Kuthira Maliga Palace Museum

Must go place in Trivandrum. The palace is built for Renowned musician Swati Tirumal. 1000 workers(actually artists) from Tanjavur worked 4 years continuously to build this marvelous building. The name kuthira Malika came from the wooden carvings of horses on the outer roof of the palace. Kuthira means horse. Malika means palace. Wonderful artifacts are inside the palace.

Even though all rooms are not open to public, it is still the best palace open to public.
Lot of precious collection, ivory, wonderful architecture, Chinese gifts, Belgium crystal lamps etc.
It is still under a trust and not under the government.
Entry fee is there and in addition, special charge of Rs 20 should be also given for photography outside.
Free guide is available.

Very beautiful museum just next to temple, entrance is exactly opposite to cloak room and can be missed. Will recommend to visit if visiting temple. It is basically royal palace of Raja Varma converted to museum. It houses gifts and highly unique royal objects like porcelain jars, paintings, weapons, pooja items. The staff provides tour and explains very well about significance of each section.

Kuthira Malika and adjacent chitralayam is worth paying a visit.. we can find all travancore maharaja family related things here.. no mobile inside.. outside you can take pics (ticket)..

Very nice and beautiful palace to visit in Thiruvananthapuram. Located in central area has good access by local transport. The ticket is INR 50 for palace and INR 20 for art/photo gallery. They also took INR 50 for mobile camera which I feel is unnecessary and should be included in palace ticket. Photography inside palace is not allowed even though you have Rs 50 ticket which is only for outside palace photography.

I liked the place very much. You can get tickets at the entrance. A guide will accompany you, usually a group and take you around the palace. The guide explains about the palace and the various articles used by the royal family. There are about 84 rooms, but only 24 rooms are open for public viewing. The rest are closed. It takes about 2 hours to see. The palace will be closed by 5:30 p.m. Ensure you are there by 3 p.m.
You can take photographs of the palace exterior with permission. No photography is allowed inside the palace. Also, no chappals are allowed inside. There is a separate place to keep them safely with a nominal charge.

Parking is limited inside. Around 8 to 10 cars.

It's a great museum. It's has some of interesting items on display used by the kings. There are some items gifted by other countries to the kings as well which are on display. Overall it's a very interesting place to visit and would recommend anyone who wants to explore Trivandrum.

Kuthiramalika Palace is one of the architectural wonders in the vast complex of royal buildings situated near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Built by Sri Swathi Thirunal, Kuthiramalika or Puthenmalika is named after the 122 horsesthat are carved into the wooden wall brackets that support the southern roof. It is a perfect example of the traditional Kerala style of architecture, and impresses visitors with its intricate carvings, huge pillars and traditional style of flooring. A guided tour is available inside the palace. Kuthiramalika is a perfect venue for those in search of places with historical and architectural significance.