Puthen Malika Palace (Malayalam: പുത്തന് മാളിക കൊട്ടാരം), most popularly known as Kuthira Malika (Mansion of Horses), is a palace built by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, on the south-eastern side of Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
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| Distant view of "Methan Mani" -- on the northern edge overlooking the Padmatheertham Pond. |
"Methan Mani" was commissioned by the Maharajas of Travancore("Thiruvithaamkoor") to commemorate the victory of the numerically and technologically inferior Travancore Army over the French trained modern forces of Tipu Sultan of Mysore at the Battle of Nedumkotta in 1789 . It has the head of a bearded man being rammed on both cheeks by a pair of mechanical goats at every hour . It had stooped functioning and hasn't been repaired since.
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| Close up of the "Methan Mani" |
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| View of Gopuram of Padmanabha Swamy Temple through the grills of the Kuthira malika Palace. |
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| Western side of the palace that is out of bounds to tourists |
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| Stone columns supporting wooden balcony |
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| Another view of the western side of palace of Swathi Thirunal |
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| Old royal baby cot |
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| Kathakali Mannequin |
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| Marble idols of Lord Vishnu, lord Krishna,Lord Narasimhamoorthy |
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| Elegantly carved and embellished wooden statues of Sri Rama and Lord Hanuman |
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| Exquisitively carved wooden ceilings with Lotus Design |
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| Ancient Travancore Shield made of rhino hide |
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| Weapons of war that defeated Tipu Sultan |
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| Mask of a Yaksha of Nepali origin . |
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| View of Padmanabha Swamy Temple from the palace windows |
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| Place where dances were performed for the eyes of the king |
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| Narrow corridors of power traversed by the Kings of a realm. |
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| Yet another splendidly carved roof of a room |
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| Who all have walked through here? |
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| View of the other smaller buildings of the palace complex that have not yet been opened up for the public. |
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| Royal bed |
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| Travancore imperial assembly |
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| Belgian Crystal Chandeliers |
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| Chinese Porcelain ware possibly from Qing Dynasty China. |
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| Chinese porcelain Dragon |
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| Old matchlock used in wars against Zamorin , Tipu Sultan and Britain. |
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| Ancient metal spears. |
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Courtyard of the palace.
The palace gets its name from the 122 horses that are carved into the wooden wall brackets that support the southern roof. The official name of the palace is Puthen Malika (New Mansion). The palace forms part of a vast complex of royal buildings in the vicinity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The building was left unoccupied for more than a century, following the demise of Swathi Thirunal in 1846.
A portion of Kuthira Malika has been converted to a Palace Museum that houses some of the assets owned by the Travancore Royal Family. The collection includes Kathakali mannequins, Belgian mirrors, crystal chandeliers, paintings, armaments, musical instruments, traditional furniture and other artifacts. On the right side of the mannequins are the ivory cradles of various sizes. The palace has on display two royal thrones, one made of ivory and the other of Bohemian crystal with the Tranvancore emblem 'conch' adorning the top of the backrest. The palace has a large collection of idols and sculptures made from white marble.
On the first floor are rooms that once served as the audience chamber, the library and an alcove that Swathi Thirunal used for meditating and for conceiving many of his famous musical compositions. This place offers a direct view of the Padmanabhaswamy temple gopuram. One of the rooms displays an illusion portraint of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, painted by Svetoslav Roerich. The face and the shoes of the king appear facing the onlooker from every corner of the room.
The palace was abandoned quite soon after its inauguration as the south ward looking main entrance of the palace was considered bad under the rules of Vaastu Shaastra . The King lived here for less than two months . It has remained unoccupied ever since in pristine condition. |
