Padmanabhapuram Palace, Fort & Town

This huge wooden palace – in fact the biggest wooden structure in Asia is an erstwhile palace of the kings of Travancore who ruled from here between 1552 -1790 CE that includes the rule of its famous king Martand Varma of the dynasty. Today it technically falls in the state of Tamil Nadu and can be seen on the way if you are visiting Kanyakumari from Trivandrum. It is still managed by the Kerala circle of ASI as historically and heritage wise it belongs to Tranvancore state that is now a part of Kerala.

A huge pillared entrance greeted us as we entered the gates of the palace. The stone pillars with carved wood ceilings were enchanting. The guide pointed the lotus carved in the square wooden panels on the ceiling and said no two designs are same though it is lotus in each and every panel. I could not compare all of them but the ones I could were definitely a different artistic representation of the favorite flower of the kings of this palace. The floor was made of natural material and I think in an attempt to preserve it, shoes are not allowed inside. A brass lamp was hanging in the middle that had a horse with a rider carved on it. Now I would have passed it as another metal piece but the guide explained its ball bearing mechanism that keeps the horse and the rider facing in one direction irrespective of the way the wind blows. It was interesting. This was followed by maghony wood paintings in natural colors of none other than Padmanabhaswamy in his lying down pose of Padmanabhaswamy temple. 

A narrow flight of stairs took us to the first floor – this was the mantrashala or the meeting place for the king. Again completely made in dark teak wood, this had Chinese style windows with bench like structures all around to sit. Seats for landlords were earmarked as per their status in the state. The lower panel of wooden windows can be opened in such as way that it would naturally cool the interiors and could be sprinkled with perfumed water. Ceiling again had 9 lotus flowers exquisitely carved and we were told that 9 was considered an auspicious number by the family.

At the back of this front structure was a huge dining hall called Ottupura that can seat up to 2000 persons for eating. There were huge utensils for things like pickles. I wondered how the kitchen was operated and how big the cooking utensils would be to serve such a large gatherings. But then, can we really go back in time when these things would have been the norm and not an exception as they appear today. 

Opposite the Ottupura, Mother’s palace is the oldest part of the palace. This is where the foundation of the palace was laid using a jackfruit tree trunk as a pillar. This is the only pillar that is not teak wood in the palace. A meditation hall here interestingly had a bookshelf. Inner courtyard is typical of the old south Indian houses with a recessed centre that I assume was a water harvesting mechanism. In the rest of the palace what is worth noticing is the king’s bed that was gifted by the Dutch but is made of 64 types of medicinal woods. The backrest of the bed even has the emblem of International Medicine. Rest of the palace in its various parts has the old Belgium glasses, miniature paintings, ivory carvings especially on a Japanese style dining table and royal paintings. Indravilasam is a place for guests of the palace and has an international feel to it.

A stone structure called Navrathri Mandapa stands in the middle of the palace – a place for cultural performances specially dances. A small museum displays excavated stone sculptures along with some metal ones.

I somehow found the place too dark and a bit depressing, but the wood works are worth appreciating.

Hyderabad Hues XXXI: 10 Must Do things at Falaknuma Palace

Falaknuma Palace is the jewel in the crown of Hyderabad. Its shining glory, its very own signature luxury symbol is a heritage property dating back to 19th CE. I visited Falaknuma twice, once to have dinner there on our special day and once again to take the heritage tour. There is nothing Indian about this palace except the hospitality that is as Indian as it can get. Here is my list of 10 things you must see/do at Falaknuma:

Take the Ride in Horse Drawn Carriage – Do not forget to have a close look at the coat of arms inscribed on the door. Feel like a royal as the carriage carries you from the tall gateway to the front lawns of the palace where someone is waiting for you with a welcome drink. From here a commander leads you to the foyer of the palace as the rose petals are showered on you. Left stairs are taken to enter just as Nizam used to do. I kept wondering where they are coming from, but when you are there just enjoy the moment. Get soaked in the its or perfume showered on you along with the flowers handed over to you. 

Meet the the Resident Historian – To my knowledge, this is the only heritage property that has a resident historian who has studied the history of the palace and takes you through the corridors of history that the palace has seen. He not only explains you the various types of chandeliers, wooden panels or marbles and paintings in the palace but also tells you stories of the richest man this world has seen and who lived in this very palace.

Sit in Nizam’s Chair to sign the visitor’s book – Sit in the chair of Nizam with his huge painting behind you, his book case by your side, an old white telephone set on table and an old ornate clock overlooking you. Pick up the peacock-feathered fountain pen, dip it in the ink pot in front and write your comments on visitors book. You can read what other guests have written if you have time. 

Admire the Paintings – Key places to see the paintings are the entrance foyer that has some amazing paintings on the ceilings with Greek Goddesses that take various poses as you move from one angle to another. Elements of heaven like heavenly bodies can be seen everywhere in the palace and you can start observing them right from the foyer. Most magnificent paintings can be seen on the walls around staircase and various rooms – these are primarily portraits of various people including that of Amir Vicar-Ul-Umra who built this palace or Nizam Mehboob Ali who bought this palace from him.

See some rare books – Palace boasts of a beautiful library with rare 5970 books some of which are available to guests for reading. Check out some old copies of Encyclopedia Britannica and first edition of Titanic. Notice the wood paneled ceiling with the initials of the builder of the palace V and O engraved all over. This seems to be a trend amongst the royalty of Nizam. 

Talk around the Dining Table – World’s longest dining table that can seat 101 guests under the bright lights of shining chandeliers is something that would leave you wide eyed. Look at the table layout that takes many hours to prepare. I loved the combination of silver gold plates with bidriware glasses. Now the most interesting feature of this room is its acoustics. You can be sitting at a distance where you may not be able to see each other but you would still be able to speak to each other at normal volume.

Walk around the palace – Try and imagine the days of Nizam when he used to live here, with women living in Zenana, visitors from across the world visiting or stopping by. Imagine Nizam going out for Shikar using the carriages here with his troupes. Shop at the Khazan shop cum museum on the ground floor and see some old and new pictures of the palace, buy some handcrafted products from the region, all of them displayed on the old furniture. 

Take 360 Deg view of the city – Go around the property and see the various top views of the city. At some angle you can see the vast spread of the city, at another you see the Falaknuma station and you can see the trains crawling through the city, and from yet another you see the rocky beds of Hyderabad. At the Sunset, sun plays with the landscape and it is just lovely there. 

Enjoy the Music on Hill Top – If you go there for dinner, go a little early so that you can sit in the Gol Bungalow and enjoy the Qawwali sung by local youth as the staff of the hotel serves you drinks and snacks. This is almost like a perfect setting for see the sun go down.

Walk around to figure out the Scorpio – This palace is designed in the shape of a Scorpio, the sun sign of the architect of the palace, William Mariet. Apparently, there is no Arial view picture of the palace to see but you can walk around and spot the various parts of Scorpio. Two stings spread out as wings on the north, the middle part or the body of the scorpion comprises of the Zenana Mahal on one side and the Mess Khana i.e. Kitchen and the Telephone Exchange on the other. The Gol Bungalow that forms the tail has a dome structure with an iron protrusion, which looks like the sting of the scorpion.