The two-storey white building in the heart of Mattancherry, 10 km away from the city of Ernakulam was a gift of the Portuguese to Veera Kerala Varma, Raja of Cochin dynasty back in 1555 AD. Yet in 1663, the Dutch came to make further extensions and renovations, so since then the palace also came to be known as the “Dutch Palace”. The peculiarity of the palace is that, even though it is built by the Europeans, the building is purely a Kerala architectural marvel.
The palace is separated into four wings conjoined with a central courtyard, built-in traditional nalukettu style. The central courtyard also has a temple dedicated to Pazhayannur Bhagavathi and there are two other temples on either side of the palace dedicated to Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. The halls of the palace are extremely spacious and artistic with ceilings filled with floral designs in woodcraft.
About 300 square feet of the palace walls have an exquisite collection of mural paintings in the tempera technique. The murals narrate scenes from the Indian
epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are also depictions of sections from Kumarasambhavam and other works of the great Indian Sanskrit poet, Kalidasa. Apart from the mural paintings, the palace has a special portrait gallery that displays the portraits of Rajas of Cochin since 1864. Several weaponry, swings, coins and furniture are on display that proudly announces the lifestyle of ancient Royal families.
The flooring of the palace is done in typical Kerala style with a combination of burned coconut shells, charcoals, lime, egg whites and plant juices. Visit Mattancherry Palace to experience the history and heritage of Royal families in Kochi.
Contact Details
Mattancherry Palace
Mattancherry, Kochi,
Kerala 682002
