Before the capital was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, Padmanabhapuram was the capital of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom and the palace here was the residence of the royal family. The palace, a well-conserved fine specimen of wooden architecture is the biggest wooden palace of Asia. The palace walls contain 17th and 18th century murals. Though it is situated in Kanyakumari district of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, the palace and premises belong to the state of Kerala.