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MONUMENTS
OF KERALA
Kerala has a rich repertoire of historic and cultural
monuments. In regions like Fort Kochi which was
a trade centre for centuries, the architecture is
a curious mix of typical Kerala ,European, Chinese,
Jewish and Arabic styles. But the most prevalent
architectural style is the traditional Kerala style-nalukkettu
or ettukettu (four or eight sided structures with
a centre courtyard and verandah opening out to it).
The low sloping roofs and brick walls were designed
to match the climatic conditions and texture of
the land.
Thiruvananthapuram district
Padmanabha Swamy Temple: Dedicated to Lord Vishnu
, the temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian
style of architecture. It is known for its mural
painting s and stone carvings.
Kuthiramalika(Puthenmalika)Palace museum: The place
was designed and builtby Maharajah Swathi Thirunal
balarama Varma , the poet king, musician, social
reformer and statesman. This rare specimen of workmanship
in the traditional Travancore style has exquisite
wood carvings and displays priceless paintings and
other articles.
The Napier Museum: (Open 1000-1700hrs. Closed on
Mondays & Wednesdays forenoons) The Indo -Saracenic
structure dating back to the 19th century , boasts
a "natural" air conditioning ystem , hiuses a rare
collection of archaeological and historic artifacts,
bronze idols, ancient ornaments,a temple chariot
and ivory carvings. The use of plastic is banned
in the museum premises. Ph: 316275
Sree Chithra Art Gallery:( Open 1000-1700hrs.Closed
on Mondays ans Wednesdays forenoons) Located near
the Napier Museum, this art gallery displays select
paintings of Raja Ravi Varma ,Svetlova and Nichoas
Roerich and exquisite works from the Rajput , Mugal
and Tanjore schools of art in India. The collection
also includes paintings from china, Jaan, Tibet
and Bali.
Padmanabhapuram Palace(63 km-2 1/2hours Closed on
Mondays): The seat of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore
, this splendid palace is situated at Thuckalai,
on the way to Kanyakumari. This is a well preserved
wooden palace , a glorious testimony to the traditional
Kerala school of architecture. The Extraordinary
murals, wxquisite floral carvings and the black
glossy granite floor have withstood the test of
time.
Alappuzha district
Krishnapuram Palace: The palace museum is known
for its collection of antique sculptures ,paintings
and bronzes. The 18th century mural Gjendramoksham
is the largest mural in Kerala.
Ernakulam district:
St:Francis Church : Built in 1503 by Portuguese
Fransciscan friars,this is India's oldest European
church ,Vascoda Gama's mortal remains were buried
here in 1524 before they were removed to Lisbin.
Santa Cruz Basillica : Dating back to 1558,this
church has beautiful murals on the ceiling.
Mattanchery(Dutch) Palace: Built in 1557, the palace
has on display murals depicting scenes from the
Indian epics ans legends , Dutch maps,period furniture
and royal collections.
Jewish Synagogue : The oldest Synagogue in the common
wealth , this was constructed in 1568. Hand painted
willow patterned floor tiles, Hebrew inscriptions
on stone slabs, scroll from the Old Testament ,ancient
scripts on copper plates, etc, are the attractions
here.
Bolgatty palace: Built by the Dutch in 1744, this
palace is today a hotel run by Kerala Tourism Development
Corporation.
Hill Palace Museum, Thrippunithura: The palace complex
built in 1865 houses an ethno archaeological museum
and Kerala's first ever heritage museum.
Chinese Fishing Nets/Vasco da Gama Square
These huge cantilevered fishing nets are the legacy
of one of the first visitors to the Malabar Coast.
Erected here between 1350 and 1450 AD by traders
from the court of Kublai Khan,these nets are built
of teak wood and bamboo poles. The best place to
watch the nets being lowered into the sea and catch
being brought in is the Vasco da Gama Square, a
narrow promenade that runs along the beach. The
square is an ideal place to idle, with stalls serving
fresh delicious seafood, tender coconut etc.
Palakkad District
Palakkad Fort : This fort was built by Hyder Ali
of Mysore in 1766.
Kozhikode district
Thali Temple: Dating back to the 14th century ,
the temple is a fine example of the total integration
that can exist between wood and laterite.
Wayanad district
Ambalavayal Heritage Museum: One of the best heritage
museum in Kerala , this one houses srtifacts that
belong to the various tribes of the land.
Kannur District
St: Angelo Fort: Built by the first Portuguese Viceroy,
Don Fransiscan De Almeda in 1505 , this fort became
one of the important military centres of the Dutch
and later the British in Malabar.
The Thalasseri Fort: This fort was constructed in
1708 as the military centre of the British
Thodeekulam Siva Temple: Believed to have been built
about 2000 years ago, this temple is famous for
it mural paintings.
Kasaragod
district
Beckal
Fort:The 300 year old fort is one of the largest
and bst preserved forts in Kerala.
This imposing circular laterite structure
rises 130 ft above sea level and stands on a 35
acre headland that runs into the Arabian sea.
Ananthapura
Lake Temple:
This
9th century monument is the only lake
temple in Kerala.
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