Hill Palace is an
archaeological museum and
palace located in the
Tripunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...
neighbourhood of
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
city in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. It is the largest
archeological museum in the state and was the imperial administrative office and official residence of the
Cochin Maharaja. Built in 1865, the palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style, spreading across . The complex has an archaeological museum, a
heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today
** Cultural heritage is created by humans
** Natural heritage is not
* Heritage language
Biology
* Heredity, biological inheritance of physica ...
museum, a
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
park, a pre-historic park and a children's park. The campus of the museum is home to several rare species of medicinal plants.
Presently the palace has been converted into a museum by The Kerala State Archaeology Department and is open to public. The palace is about from the city centre and is reachable by road and rail.
The Centre for Heritage Studies (CHS), an autonomous research and training institute set up by the
Department of Cultural Affairs,
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...
also functions at the site. CHS is designated as the 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) and Manuscript Resource Centre (MRC) by the
National Mission for Manuscripts
The National Mission for Manuscripts (NAMAMI) is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, established to survey, locate and conserve Indian manuscripts, with an aim to create national resource base for manuscri ...
.
History
![Hill Palace by GV-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Hill_Palace_by_GV-1.JPG)
Hill Palace was built in 1865 by the Maharaja of Cochin and is now the largest archaeological museum in Kerala.
The official capital of the Kingdom of Kochi was previously located in
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
, and the royal office of the maharaja as well as the court was all located in the city. However, as per ritualistic customs, the seat of the queen of Kochi (Penvazhithampuran), was seen as the royal capital, as the Kochi royal family had matrilineal traditions and the queen was regarded as sovereign of the state under whose authority the king ruled. Since 1755, the queen and her retinue lived in Tripunithura, thereby making the city as the official capital. Further, the prince
Rama Varma was raised in Tripunithura, thus he preferred to live in that city even after his coronation as king, rather than moving to Thrissur. Thus, for his benefit, a royal office was constructed in 1865. Initially it started off as a royal office, court building and offices of royal secretaries and nobles of the court, and soon an increasing number of structures were added to the main structure for various purposes. Soon, an imperial residence building was also constructed for the residence of the king and his immediate family, although other members of the Cochin royal family had their own allocated bungalows and official residences.
The palace was handed over to the government of Kerala by the
Cochin royal family
The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...
, and in 1980 the palace was taken over by the
Department of Archaeology and later converted into a museum. It was opened to the public in 1986. The museum and its campus is are popular shooting locations for the Malayalam film industry. The horse cart gallery and weapons gallery houses numerous historical artifacts.
The museum gardens are also some of the last green refuge of the town. A checklist of fauna found within the gardens, prepared by Sandeep Varma and Gokul Vinayan, has been published under the title 'The Fauna of Hill Palac
Museum
The
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
displays 14 categories of exhibits, including Crown and ornaments of erst during the Cochin royal family's reign,
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
s,
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
s in stone and marble, weapons,
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the w ...
s, and coins. The major share of attractions in the museum are contributed by the
Cochin royal family
The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...
with some exhibits from the
Paliam
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the oldest male member of the Paliam royal family, a Nair/ Menon chieftain family from the Indian state of Kerala who were elevated to the status of royalty by the Rajah of Kingdom of Cochin ( ...
Devaswom and the department of
Archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
. The museum collection includes a gold crown embedded with precious stones and many valuable coins, ornaments, majestic beds, and samples of
epigraphy. The famous Malayalam movie
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...
was shot here.
The palace is open to public everyday from 10 AM to 12.30 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM except Mondays and
national or state holidays.
In the media
The Hill Palace has been the location for many
films in Malayalam. is the most famous movie shot at this location, but many film makers have utilized this place for shooting purpose. Some of the popular films
shot in the palace include ''
Moonnam Mura
''Moonnam Mura'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy. Starring Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Lalu Alex, Revathi, and Mukesh. The plot deals with a terrorist group kidnapping a grou ...
'' (1988), ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...
'' (1993), ''
Pingami
''Pingami'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Reghunath Paleri based on his own short story ''Kumarettan Parayaatha Kadha''. It was produced by Mohanlal through the company ...
'' (1994), ''
Kaliyoonjal'' (1997), ''
Dreams
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
'' (2000), ''
Chotta Mumbai'' (2007) etc.
Gallery
Image:Thripunithura Hill Palace 2.jpg
Image:Hill Palace Cochin (23656703924).jpg
Image:Hill Palace by GV-4.JPG
Image:Hill Palace by GV-6.JPG
Image:Fiberglass model of dinosaur, Hill Palace, Tripunithura (July 2011).jpg
Image:Thripunithura Hill Palace.jpg
Image:Hill Palace Ernakulam Deer Sanctuary.jpg
Image:Hill Palace Museum Tripunithura DSC 1234.JPG
Image:Hill Palace Museum Tripunithura DSC 1232.JPG
Image:Hill Palace Museum Tripunithura DSC 1243 03.jpg
Image:Hill Palace Museum Tripunithura DSC 1432.jpg
Image:Hill Palace Museum Tripunithura DSC 1497.jpg
See also
*
*
Karingachira Church
*
Cochin royal family
The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...
*
Mattancherry Palace
The Mattancherry Palace is a palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala which features Kerala murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi. The palace was included in th ...
References
External links
Govt of Kerala , India linkHill Palace Museum Kerala Tourism
{{authority control
Palaces in Kochi
Archaeological museums in India
Museums in Kochi
Buildings and structures completed in 1865
1865 establishments in India
Monuments of National Importance in Kerala
Tourist attractions in Kochi