Padmanabhapuram Palace

The old palace at Padmanabhapuram 15 kms from Nagercoil on the highway to Trivandrum is a rare archaeological museum containing fine architectural, works, sculptures, mural paintings and weapons of war. The ancient town is surrounded by a square fortification of stone about 4 kms perimeter. The beautiful Mantrasala (Council Chamber) which displays exquisite wood carvings, Thaikottaram the oldest of all edifices, Ayudhasala, the store house of weapons utilised for war, the three storied edifice called " Upparikka Malika" containing the famous Chamber of murals hailed as "the Ajanta of Kanyakumari" and a wooden cot made of 64 medicinal plants, the hall of historical oil paintings known as "Chitralaya", the Navarathri mandapa with a shrine of Saraswathi and an ancient clock tower are the note worthy features of the palace. The story of Ramayana which has been depicted dramatically around the inner prakara on 145 wooden panels in the Ramaswamy temple inside the fort is one of the bes specimens of wood art in the whole of India.
palace Uppirika Malika
The most attractive building in the whole palace is the 'Uppirika Malika' which consists of three storied.The first floor contains a wooden cot made of 64 medicinal plants, on which Maharaja used to sleep. The medicinal cot was presented to Maharaja "Marthanda Varma" by the Dutch East India Company in 1750, as a mark of friendship.
The Navarathri Mandapa palace2
To the west of the Zuppirika Mandapa is the Navarathri Mandapa which is a spacious hall of exquisitely beautiful granite pillars with drooping pendants reminiscent of the Nayakar style of architecture. In the Navarathri Mandapa, performances of Bharatha Natya and musical recitals took place in the royal presence.
The palace is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on all days except Mondays. Frequent buses run from Thiruvananthapuram’s Thampanoor bus stand to Padmanabhapuram. Another way is to board any bus for Nagercoil or Kanyakumari and alight at Thakkalay.