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Puthen Malika Palace
Best time to visit
Go early in the morning just after opening, when the sunlight falls at an angle between the carved wooden windows and the neighboring temple is still quiet. Weekdays before 11 also mean the fewest people in the museum's cramped upstairs rooms.
Budget tips
Entry is cheap, a few tens of rupees, with a lower price for Indians and children, and cash is needed since cards don't always work. Ask at the ticket office about a combination ticket, it covers several sights in the neighborhood and makes the whole visit cheaper.
Recommended for
History buffs, Music lovers, Architecture and craft enthusiasts, Families with curious children
Plan your visit
1-2 hours
About
Quick facts: The upper floor rests on 122 hand-carved wooden horses, all hewn from single pieces of solid teak. The maharaja who lived here composed over 400 classical songs and had court musicians play every evening.
Highlights: On the upper balcony, 122 wooden horses carry the roof, each carved from a single piece of teak with different facial expressions. The evenings here were once filled with live music, the maharaja himself sitting at the instruments among Belgian mirrors and crystal chandeliers.
Insider tips
- Take off your shoes at the entrance and keep your shoulders and knees covered, the palace is next to an active temple.
- Visit on a weekday before 11, then you'll have the balcony with the wooden horses almost to yourself.
- Stand in backlight against the window when photographing the horses, then the teak grain lights up.
- Skip public holidays, then pilgrims stream to the temple next door and the queue gets long.
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