‘Kuthira Malika’ (also known as ‘Puthen Malika’) is a beautiful palace built by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, who was the ruler of Thiruvithamkoor. This magnificent palace is a wonderful example of traditional architecture of Kerala. As the name suggests, 122 small horses are carved into the wooden wall of this building. Tis palace was venue for ‘sangeetholsavan’ a musical festival that was conducted every year. It has been turned into a museum and opened for public to know more about the life and history of Thiruvithamkoor royal family. The main attractions here are the marvellous patterns carved on the wooden walls. The front yard of the palace has been visualised in many movies. The property is spread over a vast area of 22 acres of land and lies adjacent to the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
The Sri Chitralayam is an art gallery which was opened for public by Swati Thirunnal. The art gallery takes us for a journey through the 200-year history of Thiruvithamkoor. The major attraction here is the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, one of the greatest Indian painters. Chitralayam also has a huge collection of rare oaintings from different genre. Kuthira Malika and Chitralayam lie just 500m away from Kizhakekotta.
