Ernakulam

Hill Palace Museum

Kerala’s biggest archaeological museum, called Hill Palace Museum, came into existence in 1865. Spread over an area of about 54 acres, the museum houses 49 buildings with 14 categories of rare and fascinating exhibits. The most notable is the gallery of royal ornaments and crowns boasting of valuable stones. This particular gallery is accessible only from Friday to Sunday. Other exhibits in the museum include coins, paintings, sculptures, weapons, cutlery, epigraphy samples, inscriptions, manuscripts, chariots, royal furniture and carvings and memorabilia of Kochi’s royal families. More than 200 antiques in the category of ceramics and pottery contribute towards a fabulous assemblage which is just not worth missing. The buildings of the museum are beautifully adorned with wooden carvings. Hill Palace Museum also boasts of a small botanical garden with many exotic species of medicinal plants. A deer park and a pre-historic park are the added attractions. The young visitors can also have great time at the children’s park. Horse riding is a fun-filled activity for the visitors. Cameras and gadgets are not allowed inside the museum, but photography is permitted at various parks in the campus.