Kerala Historic Sites

Ambalavayal Museum

Ambalavayal is a village located within 15 km range of Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad District. This place is famous for archery. An archeological museum named Ambalavayal Heritage Museum is located here. This museum showcases the hunting and fishing weapons of the ancient period. The historic Edakkal Cave is the nearby attraction. Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the major institution at Ambalavayal.

Anchunthengu Fort

Located about 36 Kms north of Thiruvananthapuram, near the famed beach of Varkala, and lying on the seacoast is Anjengo or Anjuthengu, meaning five coconut trees. A place of historic importance as well as beautiful natural setting, Anjengo is an ideal destination for those who don’t mind walking around and explore what is in store.

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Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum was until recently accommodated in the Thrissur Town Hall building. Now it has been shifted to the Kollengode Palace, an architectural delight.

Bay Island Driftwood Museum

Imagine a space for some excellent artistic objects crafted by nature and enhanced by human skill. Bay Island Driftwood Museum, Kerala will give you a rare chance to view such exhibits made of driftwood.
Located at the picturesque village of Kumarakom in Kottayam district, the museum demonstrates a wide range of driftwood artifacts collected by Mrs. Raji Punnoose.

Bekal Fort

About a kilometre from Bekal Fort, about 16 km south of Kasaragod on the national highway, Kasaragod district, north Kerala.
Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala is renowned as the land of gods, forts, rivers, hills and beautiful beaches. The imposing circular fort at Bekal is one of the largest and best preserved forts in Kerala. The beautiful expanse of the shallow beach near the Bekal fort known as Bekal Fort Beach has been developed as an exotic beach location by the Bekal ResortsDevelopment Corporation (BRDC).

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Bishops House

Built by the Portuguese in A.D.1506 as residence of the Portuguese governor, Bishop house is the oldest Catholic Dioceses in India located near the Parade ground, Fort Kochi. A prominent heritage of Fort Kochi, it is characterised by large arches in Gothic Style and has circular garden path winding up to the main entrance.

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Bolghatty Palace

Built by the Dutch in 1744, the Bolghatty palace in Ernakulam is on an island, off Cochin in the Arabian Sea. The building was once a Governor’s palace for the Dutch and later the home of the British Residents. Today, this is one of the prestigious hotels of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

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Chacha Nehru Children’s Museum

(Open 1030 – 1700 hrs. Closed on Mondays):
This museum, established in 1980, is named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who is remembered for his great love for children. In fact, his birthday 14 November is celebrated as Children’s Day. The museum displays a vast range of objects.

Dutch Palace

Dutch Palace, with its medieval charm is situated at Palace Road, Mattancherry,10km from Ernakulam city, Kochi, Kerala. Built by the Portuguese and presented to the Raja of Kochi Veera Kerala Varma (1537-65) in 1555 AD, it took on its present popular name ‘Dutch Palace’ after 1663, when the Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace. The rajas also made more improvements to it.

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Government Museum

Founded in 1857 the museum is located within a spacious park and zoological garden. The art set covers aspects of Kerala’s rich legacy, especially stone, wood and bronze sculpture. Over the centuries Kerala developed a unique style of craftsmanship in the visual and performing arts.

Gundert Bunglow

0 km from Kannur, near Thalasseri town,on the National Highway at Illikunnu Gundert’s Bungalow at Nettur is on the outskirts of Thalaserry. It is a historically significant place for all lovers of Malayalam Language.Dr. Herman Gundert, the revered German missionary, scholar and lexicographer lived in this bungalow for 20 years from 1839.

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Hill Palace

This museum displays the erstwhile wealth and prosperity of the royal family of Cochin, including the king’s throne and crown. Also on display are other trapping of royalty like majestic beds, paintings, carving and samples of epigraphy. Tripunithura is also known for the nearby Chottanikkara Temple and the Tripunithura Temple

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Indo-Portuguese Museum

The Indo-Portuguese Museum situated in Fort Kochi throws light on the strong Portuguese influence in both the art and the architecture of the region.
The museum is divided into five main sections, according to the nature of items displayed in each section. They are viz. Altar, Treasure, Procession, Civil Life and Cathedral.

Jewish Synagogue

This imposing structure was built in 1568 when the Jews settled in Mattancherry, after their expulsion from the Rahabi. They built a clock tower and paved the floor of the synagogue with 18th century hand painted willow pattern tiles brought from China.

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Koder House

Koder House is a meeting place of the past and the present. Nestling in the historic part of Fort Cochin, this is a charming three-storey boutique hotel with a distinctive red façade. The ancestral home of the Koders, a prominent Cochin Jewish family, the centuries’ old property is a tribute to the rich mixed culture of the area – a mélange of Portuguese, Dutch, Kerala and even Chinese influences.

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Koyikkal Palace

The Koyikkal Palace is located at Nedumangad, about 18 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Main attractions at the Palace are the folklore museum and numismatics museum. The Koyikkal Palace was actually built for Umayamma Rani of the Venad royal family.

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Krishnan Menon Museum

The Krishna Menon Museum houses a good set of Paintings by Raja Raja Varma and Raja Ravi Varma. A part is devoted to the Memorabilia of the late V.K. Krishna Menon, former Indian Defence Minister and national leader.

