Tuesday 3 March 2015

The sweetness of Southern India circuit (Day 5 morning cont.) - Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal Palace (the Kings's courtyard), Madurai - The 15th of February 2015


 (...)

Said to have been built in 1636 by King Thirumalai Nayak with the help of an Italian architect in a blend of Dravidian and Indo-Saracenic  styles the beauty of the Palace opened up for us behind a simple door. What remains of the original Palace complex is very little compared to what it used to be (four times bigger) according to provided information.
 
 
 




I must say I was mesmerised the moment I started looking at the carved details on the rectangular court, the King's courtyard, and its adjoining  hall corridors with their profusely painted domes supported by pillars.  The structure is said to have used foliated brickwork and the surface details and finish exquisite stucco and chunnam (shell lime mixed with egg white to obtain a glossy texture. On either side of the courtyard the pavilions topped by finials are said to have been covered with gold in the past.


From a certain moment onwards all I could do was to photograph details and  any decorative motives that caught my attention ... and if the pictures I have taken don't speak for themselves then nothing will ...
 



 




















































































































(To be continued)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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