Descendants of the Travancore royal family reside in a portion of the palace, which is a complex of big and medium sized buildings, temples, sacred groves and two huge ponds.

Varma's paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art.

Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful sari clad women, who were portrayed as very shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873.