Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram Palace was the home of the Rajas of the Travancore (1550 to 1750 CE) in southern Kerala. This was the center of power in Kerala from about 1600 to 1790, before it was moved to Thiruvananthapuram (also known as Trivandrum). Padmanabhapuram Palace complex is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, in India. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil, and about 50 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which form a part of the Western Ghats. The river Valli flows nearby.The palace is administered by the Government of Kerala archeology department.

The palace was constructed around 1601 AD by Ravi Varma who ruled Travancore between 1592 AD and 1609 AD. In the late 18th century, the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Thiruvananthapuram, and the place lost its former glory. However, the palace complex continues to be one of the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hallmark of traditional Kerala style architecture.

Padmanabhapuram Palace got its present name when it was rebuilt in the 18th Century, using granite in most of the parts of the outer fort, by Marthanda Varma, King of Travancore during this period, who named the palace Padmanabhapuram after the name of the prime deity of Travancore, Lord Padmanabhaswamy, a reclining form of Lord Vishnu.

The Padmanabhapuram Palace complex consists of several structures:

Town:: Padmanabhapuram is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Thiruvananthapuram on the highway to Kanyakumari. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation runs a daily tour to Kanyakumari that stops at Padmanabhapuram. You can also hire a cab from Thiruvananthapuram.
Airport:: Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram, 6 km from Thiruvananthapuram city. There are flights to Gulf, Europe, USA, Sri Lanka, Maldives etc and Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai (Madras), Bangalore and Cochin.
Railway Station:: The nearest railway station from Padmanabhapuram is at Nagercoil, 15 Km away.
District:: Thiruvananthapuram
Longitude:: 8.250839
Latitude:: 77.327238