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The Puttan Malika Palace (daily 8.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-5.30pm; Rs20, Rs25 extra with camera), immediately southeast of the temple, became the seat of the Travancore rajas after they left Padmanabhapuram at the end of the nineteenth century. To generate funds for much-needed restoration, the royal family has opened the palace to the public for the first time in more than two hundred years. Although much of it remains off limits, you can wander around some of the most impressive wings, which have been converted into a museum. Cool chambers, lined with delicately carved wooden screens and highly polished plaster floors, house a crop of dusty Travancore heirlooms. Among the predictable array of portraits, royal regalia and weapons are some genuine treasures, such as a solid crystal throne given by the Dutch, and some fine murals. The real highlight, however, is the typically understated, elegant Keralan architecture. Beneath sloping red-tiled roofs, hundreds of wooden pillars carved into the forms of rampant horses prop up the eaves, with airy verandas projecting onto the surrounding lawns. The royal family have always been keen patrons of the arts, and the tradition is maintained with an open-air Carnatic music festival,held in the grounds during the festival of Navaratri (Oct/Nov). Performers sit on the palace's raised porch, flanked by the main facade, with the spectators seated on the lawn. For details, ask at the KTDC tourist office.
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