Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram Palace in Kanniyakumari district was the seat of the Travancore kings, and Padmanabhapuram was their capital until 1795, when the court moved to Thiruvananthapuram. Although it lies in Tamil Nadu, the palace is still looked after by the Kerala government as a memorial to those rulers. Built of wood and stone in the Kerala manner, it covers about 6.5 acres and has 15 buildings, which puts it among Asia's largest wooden palaces.

The oldest part, once called Kalkulathu Koikkal, dates from 1601 CE and was begun by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, ruler of Venad from 1592 to 1609. Marthanda Varma rebuilt and enlarged it around 1750 and dedicated it to Padmanabha Swamy, the family deity, which gave the palace its name. Visitors can walk through the treasury, royal bedrooms and prayer rooms, all richly worked in carved wood. From the mid-19th century the palace was largely shut and opened only for occasional royal visits.