Kerala Sightseeings

Padmanabhapuram Palace,        Hill Palace Museum (Ernakulam)
The Churches ar Muttuchira (Kottayam) ,     Cheruthuruthy,      Bekkal Fort
 

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Padmanabhapuram palace - Visiting hours : 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Mondays.

A magnificent wooden palace of the 16th century, Padmanabhapuram Palace lies at the land's end of mainland India. An enticing piece to any lover of art and architecture this old palace of the Rajas of the erstwhile Travancore (1550 to 1750 AD) is a fine specimen of Kerala's indigenous style of architecture.

the musical bow in mahogany, windows with coloured mica, royal chairs with Chinese carvings, 'Thaikkottaram' or the Queen Mother's palace with painted ceilings, rose wood and teak carved ceilings with 90 different floral designs. Durbar Hall with a shiny black floor specially made from a combination of egg white, jaggery lime, burnt coconut, charcoal and river sand, granite tubs to cool curd and buttermilk, secret underground passages, the King's bedroom with a four poster medicinal bed, mural paintings, pictures of Lord Krishna, hanging brass lanterns lit continuously since the 18th century, hanging cage through which eagles tore criminals to death, open air swimming bath, the King's sister's dressing room, granite dance hall, Saraswathi (goddess of knowledge) temple, large earthen urns, room for scribes and accountants, carved figures on columns holding oil lamps, pooja (worship) rooms with jackfruit tree columns, fish carvings on the ceilings, enormous teak beams, Belgian mirrors and an outer cyclopean stone wall fitted together without mortar.
 

Hill Palace Museum, Thripunithura

Hill Palace Museum - Visiting hours : 9.00 to 12.30 hrs. and 14.00 to 16.30 hrs. on all days except Mondays.

The Hill Palace, the official residence of the Kochi royal family, is today the largest archaeological museum in Kerala. Built in 1865, the palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the tr tional architectural style of Kerala, sprawled over 52 acres of beautifully landscaped terraced land which houses a deer park and facilities for horse riding. Numerous species of flora including rare medicinal plants grow here. On display in the full-fledged Ethno-archaeological museum are oil-paintings, murals, sculptures in stone and manuscripts, inscriptions, coins, belongings of the Kochi royal family and royal furniture including the simhasana (throne).

Also exhibited are over 200 antique pieces of pottery and ceramic vases from Japan and China, Kudakkallu (tomb stone), Thoppikkallu (hood stone), menhirs, granite, laterite memorials, rock cut weapons from the stone ages, wooden temple models, plaster cast models of objects from Mohanjodaro and Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The museum also houses a gallery of contemporary art.
 

Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthy

One of the most revered places for the traditional art forms of Kerala, the Kalamandalam is the cradle of training in India. This temple of arts has preserved and propagated Kathakali - the classical dance-drama of Kerala - for the past 78 years. Many of the internationally renowned artistes of Kerala and India have been trained here.

The Koothambalam - the traditional dance theatre - at Kalamandalam is the only one in the State which is built outside a temple complex. Constructed according to vikrushtra madhya, one of the three natya grihas (theatres) specified in sage Bharatha's Natyasasthra - a treatise on art compiled in the 2nd century B.C, the theatre is 14.62 m long and 7.31m wide and has four wooden pillars supporting it. It has three main parts - the aniyara (green room), the rangam (stage) - the space on front and side of it meant for the audience, and the mridanga-patha (where the drum is kept).

The Kerala Kalamandalam was established by Vallathol Narayana Menon, the renowned Malayalam poet. It was at a time when the popularity of Kathakali was on the wane. English education had been introduced and only a few upper class families in the State held the key to the art form. Realising the need to keep the art alive, the poet along with a few royal Kathakali enthusiasts like M. Mukundaraja and Kunjikuttan Thampuran, took over the revival and popularisation programme. They arranged performances by eminent artistes across the State and even raised funds through lotteries.

 

The Bekal Fort

Kasaragod is a beautiful town poised at the northern extreme of Kerala State.16 kms south of the town on the National Highway, is the largest and best preserved fort in the whole of the Kerala, surrounded by a splendid beach. Shaped like a giant keyhole, the historic Bekal fort offers a superb view of the Arabian Sea from its tall observation towers, where a few centuries ago huge cannons used to be placed.

Nearby is an old mosque said to have been built by the valiant Tipu Sultan of Mysore. Built by the rulers of ancient Kadampa dynasty, the fort changed hands over the years to the Kolathiri Rajas, the Vijayanagar empire, Tipu Sultan and finally, the British East India Company. Today, the Bekal fort and its surroundings is fast becoming an international tourist destination and a favorite shooting locale for film makers. Bekal is also one among the five centres selected by the Government of India to be developed into a 'Special Tourism Area'.
 

The Churches ar Muttuchira (Kottayam)

Situated on the MC Road, between Vaikom and Kaduthuruthi, Muttuchira has an interesting conglomeration of three churches of different periods built in the same compound. These churches display distinctive features of the evolution of Church architecture in Keraa, the oldest of which is a typical example of Neo-Boroque style.