Wednesday mornings may also be off-limits, so check before planning a midweek visit. Footwear is left at the entrance. Allow about two hours.
How to reach
Nagercoil lies about 20 km away and Thiruvananthapuram roughly 65 km, and the palace is reached on the road through Thuckalay. Thiruvananthapuram has the nearest airport, and Nagercoil and Kanyakumari have railway stations. It fits well into a Kanyakumari itinerary, and we can include it on the drive between Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram.
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