Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Palace
Grace Henry
S1S2 B. ARCH,
College of Engineering,
Thiruvananthapuram.
Location
– At Padanabhapuram Fort,
close to the town of Thuckalay
in Kanyakumari district, Tamil
Nadu.
– 20 km from Nagarcoil, and
about 60 km from
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Background
– Located inside an old granite fortress
Contained within the complex is a collection around 4km long.
of 14 palaces and 127 beautiful royal rooms, – Located at the foot of the Western
many of which features ornate wood Ghats.
carvings. The carved ceilings of the palace
depict 90 varieties of flowers. Paintings, – The river Valli flows nearby.
hundreds of years old and stone statues – Was constructed around 1601 A.D. by
(some over 1000 years old) are on display on Iravipillai Iravivarma Kulashekhara
the palace grounds.
Perumal who ruled Travancore
between 1592 and 1609.
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
after the name of the prime deity of Travancore, Lord
Padmanabhaswamy, a reclining form of lord Vishnu.
Structures in the palace
Poomugham (entrance hall)
Upparika Malika (King’s Quarters) Four storied building at the center of palace complex
A complete stone
structure of approx.
66’ * 27’ used for
festivities.
The clock tower in
the palace
complex has a
300 year old
clock, which still
keeps time.
Ambari
Mukhappu
• ‘Ambari” is actually the
seat put on elephants
back for safaris.
• For the Kings to view
chariot races during
festivals and to appear
before the public on
special occasions.
Effect of Vasthu Principles
– The entrance gateway is found to have the golden ratio.
– The upparika malika has a breadth to height ratio of 1:2, making the structure
look gorgeous and grand.
– All the buildings have a square or rectangular plan as they hold positive energy.
– Right angles are good for construction.
– The slope of the roof of a public space is 45 degree whereas that of a private
space cannot exceed 30 degree. E.g. Thekee kottaram.
Effect of climate
Sunshades No sunshades.
• Palace buildings oriented in directions where direct sunlight
won’t be available.
Effect of function/activity
Mantrashala
• INTERIOR- Fenestrations to let light inside which again results in the creation of new forms.
• EXTERIOR- Wood carvings give a desired decorative effect.
Uparika Malika