The palace was constructed around 1601 CE by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 CE and 1609 CE.It is believed that the Thai Kottaram was built in CE 1550. The maker of modern Travancore Anizham Thirunal Marthandavarma ( CE 1706 -1758 ) who ruled Travancore from CE1729 to 1758 rebuilt the palace in 1n around 1750. King Marthaanda Varma dedicated the kingdom to his family deity Sree Padmanabha , an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and ruled the kingdom as Padmanabha dasa or servant of Lord Padmanabha. Hence the name Padmanabhapuram or City of Lord Padmanabha. In the late 18th century,precisely in 1795 CE 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.
The Padmanabhapuram Palace complex consists of several structures:
- Mantrasala; literal meaning, King's Council Chamber
- Thai Kottaram; literal meaning, Mother's Palace(It didn't mean the mother's palace, but the first building or the mother of the buildings over there) - believed to have been constructed before AD 1550
- Nataksala; literal meaning, the Hall of Performance, or of Performing Arts
- A four-storeyed building at the centre of the Palace complex
- Thekee Kottaram; literal meaning, the Southern Palace
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