Cochin Museum

Hill Palace Museum

  • Location : Cochin, Kerala
  • Timings : Open daily from 9.00 a.m.- 5.00 p.m, except on Monays

Located at a distance of 10 kilometers from Kochi, Hill Palace, the official residence of the Kochi Royal Family was built in 1865. Consisting of 49 buildings, the palace is built in the Traditional Architectural Style of Kerala and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land.

All sorts of flora of Kerala including rare medicinal plants are found here. A full-fledged ethno-archaeological Museum and Kerala’s first ever Heritage Museum are the major attractions. Click here for Tours to Kerala

Exhibited inside the thirteen galleries are oil paintings, 19th century Paintings, Murals, sculptures in stone and plaster of Paris, manuscripts, inscriptions, coins, belongings of the Kochi Royal Family, Paliathachan’s gallery and royal furniture including the ‘Simhasana’ (the throne or the king’s chair).

There are on display 200 antique pieces of pottery and ceramic vases from China and Japan, Kudalkall, tomb stone ‘thoppikkallu’, hood stone ‘menhirs’ in granite and Literate memorials, rock cut caves belonging to the early iron, age wooden temple models.

There is an amazing array of plaster cast models of objects from Mohanjodaro and Harappa of the Indus Valley civilization of North India. The upper story houses a gallery of contemporary art.

The huge area over which the museum is spread provides the facilities for other recreation activities as well. The huge expanse of land that surrounds the royal palace has a Deer Park and has facilities for horse riding also.

Museum of Kerala History

  • Location : Cochin, Kerala
  • Timings : Its open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to noon and 2:00pm to 4:00pm (Closed on Mondays)

This museum is 10 km north-east of Ernakulum,en route to Aluva, and gives one a thorough exposure to the various phases in the History of Kerala. A statue of Parasurama, the sage who is said to have created Kerala, greets the visitors.

Life size figures depict important landmarks of civilization from the Neolithic age to the modern era. There is an excellent narration of Kerala history in the past 2000 years.

It presents one-hour light and sound spectacles of life-size sculptures in concrete, of the makers of Kerala history, together with the background music and commentary with glimpses of the vastness and diversity of Kerala’s history over the centuries.