Krishnapuram Palace

The Krishnapuram Palace is a rare specimen of the Kerala style of architecture – complete with gabled roofs, narrow corridors and dormer windows. Residence of the rulers of Kayamkulam kingdom, the age of the palace is unknown.

Kuthiramalika Museum

The name of this palace turned museum originated from its unique structure of roof beams carved in such a way as to resemble the faces of horses. In local language Kuthiramalika means Horse Bungalow. This distinct architectural design of Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, Kerala marks the refined taste of its founder, Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma- the king of Travancore.

Mannadi

Mannadi is located 13 kms from Adoor and 45 kms from Kollam. Veluthampi Dalawa, a diwan of the erstwhile state of Travancore, met his tragic death here. It is the place where this great freedom fighter is said the have spent his last days. After leading a brief rebellion against the British, he is said to have ended his life rather than face humiliation at the hands of his opponents.

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Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum, located at INS Dronacharya in Kochi throws light on the genesis, history, evolution and landmarks of the Indian Navy.
Step into the Maritime Museum to have a feel of the great maritime heritage of Indian Navy, which dates back to Indus Valley civilizations; Kerala’s trade links with Arabs, its famous maritime hero Kunjali Marakkar; Influence of India’s maritime power in South East Asia; Colonization of Indian sub-continent by European powers.

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Napier Museum and Art Gallery

Trivandrum Napier museum is located in the heart of the city. The museum is equipped with natural air conditioning and provides a glance of the rich historical legacy of Kerala. Napier museum and art gallery of Kerala are located in the same compound and the museum has a good collection of ancient archaeological artifacts. This museum was built in the 19th century.

Neyyar Reservoir

A repository of some of the rarest medicinal herbs, the Neyyar Dam is a popular picnic spot with a lake and a picturesque dam site. The lake formed by the dam across the Neyyar river is the bluest of blue, making boating irresistible for tourists.

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Padmanabhapuram Palace

This majestic old palace is 63kms from Thiruvananthapuram. It is situated at Thucklai, on the way to Kanyakumari. This palace was once the capital of the State of Travancore. The palace is built in the Travancore architectural style.

Palakkad Fort

Also known as Tipu’s Fort or Palakkad Fort, this well-preserved fort of 18th century is situated in the heart of Palghat (Palakkad) town. Built by Haider Ali of Mysore, supposedly to hasten communication between Coimbatore and the West Coast (both the sides of Western Ghats), it is today a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.

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Pallippuram Fort

One of the oldest European monuments that exist in India, the Portuguese built Pallippuram Fort in 1503. It is famous for the renowned Catholic Church at Pallippuram, which is an important pilgrim centre.

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Pazhassiraja Museum

The Pazhassi Raja Museum located in the midst of Kozhikode town has a huge collection of mural paintings, old coins and miniature form of temples. In the art gallery close to the Pazhassi Raja Museum, most of the paintings are those of Raja Ravivarma.

Priyadarshini Planetarium

The Priyadarshini Planetarium is situated within the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum premises in Thiruvananthapuram. It is one of the most sophisticated and versatile planetariums in India. The marvellous planetarium complex has a centrally air-conditioned sky theatre, conference hall, workshops and a sound-studio.

Sree Chithra Art Gallery

Displaying selected paintings of famous artistes, the Sree Chithra Art Gallery, Kerala is a very favorite art gallery for connoisseur of art.The Sree Chithra Art Gallery, Kerala was established in 1935 and is located very close to the Napier Museum in Thiruvananthapuram.

Tea Museum at Munnar

Munnar is perhaps the choicest of places to preserve and showcase some of the exquisite and interesting aspects on the genesis and growth of tea plantations in Kerala’s high ranges.

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Nilambur Teak Plantation

Nilambur is renowned for the oldest teak plantation in the world, the Conolly’s Plot, just 2 km from town. The place is also noted for its tribal settlements, the world’s first Teak Museum, vast rain forests, waterfalls and ancient kovilakoms – residences of maharajas.

Thakur House

An imposing building in Kochi, Thakur House was constructed on the site of the sea facing Gelderland Bastion. Gelderland is one of the seven bastions of the old Dutch fort. This elegant building, formerly known as Kunal or Hill Bungalow, holds within itself a reflection of the colonial era. It was home to the managers of the National Bank of India (NBI) during the British time.

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Thalasseri Fort

The East India Company constructed Thalasseri fort in Kannur in the year 1708. This magnificent fort is located at a distance of around 22 kilometers from Kannur. It was the military center of the British troops. The Thalassery fort stands upright on a rocky cliff on the Thalasseri beach. It is a monument of much historical significance now. The fort has many attractive features that have survived the tempests of time and have survived to this day.

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Vasco House

Built in the sixteenth century, Vasco House is believed to have been the residence of Vasco Da Gama, the first European to reach the Kerala shores. It is one of the oldest Portuguese residences in Fort Cochin. The straight lines of the balcony-cum-verandah with a series of typical European glass-paned windows are characteristics of the European era in Cochin

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St. Angelo’s fort

Also known as the Kannur fort, the St. Angelo’s fort of Kerala is a massive fort built by the first Portuguese Viceroy, Don Francisco De Almeida. It was constructed in the year 1505.