If you have an interest for archaeology, then visit the biggest archaeological museum located in Kerala. Constructed in 1865, Hill Palace Museum Kerala served as a permanent shelter to the royal family of Kochi. It is situated in close proximity with the Kochi city on the route Kochi-Chottanikkara. I bought the ticket and submitted my camera at the entry itself as it was strictly prohibited inside the premises of the museum building.
The palace falls under the supervision of Department of Archaeology since 1980 and opened for public visit in 1986. It is an elegant piece of architecture with the building consisting around 50 units while being spread over a land having an area of 52 acre. It is renowned due to its terraced landscape beautified with lawns, ponds and fountains. The palace is house to a well maintained ethno museum and is Kerala's first ever museum of its kind. I was amused by the temple right beside the museum and a beautiful pond. The architecture of the palace had a beautiful amalgam of western and traditional essence. The main office of the building is a three-story modern style structure which really stands out of the lot. I went through all 14 categories of exhibitions the museum had to offer. These included paintings, murals, sculpture made out in plaster of Paris, carvings, manuscripts and a lot more that made me wonder how beautiful ancient art is.
One of the major attractions was the rich collection of exquisite coins from the old times, ornaments belonging to the royal house and epigraphy samples displayed in the museum. I have always been an antique lover and this love was reverted by 200 antique artifacts displayed at the museum. It was so unfortunate they refused me to take pictures due to the protocols. My favorite part of the visit was the weapon and armory gallery. I saw old war time weapons from different places and different periods added to the collection. The Hill Palace Museum is a must-visit place regardless of your age as it offers amusing stuff for everyone. Next destination on my list was the Indo Portuguese Museum Kochi.