Hill Palace of Tripunithura - 1st heritage museum in Kerala

The official capital of the kingdom of Cochin was located previously in Thrissur and the royal office of Maharaja as well as the court were all located in the city. However, it was due to the ritualistic customs, the seat of Queen of Cochin had matrilineal traditions and the queen was regarded as sovereign of the state under whose authority the king ruled. From 1755, the queen and her retinue lived in Tripunithura, thereby making the city as the official capital. One such king Rama Varma was raised in Tripunithura, thereby preferring to live in the city even after coronation as king, rather moving to Thrissur. Thus for his benefit, a royal palace was built.

Since then, Hill Palace was the abode of erstwhile Maharajas of Cochin and was converted to a museum in 1986. The Hill Palace Museum was built in 1865 and it comprises 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style of Kerala. There are around 200 antiques of ceramic vases and pottery from China and Japan, Kudakkallu (tombstone), menhirs, granite, laterite memorials, wooden temple models, plaster cast models of objects from Mohenjo Daro and Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilization. The museum also showcases oil paintings, sculptures, murals, coins, inscriptions, property of the Cochin royal family, and furniture of the royal period. It also has a deer park, a prehistoric park and a children’s park.