Made purely out of wood, back in the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace lies at the southernmost tip of mainland India at Kanyakumari. This palace was built by the rulers of Travancore (1550 -1750 AD) and used to be their capital. Around 1750, the Travancore ruler King Marthanda Varma dedicated his kingdom to the clan God, Sree Padmanabha, a different form of Vishnu. The name Padmanabhapuram comes from the king regarding his kingdom as a gift from Sree Padmanabha, and himself as Padmanabha Dasa, that is, a subject of the deity. In 1795, the capital of the Travancore Dynasty was shifted from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram. The sprawling, beautiful palace and city lost much of its sheen and glory. The architecture of the palace is remarkable and to date remains one of the most developed voices and representations of Keralan architecture.
Foods of Kanyakumari reflect the taste and food culture of the people of Kanyakumari. Rice is said to be the basic food of the people, however, there are some people in the mountainous region who take Tapioca instead of rice. In those hilly areas, Tapioca is the main food.
In the district of Kanyakumari, there are many people who have a high liking for meat, fish and agro products. Sea fishes are very popular among the people of Kanyakumari. Fishes are mainly caught in the seas around the district at night or early morning. Thereafter the fishes reach the village and inner towns markets in the early morning.
The Foods of Kanyakumari are quite spicy, but the preparations always use less ingredients than the ones in other Tamil Nadu districts. In most of the dishes, people prefer extensive use of coconuts as a major ingredient and in their curries and food items the flavor of coconut can be felt.
Kanyakumari Recipes are highly delicious and any one tried them once will definitely like to have them again. The main ingredient of this mouthwatering dish is coconut.
There are many restaurants in Kanyakumari, most of which offer quality food to the natives as well as to the international tourists. In this context the Palace Hotel, centrally located in the town, deserves mention. It provides good meals at an affordable price range, whereas, Saravana offers quality vegetarian meals. There are many Kanyakumari restaurants that serve South Indian, Chinese, Gujarati and Rajasthani meals at lunchtime and offer good dosas.
Fork & Beans 