AN INDIAN PORTFOLIO

PADMAN AB HAPURAM . PALACE

By Raj Rewal, K.T. Ravindran and the Architectural Research Cell

This is the secolld pOl1j(Jlio ~f drawillgs to be pllblished by MIMAR

in the series devoted to illlpol1allt architectllral colllplexes in allciellt
Illdia .
The Architectllral Research Cell (scc list (:flllelllbcrs ill AlIMAR
20) has prodllced scale drawillgs of hithC/'lo IIl1doCIIlllelltcd historical
bllildil~<;5, or Izas colTcCfed alld colllpleted earlier studies. SlIch Inatc-
rial, depictillg the ric/lllcss ~f spatial al1'all,<;elllellfs, omalllCl1tal detail-
illg, alld stl1lctllml SOllltiolls ~f the past adds illllll('llsc/y to the.fillid ~r
resollrce ilifO/1/latioll for architects as well as historialls.
Padlllallabhapllral1l, presented here, is a 15th cmtllry colllplex
locatcd in the sOllthem state ~fKerala ill Illdia. The text is an edited
versioll by Mr. K. T. Ravilldmll, first pllblislzed ill Architectllre ill
Illdia, (Paris, 1985).
- Editors

T he Padmanabhapuram Palace is located close to the

sea in southern India, a region with high rainfall and a
tropical climate. Founded by the royal family ofTra-
vancore, adjoining the State of Kerala, the initial stmctures
date from the period 1400-1500, with other buildings added
incrementally over time. The palace's present name was
given to it in 1744 by Marthanda Verma Maharaja, who was
a devotee of Padmanabhan.
Comprised of edifices reflecting a variety of styles, the
complex bears witness to the socio-political influences preva-
lent at different moments in its history.
Entry to the palace compound is from the west, through a
high door with a pitched roof stmcture abutting it, typical of
the Kerala region. A succession of courtyards formed by
buildings or simply walls becomes progressively more pri-
vate in character until one reaches the core of the complex,
termed thai kottaram (literally, the generic mother), reputedly
the oldest building of the palace. It forms the centrepiece or
focus of the entire palace compound, corresponding in pat-
tern to a mandala, the ancient Indian diagram of the cosmos. It
is the basic reference point in relation to which the location
and openings of the other buildings have been determined.
Although the palace may seem to be without any rationale in
the layout and disposition, one comprehends its organisation
the moment the esoteric mles governing its design have been
revealed. Thus, successive generations of builders in the
palace complex adhered to the mles laid down at the start.
Building sciences applied
in the achievement of Pad-
Cl-ll.\;.-l
manabhapuram involved a
combination of astronomy,
astrology, mathematics, reli-
gious values, social moves,
building technology and ma-
gic. Such traditional building
AmiJiml Sea codes account for the overall
cohesion in the design.
Kerala is a region with abundant timber and excellent
clay, used for tiles and blicks, as well as laterite stone, granite
and shell lime. While stlict rules also existed for the utilisa-
tion of various materials and structural solutions, it was by
far carpentry that was the most highly developed building
art. Types of wood, their relative positions to one another,
kinds of functions to be served, and the types of wood
determined by the user's place in the social hierarchy were all
specified in the traditional codes. Hence, one of the out-
standing features of this palace is that these principles were
faithfLllly followed over centuries.
Another significant quality of the buildings at Padma-
nabhapuram is the sensitive handling of light and atmos-
phere of repose created throughout. The aesthetic import-
ance of the palace might well be described as a subtle
combination of sophisticated understatement in design and a
tactile celebration of the material employed.

61
 PADMANABHAPURAM' PALACE

a Gatl!
e
--'1 Fnn I:" .. .. .. .. ..
Ii
(
d
e
COII/tjo/" ceremollies
The old lIIillt
Elltmll{c porch
vVeapoll Sfore
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of? Teillple - - -~ --- "
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h Dallce hall
,
.
j AI/dimce halljor Ellropealls ~ ~
• I-
k Millisterial alldience hall I .~ l- t

III Hal/for pe~fol1l"'"g mts ., I

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p
q
LmgefeedillS hall
Mother palace
SmallfredillS hall
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/01234 9

Grolllld./loor plall, PadlllClIIClblJaPlll'alll.

62 63
 PADMANABHAPURAM' PALACE

o - -0-

Sectiol1, PadJllal1ablwpllratll.
0.)11-0
Gale
COllrrIor cemllOllies
c The old lIIillI
d ElllrallCC porch
e /tJ1eapOIl 5101'1'
I Kilcilell
,~ TClllplc
h Dallce hall
j Alldicllce !tallfor Ellropealls
k Millislerial (/f/diellCc hall
1/1 Halljor pe~1ol7l1illg (1/15
II L(//;~cjecdill,~ hall
p 1\/olhel' palace
q SlllallIeedill,~ !tall
Balh hOll5C5
If Tallk
II Residellce
Kill,(s /'('sidI!IICC
II' fI'OIlIlIll'S residmce
)' Well
z Palacc (!tficcs

jr

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I
1
W

,:
Firsfjloor piOI/, {I0dlllOl/olJllajJlIl't1l11.
:UL:=tL~
........ ;~
L

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Ro~rjJlal/, Padlll(ll/ahhajJlI ralll.

64 65
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PADMANABHAPURAM· PALACE

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I
I I 1
[;/£,{I(lliOIl, clock 101(1cr.

I- Me._
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66 67
 AN INDIAN I'ORIFllLIO

PADMANABHAPURAM' PALACE

SeetiNI 1, Killg's residence. Sectioll 2, Killg '5 rcsidmce.

a Cow1ym'd
h StOl'e
( Room
d Passage
e Veralldah
f BalcollY

SWiotl, Itlollier palace. o 1 2

68