Hill Palace
About Hill Palace
Far From City: 9 kms from city center
Cost:
About Hill Palace
Weather:
Time Required:2-3 hrs
Open Time:
Museum:9:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Closed on Monday)
Children's Park:
Open till 6:00 PM
Cost:Adults: INR 30,Children (5-12 years): INR 10,Camera fees: INR 20,Video camera: IN
History of Hill Palace
The Hill Palace was built in the year 1865 by the erstwhile Maharaja and is now the largest archaeological museum in the state of Kerala. Before Tripunithura, the capital of the Cochin kingdom and the royal office was located in Thrissur. However, the royal family of Cochin had a matrilineal custom. This means that the queen was the sovereign of the state, and the king ruled under her authority. After 1775, the queen and her assistants moved to the city of Tripunithura, thereby shifting capital to the new city. Later, the kings started preferring to stay at Tripunithura, leading to the construed a new royal office in 1865. Gradually, court buildings, secretary office and various other official and residential buildings were constructed.
The magnificent Hill Palace was later on handed over to the Kerala government by the royal family in 1980 and was taken under control by the Department of archaeology. They converted the palace into a museum, and it was first opened for public viewing in the year 1986.
Architecture of Hill palace
The Palace-turned-museum has been recently renovated with a few changes. A two-metre wide walkway is built around the palace complex. The walkway is lit by fancy lamps on decorated cast iron pillars. Two hundred lamp post has also been added to light the locale during early morning and night. Apart from that the already elegant door has been repaired, replaced and decorated with integrated wood carvings.
It is built in the traditional Kerala style of architecture.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).
Hill Palace Museum
Built in 1865, the museum at Hill Palace is famous for being a full-fledged ethnoarchaeological museum and the first ever heritage museum of the state. This museum also houses the Centre for Heritage Studies (CHS), which is an autonomous research and training institute.
Galleries at the Museum: The complex house 18 different galleries and the most important among them are:-The cabinet gallery: Displaying the royal throne and chairs.The Portrait Gallery: Oil portraits of The Maharaja and certain Thanjavur paintings.Wood Carvings Gallery: Various wood carving belonging to the 14th century including unique ivory items and wooden sculptures.Jewellery Gallery: The Royal Gold crown embedded with precious stones and various other items.Epigraphy Gallery: Copper plates, inscriptions, palm leaf records etc.Folklore and Folk Arts galleryNumismatic GalleryChariots GallerySculpture Gallery: Stone sculptures from 10th to 18th century.Weapons gallery
Ettukettu:At the museum, you can see the oldest building of the complex. It is a single-storied with two courtyards called ettukettu. Nearby are a pond and a temple.
Pottery and ceramic vases: Antique vases from Japan and China are kept in the display. Apart from that Kudakkallu (tombstone), Thoppikkallu (hood stone), menhirs, granite, laterite memorials, rock-cut weapons from the Stone Age, wooden temple models, plaster cast models from Indus Valley Civilization are also on display.
Things To Do at Hill Palace
Flora and Fauna: The palace complex house a variety of Flora including various medicinal herbs.
Deer Park and Children's Park: The deer park houses around 50 deer. Here you can interact and feed the animals. The children's park is a beautiful place for photography and also has facilities for horseback riding.
Shopping for artefacts: You can shop around the local markets to collect artefacts and buy local goods.
Best time to visit Hill Palace
Summers are quite hot due to the tropical location. So, it is best to visit the Hill Palace in the winter months of October to March. The soothing weather this time will enhance the sight-seeing experience.
It is best to visit the palace during the daytime so that you have enough time to cover all the attractions.
How to Reach Hill Palace
Kochi is the central city, offering various travel amenities. You can take a bus to reach the palace from Kaligachira Bus Stand. The city of Ernakulam is 10 km from the Hill Palace. You can hire an auto rickshaw from here. It should cost around INR 350 return with about an hour wait time.
If you are travelling by a private vehicle, you need to pay the parking fees.Two Wheeler: INR 5,Light Vehicle: INR 10, Heavy Vehicle: INR 20
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Tips
1. Photography is not allowed in the museum.2. Wear Comfortable footwear so that you can roam around the garden.3. Carry hats, sunglasses and water bottle to endure the heat.4. Shoes are prohibited in the main building, apart from that you can wear them everywhere else.5. There is a storage facility available for keeping the shoes.6. Don't forget to feed the animals at the deer garden. They interact quite well with the visitors.7. Walking around the well-maintained garden is an enjoyable experience. It also provides a perfect backdrop for photographs.8. There is also an eatery available inside the complex.
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