Puthe Maliga Palace Museum

A small banana plantation has to be traversed to reach the 200-year-old museum next to the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. The Puthe Maliga Palace Museum was once the palace of the Maharaja of Travancore. It’s main attraction lies in the carved wooden ceilings, marble sculptures and even imported Belgian glass that richly embellishes the inside of the palace. The palace is also called Kuthira Malika (palace of horses), after the 122 horse figures in the brackets of the walls; these can still be seen in the palace if you lean out of the balconies and see. There is a scheduled guide who takes a small group around the palace, giving anecdotes and pointing out the highlights. Do see the museum with a guide to get better context of the place. Though your admission ticket includes the cost of this guide, you may want to tip him/her over that – this is recommended. The annual classical music festival held at the Puthe Maliga Palace Museum from January 6 to 12 is graced by prestigious musicians and is free for the public.