8 Must Visit Museums in Kerala

Museums, anywhere in the world, are storehouses of art that reflect the historical and societal changes witnessed through various periods in history. These historical centers display not just precious and rare artifacts, but also items that reflect advancements achieved through various stages of history.

Kerala is home to several museums that attract their fair share of visitors. While some of them exhibit belongings related to the royal families, others display items that acquaint the public with the folklore and culture of the state. Visiting these museums is both an enjoyable and educative experience for the visitors. This blog brings you the 8 must visit museums in Kerala.

1. The Napier Museum

Napier Museum, along with the Napier History Museum, is located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city, in close proximity to the zoological park. Built-in the 19^th century, this wonderful Indo-Saracenic structure boasts a natural air-conditioning system. It houses some of the rarest collection of historical and archaeological artifacts, ancient ornaments, bronze idols, ivory carvings and temple chariot.

One of the key items of attraction here is the Japanese shadow play leather figures, which depict the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. A visit to this museum acquaints the visitor to Kerala’s rich cultural heritage. This museum is named after the former Madras Governor-General, John Napier. It’s also called the Government Art Museum and is a combination of Mughal, Kerala, Chinese and Italian architectural styles.

2. Hill Palace Archaeological Museum

Museums in Kerala are known for being massive architecturally, and Hill Palace Archaeological Museum reinforces this fact rather strongly. The largest archaeological museum in all of Kerala, it’s noted for housing the royal collections of the erstwhile Maharaja of Kochi. Built-in 1865, the palace complex is home to almost 49 buildings sprawling over 52 acres of beautifully landscaped terraced land.

Here, one can find oil paintings, stone sculptures, rare manuscripts, murals, coins, inscriptions and other items belonging to the Kochi royal family, including royal furniture like the “Simhasana” (throne). The other exhibits here are 200 antique pieces of pottery and ceramic vases from China and Japan, Kudakkallu (tombstone), granite, laterite memorials, rock-cut weapons from the Stone Age etc. A gallery of contemporary art can also be found in the museum.

3. Kerala Folklore and Culture Museum

Kerala Folklore and Culture Museum, located at Thevara, Ernakulam, is a three-storied edifice which displays and preserves the precious folklore wealth of the state. Inaugurated in the year 2009 as a non-profit organization, this museum is a treasure trove of artifacts like musical instruments, traditional jewelry, Stone Age utensils and others.

Even the entrance to the museum is a historical marvel. This wonderful structure is constructed from the remnants of a 16th-century temple in Tamil Nadu and wooden carvings from across Kerala. Further, the entrance door is adorned with an attractive manichitratazhu (a traditional ornate door lock of Kerala). One can watch incredible artistic performances at the theater here every day at 06.30 PM.

4. Archaeological Museum, Thrissur

Archaeological Museum in Thrissur is housed in the Shakthan Thampuran Palace, a prominent landmark in the annals of the Perumpadappu Swaroopam, the former rulers of Kochi. Here, visitors can find an amazing gallery of murals from all over Kerala.

The gallery contains rare treasures like temple models, megaliths and olagrandhangal (manuscripts on dry palm leaves). The megalith collection includes items like urns, earthen pots etc. The temple models, which are cast in plaster of Paris, are spectacular representations of the ancient temples of the state. Along with these, one also find “veerakallu” (herostones) here. These are sculptures of figures and stone engravings, along with weapons, which belong mostly to the heroes of the past ages.

5. Kuthiramalika Palace Museum at East Fort

Another of the popular museums in Kerala is Kuthiramalika Palace Museum at East Fort. This magnificent two-storied house lies in proximity to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It’s also known as a horse palace and houses numerous artifacts. Its palace courtyard becomes the venue of merrymaking and celebrations during the yearly musical festival called the Swathi Sangeethotsavam.

The Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma – the King of Travancore, is credited with having built this palace. One of its defining features is the exquisite wood carvings created in the traditional Travancore style of architecture. The museum here displays rare paintings and precious collections belonging to the royal family.

6. Pazhassi Raja Archaeological Museum

Lovers of art and historians should visit the Pazhassi Raja Archaeological Museum, one of the most famous museums in Kerala. Located in Kozhikode, it’s a treasure trove of expensive paintings, ancient coins, and other such related items.

The Pazhassi Raja Museum & Art Gallery, which lies adjacent to the museum, displays fabulous paintings of eminent artists like Raja Ravi Varma whose incredible works brought fame and prestige to his uncle Raja Raja Varma and the State. This museum is managed by the State Archaeology Department and displays an exquisite collection of ancient coins, antique bronze, umbrella stones and megalithic monuments.

7. Bay Island Driftwood Museum

One of the Kerala museums worth visiting is Bay Island Driftwood Museum. It contains a large collection of excellent quality driftwood articles possessing a high artistic value, prepared through a rare art form. A visitor to this museum would be completely fascinated and enchanted by root sculptures of various shapes and designs.

It’s believed that the root sculptures found here owe their existence to a dynamic school teacher who used to collect pieces of driftwood deposited by the sea in sea-shores. The gathered pieces were then shaped, scraped and polished with admirable dedication. This museum is frequently visited by lovers of this kind of art form and also by students in large numbers.

8. Kerala Science and Technology Museum

Undoubtedly, Kerala Science and Technology Museum is one of the most popular museums in Kerala. This museum, which is an autonomous organization, was created to inculcate a sense of inquiry and scientific temperament in young minds. It’s extremely popular among school, college and university students.

The museum has galleries on electronics, electricity, power and motion mechanics with more than 300 exhibits, besides galleries on mathematics, automobile, computer and solar energy and others. The museum also organizes science and technology awareness classes regularly for students. Apart from this, quiz competitions in science and technology for schools and students are held regularly.

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