KUTHIRAMALIKA PALACE

 

                       Puthen Malika Palace (Malayalam: പുത്തന്‍ മാളിക കൊട്ടാരം), most popularly known as Kuthira Malika (Mansion of Horses), is a palace built by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, on the south-eastern side of Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Architecture

 

A view of the 'horses' at  KuthiraMalika

Built in the 1840s, Kuthira Malika is a fine example of traditional Kerala architecture, with its typical sloping roofs, overhanging eaves, pillared verandahs and enclosed courtyards. Intricate carvings adorn the wooden ceilings with each room having a distinctive pattern.

Museum

A portion of Kuthira Malika has been converted to a Palace Museum that houses some of the assets owned by the Travancore Royal Family. The collection includes Kathakali mannequins, Belgian mirrors, crystal chandeliers, paintings, armaments, musical instruments, traditional furniture and other artifacts. On the right side of the mannequins are the ivory cradles of various sizes. The palace has on display two royal thrones, one made of ivory and the other of Bohemian crystal with the Tranvancore emblem 'conch' adorning the top of the backrest. The palace has a large collection of idols and sculptures made from white marble.
On the first floor are rooms that once served as the audience chamber, the library and an alcove that Swathi Thirunal used for meditating and for conceiving many of his famous musical compositions. This place offers a direct view of the Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram. One of the rooms displays an illusion portraint of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, painted by Svetoslav Roerich. The face and the shoes of the king appear facing the onlooker from every corner of the room.

Padmanabhapuram Palace - Thiruvananthapuram

Padmanabhapuram Palace complex is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District. This palace is administered by the Government of Kerala archeology department. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil, and about 50 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which form a part of the Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby.
The palace was constructed around 1601 CE by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 CE and 1609 CE.It is believed that the Thai Kottaram was built in CE 1550. The maker of modern Travancore Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma ( CE 1706 -1758 ) who ruled Travancore from CE1729 to 1758 rebuilt the palace in 1n around 1750. King Marthaanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to his family deity Sree Padmanabha , an incarnation 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 the late 18th century,precisely in 1795 CE the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Thiruvananthapuram, and the place lost its former glory. However, 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.

The Padmanabhapuram Palace complex consists of several structures:

Mantrasala; literal meaning, King's Council Chamber
Thai Kottaram; literal meaning, Mother's Palace(It didn't mean the mother's palace, but the first building or the mother of the buildings over there) - believed to have been constructed before AD 1550
Nataksala; literal meaning, the Hall of Performance, or of Performing Arts
A four-storeyed building at the centre of the Palace complex
Thekee Kottaram; literal meaning, the Southern Palace

PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE

Padamanabhapuram Palace complex is located in a small village Padmanabhapuram, around 65 km from Trivandrum, Kerala, India, en route to Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu. The palace was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravi Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. In the late 18th century, the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Trivandrum, and the place lost its former glory.