Why visit Padmanābhapuram
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 2 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Padmanabhapuram Palace and Udayagiri Fort.
Weather in Padmanābhapuram
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Padmanābhapuram
Padmanabhapuram (Tamil: [pɐd̪mɐnaːbɐpuɾɐm]) is a town near Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 21,342. Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore state in the past. In 1795, the King of Travancore, Rama Varma (known as Dharma Raja moved the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram.
From the Wikipedia article Padmanabhapuram (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education
School · 2.9 km
University in India
Museums and landmarks3
Restaurants and cafes2
Where to stay1
History
Padmanabhapuram was the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Travancore (now part of India). The Travancore King, Rama Varma, who was popularly known as Dharma Raja, shifted the capital in 1795 from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram. At that time, the boundaries of the Travancore had extended to less than half of the present day Indian state of Kerala. Up to 1957, Padmanabhapuram formed part of the Travancore Kingdom and subsequently the Travancore-Cochin State. It was when the states were divided on linguistic basis that Kalkulam (including Padmanabhapuram), Vilavancode, Thovala and Agastheeswaram Taluks of erstwhile Thiruvananthapuram District of Travancore-Cochin State were included in the Madras State (later renamed as Tamil Nadu) as Kanyakumari District.
From the History section of Padmanabhapuram on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship7
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Healthcare7
Arokiya Annai Children Hospital
Hospital · 1.6 km
65 Salem - Kochi - Kanyakumari Road
Map of Padmanābhapuram
30 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 52 km away.
- Tiruvankod 3 km west, about 3 min by car
- Eraniel 4 km south, about 4 min by car
- Nāgercoil 14 km southeast, about 14 min by car
- Neyyāttinkara 31 km northwest, about 31 min by car
- Thiruvananthapuram 49 km northwest, about 49 min by car
- Nedumangād 53 km northwest, about 53 min by car
- Tirunelveli 67 km northeast, about 1 h by car
- Attingal 75 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kadakkavoor 78 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Vettūr 84 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- St.Antony's Church, Chemmanvilai, Aldinus, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mulagumudu Basilica-sep 2020, Calvin1825, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Udayagiri Fort inside, Sugeesh, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Padmanabhapuram Clock Tower, Shishirdasika, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Udayakiri fort, srithern, Public domain
- Padmanabhapuram main entrance, Shekbhi1, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.