Krishnapuram Palace,Kayamkulam
:
Location :
Kayamkulam, 47 km from
Alappuzha. Visiting hours : 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on all days except
Mondays . The Krishnapuram Palace is a rare specimen of the Kerala
style of architecture - complete with gabled roofs, narrow
corridors and dormer windows. Residence of the rulers of
Kayamkulam kingdom, the age of the palace is unknown.
Synagogue:
Location:
The
Synagogue at Fort Kochi, about 10 km from Ernakulam town, central
Kerala. Opening hours: 10:00 - 17:00 hours; closed on Fridays The
Synagogue at Fort Kochi,constructed in 1568, is the oldest in the
Commonwealth. Destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid
in 1662, it was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch.
Fort
Kochi :
Location: About 13 km from
Ernakulam town.
The eventful history of this city began when a
major flood in AD 1341 threw open the estuary at Kochi, till then
a land locked region, turning it into one of the finest natural
harbours in the world. Kochi thus became a haven for seafaring
visitors from all over the world and became the first European
township in India when the Portuguese settled here in the 15th
century.
Vasco da
Gama Square :
Kochi, the commercial capital of
Kerala, the last port of Vasco Da Gama, where you will find
synagogues, mosques, churches and temples side by side, is a place
with a fascinating history. The huge cantilevered fishing net, the
Chinese fishing nets, seen here is a legacy of its spellbinding
past.
Mattancherry Palace :
Location
:
Mattancherry, 10 km from Ernakulam. Visiting hours :
10:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Fridays. Built by the
Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of
Kochi, the Palace was renovated in 1663 by the Dutch. The palace
with a Bhagavathi temple in the central courtyard is built like
the typical Kerala style mansion - the Nalukettu - the home of the
aristocracy, nobility and upper classes, with four separate wings
opening out to a central courtyard.
Bolghatty Island :
This lush,
lovely island is famous for its palace of the same name. The
Bolghatty Palace, built in 1744 by the Dutch and later taken over
by the British, is today a popular hotel run by the Kerala Tourism
Development Corporation.
The Hill
Palace Museum, Thripunithura :
Location
:
10 km from Ernakulam town, central Kerala. Visiting hours
: 9.00 to 12.30 hrs. and 14.00 to 16.30 hrs. The Hill Palace, the
official residence of the Kochi royal family, is today the largest
archaeological museum in Kerala. Built in 1865, the palace complex
consists of 49 buildings in the trational architectural style of
Kerala, sprawled over 52 acres of beautifully landscaped terraced
land which houses a deer park and facilities for horse riding.
Numerous species of flora including rare medicinal plants grow
here. On display in the full-fledged Ethno-archaeological museum
are oil-paintings, murals, sculptures in stone and manuscripts,
inscriptions, coins, belongings of the Kochi royal family and
royal furniture including the simhasana (throne).
