Page 636 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

634  SOUTH INDIA

2 Padmanabhapuram Palace

Set amid lush hills, verdant paddy fields and perennial rivers,
Padmanabhapuram Palace is the finest example of Kerala’s
distinctive wooden architecture. Laid out in a sequence of four
adjoining walled compounds, comprising public and private zones,
the palace has richly carved wooden ceilings, sculpted pillars,
slatted windows, and pagoda-like tiled roofs. From 1590 to 1790,
Padmanabhapuram was the home of the the former princely state Detail from a carved
of Travancore, which straddled parts of present-day Tamil Nadu as rosewood door
well as Kerala. By some quirk of fate, this beautifully kept palace now
falls in Tamil Nadu but is maintained by the government of Kerala.

. Prayer Hall
The prayer hall, on the third
floor of the King’s Palace, has
exquisite murals on its walls.
A medicinal bed here, carved
from 64 different types of
wood, was a gift from
the Dutch.

Entrance Hall
The entrance hall has a profusely carved
wooden ceiling with 90 different inverted
flowers, a pol ished granite bed and an
ornate Chinese throne.

KEY
1 Main Gate to the palace complex 4 The Bath House is a small airy
entrance is reached after crossing a room, where the male members of
large courtyard. This gate has a the royal family were given a massage
decorated gabled roof. before they descended, down covered
2 The clock tower’s chimes could steps, to a private tank to bathe.
be heard from a distance of 3 km 5 The dining hall, laid out over
(2 miles). two storeys, could seat 2,000 guests.
3 The Lady’s Chamber houses 6 The palace museum houses
two large swings, a pair of enormous artifacts including furniture, wooden and Entrance
Belgian mirrors and a royal bed. granite statues, weapons and utensils.

For hotels and restaurants in this region see p703 and pp718–19

634-635_EW_India.indd 634 26/04/17 11:49 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 24th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm