Padmanabhapuram Palace

Submitted by UMAMAHESWARI on Tue, 2007-03-13 20:13. Tourist_places
A visit to Padmanabhapuram Palace 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram has become a fixture in the tour program and a cultural pilgrimage of visitors to the State. The visitors can cherish the visual feast of its unique architecture, sculpture, wood carving, and wall paintings here.

Historical Significance

Travancore was formerly known as Thiruvithamcode, Vanchedesam, Velnad, Venad and Vanavanad. The rulers were known as Vanchibhoopathis. The prefix Vanchi indicates that the ancestors of the rulers were Chera Kings whose capital was Thiruvanchikulam.

It is said that Venad was in existence even before the beginning of Malayalam Era. The first Venad ruler was Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal.

The West facing palace dates back to the days of Veera Udaya Marthanda Varma. The Kalkulam fort (udayagiri fort) which encompasses an area of 186 acres was built in 1601 AD. The last to rule Venad from Padmanabhapuram was Marthanda Varma the great. In 1750, he surrendered his Kingdom to Lord Padmanabha (Truppadidanam) and ruled on his behalf. Since then the rulers of Travancore were known as Padmanabha Dasas.

In 1750 Marthanda Varma found it necessary to change the capital to Trivandrum. Then his successors used this Palace to spent short periods (holidays). Gradually its historical and cultural significances faded.

It was Sree Chithira Tirunal who ascended the throne in 1931, took the initiative to revive art, architecture, sculpture and other fine arts of Travancore. Thus Padmanabhapuram Palace, its congregation of typical Kerala features in architecture, roofing, carved wooden frontages, doors, corridors etc, makes it a complex of artistic eminence.

The Architecture

For those interested in Architecture the Palace has many things to offer. Thai Kottaaram is the oldest building in this palace complex. The remaining blocs were constructed by different rulers. Construction continued till the reign of Swati Tirunal.

The main blocs include

POOMUGHA MALIKA
PLAMOOTTIL KOTTARAM,
VEPPINMOODU KOTTARAM,
THAI KOTTARAM,
OTTUPPURA,
HOMAPPURA,
UDAYARVILAKOM KOTTARAM,
UPPIRIKKA MALIKA,
AAYUDA PURA,
INDRA VILASOM,
CHANDRA VILASOM,
NAVARATHRI MANDAPAM,
PUTHEN KOTTARAM, AND
THEKKE KOTTARAM.

Poomugham is a two storied construction. The ground floor has 90 different floral patterns, on its ceiling. The horse that greets the visitors is a unique one. Its circular recess forming the base edge has a fluted rim. At the end of which the figure of a horse comes over the centre of the recess to ensure balance. Tilt or pull the lamp to one direction. It would come to rest in a fixed position only.

There is a cot made of granite, a horse she shaped Chinese chair, and dozens of ancient ona villu.

Mantrasala has 11 kilivathils (windows), with colored mica as panes. The Maharaja and his ministers assembled here. The flooring is smooth and cool. The flooring material is made up of a strange mixture-chunnampu, burnt coconut shell, egg white, and herbs. On the ceiling is depicted the images of Navagriha.

The narrow corridor from here leads to huge oottupura/dining hall.

Nearly 2000 people can sit at a time. A few steps down the oottupura, is the Thai kottaram. This is also Dharbakulangara Kottaram. The ceiling of the Dhyanamandapam in this structure is adorned with 63 floral motifs. All the flowers except the central one have two rows of petals. Thai kottaram is built in the Nalukkettu style. There is an underground passage from here to charottu kottaram, which is 2 kms away. . There is a pond and a hall for massaging.

Upparikka Malika is a treasure house of art and architecture. It is the tallest construction in the complex. It houses the Treasury, bedroom, fasting room, and puja chamber. The wall of the treasury hall is very thick. A special lock called NAAZHI POOTTU is used to lock this chamber. The Sapramanjakattil, intricately carved royal cot is yet another marvel on the display.

THE CHAMBER OF MURALS

The mural room remains one of the most important single collections of wall paintings in India. Located on the fourth floor, of what had been of the private rooms of the Maharaja, the walls are covered with murals without intervals. This chamber the bedroom of the Maharaja has a notable feature. The mural of Sree Padmanabhaswami adorns both end of the room in order that the image of Deity should be the first thing to be seen by the Maharaja which ever side he woke on. The room is 33ftx16ft giving a perimeter of 98 ft. The wall is 9.25 ft high. The picture surface is therefore is 900 square ft. The paintings existed during reign of Anizham Tirunal Marthanda Varma. These murals belong to a school of art of wide extent is seen in the existence of similar works in Sucheendram in the South, to Thrissur in the north. Excellent copies of the murals have been hung in the Sree Chithra Art Gallery in the Museum and Zoo Complex Thiruvananthapuram.

Within the Palace complex, there was discovered under a coagulation of decades of white washing what turned out to be a mandapam in front of a saraswati shrine in the characteristic style of Vijayanagara with monolith granite pillars, thickly carved with Hindu deific figures and puranic incidents.

They are seen in here fullness with the pleasing effect of colonnades of sculpture topped by elaborately carved capitals. The mandapam 73ftx20ft is believed to have erected in the 16th century. Whether it was constructed as a detail of the main palace or the latter grew around the mandapam, is a matter of speculation. But Thai kottaram is the oldest construction.

At the instance of Amma Maharani, an image of Saraswati was installed in the long disused shrine at which the then Maharajas worshipped and in whose hall performing arts were staged. The installation of the image is not for worship but in order to give the visitors of all faiths an idea of a Hindu Shrine.

Series of paintings of Lord Krishna based on Krishna Karnamrutham, and portraits of the rulers adorn the walls.

There is a clock tower. The building houses stone tablets from the chola days and Venad Kingdoms.

The Ambarimugham, from where the King hears grievances of his subjects, the ladies chambers with cute small windows, the Navarathri Mandapam, and court sessions are definitely a sight to see and remember.

More than art work it is the events that add life to a monument.

Padmanabhapuram Palace is administered by the Government of Kerala.
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