Kanakakunnu palace

                             KANAKAKUUNU PALACE

                                                       kanakakuunu palace is situated in Thiruvananthapuram near Napier Museum . It is located about 800m noth east of the Napier Museum in the heart of trivandrum. Built during the reign of Travancore king Sree Moolam Thirunal, the Palace served as the main venue of royal banquets .. It is one of the last vestiges of colonial era. After Sree Moolam Thirunal , Swathi Thirunal , one of the popular ruler of tranvancore refurbished the palace and constructed  a tennis court in its premises. 

Inside the palace we can see massive crystal chandeliers and an array of exquisite pieces of royal furniture.They serve as the testimony of the lavish life of the Travancore kings who had a penchant for music and art. Add to it a picturesque setting on the crest of a small hill lush with meadows, groves and flowering shrubs. 

The kanakakunnu palace is now protected by Tourism Department and the palace plays host to a lot of cultural meets and programs . The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage(INTACH) has listed it as a heritage monument . The palace complex  houses the Nishagandhi open air auditorium and Sooryakanthi auditorium.   

The auditoriums are now a venue of various cultural meets and program mes and a popular hunt of culture vultures. 

An All India Dance Festival is Organised annually by the Department of Tourism at the Nishagandhi Open air auditorium . 

Indian classical dance exponents from across the country come down to participate in the festival . There are several tourists streaming many foreign countries every year.