A lot of history hidden in a 400 year old wooden palace, don’t miss it when visiting South India!

If you travel to the south of India, you will definitely see beaches, backwater rivers, temples. Rameswaram Bridge across the sea or Kanyakumari across the sea must be on the tourist bucket list. Now you can keep the name of a palace in that list. Not just any palace, this outstanding architecture of Tamil Nadu is more than 400 years old.

Although the Padmanabhapuram Palace is located in Kanyakumari, it is currently under the responsibility of the Government of Kerala. Generally, many people who visit South India do not know about this architecture. The specialty of the palace is that it is all made of wood! The palace has carved wooden murals, woodwork across the roof. There is a secret tunnel under the ground!

Who did the deployment? Who ruled? To know, one has to reach back to 1601, when it was the administrative center of the Venad kingdom. Later, during the reign of Maharaja Martanda Burma, the palace was expanded and enriched. In 1750, Martanda Varma dedicated his entire kingdom to Lord Padmanabha. The capital was then named Padmanabhapuram, meaning ‘Abode of Lord Padmanav’. Lord Vishnu is known as Padmanabha in South India.

It was the cultural and administrative center of the Trivandrum kingdom until the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram in 1795. Currently it is preserved as a museum. Instead of the traditional marble or glass, the real opulence of this palace is its woodwork. Every door, window, wall has fine wooden designs. This is the largest wooden palace in India, say experts. The palace is built in such a way that even in intense heat one feels cool when entering it. Open courtyards and long balconies have special ventilation systems.

The most striking part of the palace is its glossy black floor, which shines like a mirror despite hundreds of years. According to historians, it was made by mixing charcoal, lime, burnt coconut shell, sap of various plants etc. This is all speculation though.

If you go to the palace, you must see-

1. Thai Kottaram (Ranimar’s Palace). It is the oldest part of the palace. It is heard that there is a hidden tunnel somewhere here.

2. Royal Ministry. The windows of this house are made of wood, which does not allow the heat of the sun to enter.

3. Valiya Uttupura (Big Restaurant). This room is indicative of the prosperity and hospitality of the royal family. It is said that thousands of guests can be accommodated here.

4. Ancient clock house. Located near the entrance, this clock has been running for centuries.

While visiting this palace, one can see nearby Udayagiri Fort, Mathur Aqueduct, Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple, Kanyakumari etc.