The 400-year-old Maipady Palace serves as a living memorial to Kerala's monarchical past. The palace is surrounded by lush vegetation and is located in a rural area near Maipady. The palace is a two-storey building that follows the traditional ‘nalukettu’ format seen in Kerala’s architectural design. It has an open courtyard with a ‘thulasi thara’ placed in the middle. A thulasi thara is a raised stone platform on which the holy basil, revered for its medicinal properties, is grown.
The primary centre of worship for the palace is the main temple, located adjacent. The palace comprises a lengthy verandah with a number of arches while there are a number of smaller temples and a temple pond. There are numerous coconut and areca nut crops within the palace grounds. His Highness Sri Raja Mayura Varma of the Kadamba dynasty built the palace, which is presently owned by the king’s heirs. The royal family performs special poojas for Sri Rajarajeshwari, the palace’s presiding deity each year during the Navaratri festival. The nine-day festival is grandly observed and all devotees are given bhojana prasada (meals) as part of the celebration.
