Poonjar Palace

Poonjar Palace in Kottayam district served as the seat of the Poonjar kingdom for more than six centuries. Its rulers traced their descent to the Pandyan kings of the Sangam period, and the dynasty is linked with Manavikrama Kulashekhara Perumal. The palace is now a museum of royal furniture, chandeliers, palm-leaf engravings, jewel boxes, lamps and Nataraja sculptures, along with a droni, an Ayurvedic treatment bed cut from one block of wood.

Close by stands a temple modelled on the Meenakshi Temple of Madurai, its walls carved with battle scenes from the Puranas. The nearby Sastha Temple has a Chuttuvilakku, a row of lamps cut directly into its stone walls, a feature seldom seen elsewhere in India.