Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple - Alappuzha

Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple

Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple  is a Hindu temple in Ambalappuzha, Alapuzha district of Kerala, in south India.

The Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is believed to have been built during 15th – 17th AD by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran.

The idol at Ambalapuzha is likened to Parthasarthi with a whip in the right hand and a Shankhu (sacred conch) in the left. This temple is directly associated to the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple. During the raids of Tipu Sultan in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping.

The payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is famous among Hindu devotees. This sweet pudding made of rice and milk has an interesting mythological legend behind it.  It is believed that Guruvayoorappan reaches here daily at the time of Palpayasa Nedyam to have it.

An idol of Sri Krishna, The Lord Parthasarathy idol was installed in the temple.

The Aarattu festival commences with the flag hoisting ceremony on the Atham star in Meenam (March–April). The important Aarattu festival takes place on the Thiruvonam day of the same month. The aarattu ezhunnullathu starts from Erattakulangara Mahadeva Temple(The famous temple amongst one of the siva temples, facing to west)

Parikshit Thampuran Museum -Cochin

Parikshit Thampuran Museum.

Parikshit Thampuran Museum is a very good archeological museum is located next to Shiva temple in Durbar hall road in Ernakulam.  It is also famously known as Durbar Hall Art Gallery. It has the largest collections of ancient things especially belongs to 19th century. It is one of the finest museums in Kerala as well as in India also.

It has various types of collection in it like statues in stone and in plaster of Paris, paintings, wall paintings, old coins etc and the collections belongs to Cochin royal family. Once it was used by the Cochin royal family as Durbar Hall where they used to put meetings, used for office purpose and also to invite the guest to stay. The major attraction of this museum is Durbar hall which is designed beautifully.

It was used as guest rooms during the early time. Now it went under the administration of Archaeological department of Kerala. The Parikshit Thampuran Museum is constructed in Kerala Architecture method. It got this name from the last ruler Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran who belongs to Cochin royal family. And it is also used as cricket ground among the British army and the local club.

Pallipuram Fort -Cochin

Pallipuram Fort

It was built by the Portuguese in 1503. It is the oldest existing European fort in India. In 1789 the Dutch captured the fort in 1661and sold it to the State of Travancore. This fort is situated in the northern extremity of the Vypeen Island.

Pallipuram known as Palliport to the British is about a few miles from the Munambam beach.

Popularly known as Ayikkotta or Alikotta, Pallipuram fort is a hexagonal shaped structure constructed using laterite, chunam and wood and each face measures 32 feet in length and 34 feet in height. The walls which are six feet in thickness are thickly plastered using mortar. The cellar inside the fort was used to store gun powder. The fort, now in ruins, is being protected by the Kerala state department of archaeology. 

Adjacent to the fort, there is a catholic church dedicated to Mother Mary, known as Church of Our Lady of Snow or Manjumatha Church.