Kowdiar Palace: A Travancore Legacy

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The Travancore Rulers of Kerala are responsible to a large extent for the cultural, social & political betterment of the state. The rulers of the erstwhile kingdom gave great importance to not just becoming a powerful kingdom but also were keen at providing its people a better way of life. They were also exemplary in building beautiful mansions, palaces & temples. One such structure that still stands with all its grandeur & is the epitome of beautiful Kerala Architecture is the Kowdiar Palace which is now the official residence of the Travancore family.


The palace is out of bounds for common citizens as it is a protected monument & entry is restricted due to the presence of the family who use it as their residence. The palace was constructed in the year 1934 by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal as a gift to his sister Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi on her wedding with Col GV Raja. The importance of Chithira Thirunal is not just with the construction of the palace, he is revered as an exemplary administrator who is responsible for the upliftment of all his subjects by way of social renaissance. He built the first university & today it is the University of Kerala, he also was the one who was the ruler when the most important proclamation of temple entry which gave access to all Hindus irrespective of caste the right to enter temple was made. It is also said that Gandhiji on his visit to Travancore is said to have said that Chithira Thirunal is the Mahatma and not him for the work he did for his people. The Travancore family during the construction were living in the Kuthiramalika near Padmanabhaswamy temple while another section of the family resided at the Padmanabhapuram palace. Chithira Thirunal wanted a grand palace to be built following all the rules of Vastu Shastra as the structure of Kuthiramalika had to be abandoned due to its errors in Vastu. This palace is considered to be the last palace to have been built in the 20th century by any kingship. The palace is also said to have an uncanny resemblance to the Buckingham Palace of London in terms of its grandeur & relation to its facade. The only common difference is the hue of the two structures, the Queen’s palace having a white color while the Kowdiar Palace has a reddish tinge. Maharaja Chirthira Thirunal Balarama Varma is said to have lived & ruled till his death from this palace & post his death he was buried in the garden of the palace, this place is now a place to visit and is called Panchavadi. 


The Kowdiar palace is a great example of Kerala Architecture style with elaborate use of locally procured materials from the western ghats & designs of local craftsmen. The palace is built on a land of around 100 acres & stands on a small hillock with a slight elevation. The Maharajah wanted his designers to find a place which would have no obstacles for air to flow from the Sea & also should be in the path of the Monsoon winds when they passed on their arrival & retreating journey. The place earmarked is today named based on the Palace itself & many other important buildings came up next to the palace for administrative ease. The structure stands on a large rectangular base & is three tier high with around 150 rooms which range from small, large to elaborate sizes. The palace also was designed to accommodate a large gathering of family members so has large halls for discussions. The Kitchen is a large area which could cater to a big family & the dining hall has a space to accommodate around 500 people. The palace also has large corridors running along its structure with beautiful pillars placed in intricate designs that help wind to flow easily between them. The windows around the palace have a design of arch which is placed at intervals with colorful glass. There are also open galleries for the family members to look over the large lawns. The palace structure is built in such a way that it has three quarters with an open space on the east side where the Kitchen stands. The South side of the palace is where the family now resides and it has a large foyer which greets guests from the entrance. The hall is adorned with portraits of erstwhile family members & has intricate furniture received as gifts from Europe. The room to the office of the Maharaja is now closed. The upper tiers of the palace are accessed by wooden carved stairs with no side pillars which is another unique feature as they are held on the wall by reinforcements. The flooring of the palace is done in different styles, from small tiles, to large italian marbles to simple mosaic designs. The south hall is the most important part of the palace where guests were entertained on their arrival. The palace houses many important gifts & artefacts. One such important piece of artefacts is a white casket with a gold ship on top which was gifted to the palace by the people of Travancore. As per old belief it was a curse to travel over water & this thought was thwarted when the Maharani and King travelled to England & returned. The people presented the gift to the Maharajah for this step which made future voyages possible. The palace is also a place where one can find the oldest lift of India made entirely of Teak wood still used by the family. The lift has a bench for the person to sit while it moves along the floors. The gardens in and around the palace were designed by a German engineer & it is said that during its hay days the gardens were similar to that of the famous Vrindavan gardens of Mysore. The palace on all sides also has square towers with pagodas which have a copper lightning conductor on top placed to save the palace from lightning as in its days of completion the palace was the only large structure & was capable of attracting lightning. The roof of the palace is lined with terracotta tiles. In all the palace is a combination of Kerala, European & Chinese style of architecture. 


The palace post independence & based on the constitutional amendment of 1971 the wealth of the family was partitioned and the heirs of Sethu Parvathi Bayi inherited the palace as it was her son who built the palace. The visit to the palace today may be restricted but its presence in the city makes one remember the contributions of the erstwhile Travancore family. For all who want to visit the palace, prior permission is needed.

Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

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