Padmanabhapuram palace was the official residence of the Maharaja's of the erstwhile State of Travancore.
It was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravi Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. (767 M.E and 784 M.E) It was known as Kalkulam Palace and situated about the centre of a fort (186 acres) constructed in 1600 A.D. 776 M.E. The Palace has a compound of about 6.05 acres of land. Anizham Thirunnal Martanda Varma, the maker of modern Travancore, constructed the navarathrimandapa in stone, in place of wooden structure and the ˜Uppirika Malika ˜ a four-storied building named as ˜Perumal Kottaram' in 1744 A.D, 919 ME.
He renamed the Kalkulam Fort as Padmanabhapuram in the same year, and the Palace also came to be known as Padmanabhapuram Palace. His successor Karthika Thirunnal Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal also known as Dharma raja (1758-1798 AD, 933-973 ME) gradually shifted the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram in the 1790s.After that the Royal family kept it as their ancestral property. In 1938 the Government of Travancore declared it as a protected monument under the provisions of Ancient Monument Act then in force.
After the state “reorganization in 1956 the Palace and its premises were retained under the administrative control of the Government of Kerala. The income and expenditure of Padmanabhapuram Palace are shared equally by the Government of Kerala and the Govt.of Tamil Nadu
Extensive restoration works were conducted and the buildings were restored to its original beauty using traditional technology in the 1940s. In course of time an Antique Museum was started with a good collection of antiquities like stone and copper plate inscriptions, stone and wooden sculptures, ancient armaments such as swords, rifles, spears and shields and Travancore coins etc. A modern building in traditional style was constructed and all antique objects were shifted to the new museum building in 1994. The Department Of Archaeology is providing sufficient funds for the structural conservation works of the deteriorated structure in the Palace.
The important edifices in the Palace complex are Poomugham (entrance hall), Manthrasala (council hall) Manimeda (clock tower), and Natakasala (the hall to perform Kathakali), Uttupura (dining hall) Thaikottaram (Mother Palace), Uppirika Malika (storeyed building) Kannadithalam.,Navarathri mandapam, Indravilasom, Chandra vilasom etc.
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