Kuthiramalika Palace Museum

122 smiling wooden horses await all who visit ‘Kuthiramalika’, which means “palace of horses”. Formally known as Kuthiramalika Palace Museum or Puthenmalika Palace Museum, it is a pristine two-storied palace near the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Built by Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma, who was Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore in British India, it takes one back to the 1840s when it was first constructed. It is a great example of the Kerala school of architecture and is made from teakwood, rosewood, marble, and granite. The museum houses idols and sculptures made from white marble, Kathakali figures, Belgian mirrors and paintings. The flourishing spice trade between Kerala and the world made it possible to obtain those items.