Mattancherry Palace stands on the Palace Road of Mattancherry. Portuguese built the palace in the year 1557, as a gift to Veera Kerala Varma, the then king of Kochi. Later on, the palace was named as the Dutch palace after the Dutch defeated the Portuguese. The Mattancherry Palace in Kochi is a perfect blend of European and Indian architecture. The rooms are decorated with murals featuring scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The round headed windows and the scraped masonry symbolize the European style of architecture. The palace is open from 10 am to 5pm on all weekdays except Fridays and other national holidays.
Mattancherry Palace, as the name suggests is located at Mattancherry in Kochi. The palace has a number of artifacts relating to the historical rulers of Kochi. The temple art is also remarkable. Portuguese built the palace in the year 1557, as a gift to Veera Kerala Varma, the then king of Kochi. It is believed that the palace was compensation to king Veera for the destruction done by the Portuguese. However, in 1663 the Dutch defeated the Portuguese and the palace was thus renamed as the Dutch Palace. Today, it is one of the Kochi attractions.
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Description
Two arches, Portuguese in style, lead the gateway to the Mattancherry Palace. Climbing up the steps introduces the visitors to the public rooms and also to the upper level of the palace. The rooms are decorated with murals featuring scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The palace is a quadrangular two storeyed building featuring traditional Kerala architecture, popularly known as 'nalukettas'. The Mattancherry Palace is a perfect blend of European and Indian architecture. For instance the round headed windows and the scraped masonry symbolize the European style of architecture while the wooden balconies and the tiled sloping roof resemble Indian architecture. There is a small temple within the palace, which was dedicated to Palayannur Bhagwati. The roof of the Assembly Hall is the most attractive feature of the Mattancherry Palace.
Location
The Mattancherry Palace stands on the Palace Road of Mattancherry. Mattancherry is located at a distance if 10 kilometers from Ernakulam, Kerala.
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