Krishnapuram Palace - Alappuzha

Krishnapuram Palace

Kerala is noted for many palaces that were an outcome of princely domains that once ruled different parts of Kerala. The Krishnapuram Palace is one such palace, which could be reached from the National Highway - 47 going via Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district of Kerala. It is a historically important palace, located close to the Sree Krishnaswamy Temple at Krishnapuram. History reckons this double-storeyed palace as the one where the kings of Kayamkulam dynasty last stayed. It is a typical example of a palace design that is akin to that of local rulers in ancient Kerala.

Many ancillary units of Krishnapuram Palace got demolished and only the main palace structure remains intact. There are no authentic records stating the period of the palace's construction. According to old timers, the princess of Kayamkulam ruling family used to stay at a place north of Kayamkulam while the men stayed at the Krishnapuram Palace.

Currently a protected monument under the Department of Archaeology, the palace situated near the Krishnaswamy Temple at Krishnapuram was built during the period of King Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-1758 AD) following the annexation of Kayamkulam to the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.

The palace would easily catch the attention of its visitors, due to its traditional Kerala style of architecture. The architectural highlights of this palace include a courtyard, gabled roofs, thick-framed doors, narrow corridors and stairways, dormer windows and low roofs.

A highlight among the sights for visitors at the Krishnapuram Palace is without doubt the mural found here, depicting the story of Gajendramoksham (salvation of elephant). Dating back to the 18th century, this exquisite piece of art is one of the largest murals in Kerala and is a fantastic blend of colours and expression.

This magnificent palace with sixteen blocks is also famous for its museum that houses antiques, sculptures, paintings, weapons, megalithic remains, stone inscriptions, coins and artifacts in bronze. Among the museum highlights include a Bible in Sanskrit language.

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.

Kodanad Elephant Training Center - Cochin

Kodanad Elephant Training Center - Cochin

Elephants are an integral part of Indian mythology and culture. In God's Own Country, elephants are often referred to as the sons of the 'Sahya' (the Western Ghats). Once a part of everyday life in Kerala, elephants are the most ornamental and auspicious animals here. No festival or celebration is complete without an elephant procession. Rows of majestically caparisoned elephants, replete with colorful silken parasols form the most spectacular part of any event in Kerala.

Kodanad Elephant Sanctuary  (Kodanad Elephant Training Center) is a rural riverside village in the Ernakulam district of the state of Kerala . Its a popular picnic spot and tourist destination in Kerala too. It is the only elephant rescue and training center in Kerala specialized for rescuing and training stranded adult and baby elephants from the forest regions across Kerala.

In the mornings at the riverside, tourists informally get a chance to experience hands-on bathe and massage of adult and baby elephants under the supervision of its Mahouts. Bathe and massage of elephants are normally done with small flat rocks, and husk of coconuts.

Kodanad offers elephant safari to the visitors at the main park. At the park, the old ‘Kraal’ is maintained to house elephants, which is a structure made of wood compartments that can accommodate up to 4 elephants.

Visitors to Kodanad Elephant sanctuary can watch feeding of elephants as nearly 80% of an elephant’s day is spent on feeding. It is fascinating to watch elephants feeding themselves in their natural environment

Watching baby elephants during their early training years of early life as it takes a lot of training in their early years. The facility is closed on Monday’s for tourists. There is also a ‘mini zoo’ that shelters wild animals which have become unfit for survival in the local forest and some inmates of the zoo are very rare species.

Watching kodanad baby elephants at their infancy and various stages of their growth has become a unique feature that attracts visitors to Kodanad. At least four to six baby elephants are brought in and trained every year. Tourists arrive at Kodanad fascinated by baby elephant’s various stages of development at the Care centre. Training plays an important role for elephants while their brains develop and they learn vital survival and cultural knowledge. The baby elephants at Kodanad are owned and taken care by the Department of Forest. Once they become adults, someone buy them out in auctions. In Kerala, elephants are used for a variety of traditional jobs such as timber loading & wood moving, or as temple elephants for religious Hindu festivals & events.

Kodanad, set on the Southern banks of the Periyar River amid the beautiful high ranges near Perumbavoor, is one of the largest elephant training centers in Kerala. Earlier elephants captured from the Malayatoor forests (the forests in the East and North of Kodanad) were trained here. Since the introduction of a ban on elephant capture Kodanad has been reduced to a training centre. The famous Malayatoor Church is near Kodanad.   Muthanga of Wayanad district and Konni of Pathanamthitta district are two other elephant training centers in Kerala. Another attraction for elephant lovers is Punnathur Kotta, of the neighbouring Thrissur district, where some 40 elephants of the Guruvayoor Temple are groomed.

Museum of Kerala History -Cochin

Museum of Kerala History

Museum of Kerala History is important scenes of Kerala history are portrayed through sculptures. Greeting the visitor outside the museum is a statue of Parasurama, the mythological sage who is said to have created Kerala.

A museum for understanding the history of Kerala and that too born out of an individual's efforts is among the few in India. The Art and History Museum complex has been the realization of Mr. R. Madhavan Nayar (1914-1996), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist. His passion for arts eventually led him to the establishment of the various units established under the Art and History Museums, which is currently managed by the Madhavan Nayar Foundation.

The Art and History Museum complex at Edappally in Kochi comprises Museum of Kerala History; Museum of Paintings and Sculptures, Museum of Indian Miniatures, Dolls' Museum and Centre for Visual Arts.

Housed in a circular domed building, the Museum of Kerala History is a sound and light spectacle. It works on a time frame, portraying the history of Kerala from early inhabitants to the modern era. Here one would come 38 life-size tableaux, each backed by multiple visuals, reflecting the cultural and social history of Kerala. This presentation is considered as the first of its kind in India.

With over 200 original paintings and 30 odd sculptures by well known Indian artists, this museum unit is spread over three floors. Some of the noted Indian artists whose works are on display here include that of Ravi Varma, M. F. Hussain, F. N. Souza, Jamini Roy, Kishen Khanna and Nandalal Bose. This museum has among its displayed items a mural painting based on the Classical Sanskrit drama Shakuntalam, done in the traditional Kerala mural style. It is 25 ft. long by 5 ft. wide and is one of the largest in Kerala, noted for its fine attention to details.

Featuring reproductions of Indian miniature art, the Museum of Indian Miniatures is yet another attraction at the Art and History Museum complex. Devoted exclusively to miniatures, the works are of Indian artists trained by Persian masters in the latter half of the 16th century during the reign of Emperor Akbar.

And in the Dolls' Museum, visitors would be greeted by a wide range of Indian dolls. This museum has a collection of about a hundred and fifty hand-crafted dolls. The dolls represent young men and women, from Gujarat to Nagaland and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. There are brides and bridegrooms from various Indian states; dance figures representing the rich repertoire of Indian classical dances as well as folk dances in groups.

Another interesting part of the museum complex is the Centre for Visual Arts that houses about 500 reproductions of world's renowned painters like Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh etc. Among the other attractions here are the huge reliefs of ancient India's sculptural masterpieces like Yakshi of Didarganj, Dwarapalaka (Ajanta) and the Woman and Parrot.

Part of the Art and Museum complex is the Projection Studio. Here screening of visuals and specialized art related subjects to interested visitors and students of art are held. It has a CD collection worth 72 hours of projection time.