 Located 55
km away from Thiruvananthapuram on the highway to Nagarcoil-Kanyakumari,
Padmanabhapuram was once the seat of the rulers of old Travancore or Venad
State from the16th to the late 18th centuries. The name refers to the
image of the lotus coming from the navel of Vishnu (Padma - lotus, nabha
- navel, Puram - Town). The palace complex was constructed around 1601
A.D by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592
A.D. and 1609 A.D. (767 M.E and 784 M.E). The construction of
the Perumal palace at the centre of the complex was completed in 1744
A.D. On the day of its completion, Maharaja Anizham Tirunal Marthanda
Varma, dedicated this palace to Lord Padmanabha and named the palace Sri
Padmanabha Perumal Palace. From then on the fort and the surroundings
earlier known as Kalkulam came to be known as Padmanabhapuram.
 Padmanabhapuram
palace cover an area of around 7 acres. The complex consists of individual
structures linked by a maze of corridors, colonnades, verandahs, courts
and constructed of teakwood and granite and stands within the massive
stone walls of 30 ft which kept Tipu Sultan at bay in the 18th century.
Exquisite wall paintings, fascinating traditional Kerala architecture,
floors finished to a high polish with a special compound of crushed shells,
coconuts, egg-white and juices of local plants; sunny courtyards with
carvings and sculptures are some of the outstanding features of this sprawling
palace housed within fortified walls.
The palace has its main entrance from the west. The
'padipura' or the main gate reached after crossing a large courtyard,
displays an ornamented gabled roof. The 'Pumukham', inside the second
court, has a profusely carved rosewood and mahogany ceiling with 90 different
inverted flowers, a polished granite bed in one corner and an ornate Chinese
throne. There is an audience hall on the upper level of the two storeyed
building with circular wooden columns and angled timber screens to let
in light and air.
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Monuments 
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