Sri Moolam Thirunal Palace or SMP Palace or SMT Palace is a palace situated near the heart of the city of

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

, in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It was constructed in 1936 as a commemorate for the shashtabda poorthi (60th birthday) of the then ruler of erstwhile Travancore,

Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma (born 1949) is the current titular Maharajah of Travancore. He is the youngest of the four children of the former titular Maharani of Travancore, Sree Padmanabhasevini Maharani Karthika Th ...

History

Sri Moolam palace was constructed as a town hall to commemorate the shashtabda poorthi (60th birthday) of the then ruler of erstwhile Travancore, Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma. The people of Kollam accorded the Maharaja a reception as part of the shashtabda poorthi celebrations in 1917. Sri Moolam Shashtabda Poorthy Memorial Trust, a trust was formed to construct a town hall to commemorate the event. The then Government had donated 1.15 acres of land for the construction. But the construction of palace was completed only after the death of the King. Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma died in 1924. The town hall was completed in 1936. Later, the authorities have converted the palace as a movie theatre. SMP Palace is probably the oldest cinema theatre in Kollam.

References

{{Kingdom of Travancore Palaces in Kollam Tourist attractions in Kollam