Padmanabhapuram Palace

En un regard

Le château en bref

At the foot of the Western Ghats, at Thuckalay, Padmanabhapuram Palace was the residence and capital of the rulers of Travancore before the court was moved to Thiruvananthapuram. Now located in Tamil Nadu, it remains the property of the State of Kerala, which maintains it as a museum. The complex, covering approximately 6.5 acres, brings together some fifteen buildings linked by courtyards, verandas and galleries, within a fortified enclosure of granite. It is one of the largest wooden palaces in Asia and a major example of Kerala domestic architecture: steeply pitched roofs covered in tiles, carved ceilings, columns and latticework of finely worked timber, and polished floors. Visitors can see council chambers, royal apartments, prayer halls, the treasury and a dance hall, as well as ancient murals. The quality of its roof structures and woodwork makes it a reference for the study of traditional craftsmanship in southern India.