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Hill palace
Hill palace, built in 1865 was the official residence of the erstwhile Kochi royal family. It is 10kms from the main city and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced l and with a deer park and horse riding facilities. The palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style and has a full-fledged ethno archaeological museum. Displayed inside are thirteen galleries of oil paintings, murals, sculpture in stone and plaster of Paris, manuscripts, inscriptions and coins belongings to royal family.
Mattancherry Palace
Also known as Dutch Palace, it is open from 10.00 hrs to 17.00 hrs and closed on Fridays. It was built by the Portuguese in 1555 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi and in 1663; Dutch renovated the palace. There are beautiful 17th century murals depicting scenes from the Indian epics Ramayana,
Mahabharata, and some of the Puranic Hindu legends. There are also Dutch maps of old Kochi, royal palanquins and coronation robes of the former Maharaja's of Kochi.
Chinese fishing nets
They are called 'Chena Vala' in Malayalam and are used by the local fisherman in For Cochin to catch fish, attracted by the lights suspended over the net. These fishing nets dot the entrance of Cochin
harbour, which was brought to Kerala by traders from the court of Kublai Khan.
Cherai Beach
This cool and calm beach bordering Vypeen Island is ideal for swimming, and dolphins, which are occasionally seen here, attract tourists. Paddy fields and coconut groves nearby, makes this place more beautiful. Athachamayam
It is a procession that marks the beginning of the Onam festival. It is conducted at Thripunithara and
Piravam. This procession displays a rare treasure house of folk and temple performed by skill artists, decorated elephants and variety of floats.
Chennamangalam
It is located 5kms.north-west of Ernakulam and has a rare geographical combination of rivers on all 3 sides, seven inlets, a hillock and green plains.
Kovilakem, the hillock presents an unusual sight of Hindu Temple, a church and a Jewish synagogue, all closely located next to each other. Another attraction of the place Malanappara made of boulder lying one over the other, resembling an elephant from a
distance.
Cochin carnival
This wonderful and enjoyable feast, originated by the Portuguese, during the colonial days, is celebrated till date, during the last week of Dec. it gathers together youth from all over the place, who take part in the various games and competitions, and really enjoy their hearts out. The highlight of the carnival is the massive procession on New Year's Day, which includes spectacular floats, music bands, and people in fancy dress and masks, who wait all year long, for this day.
Fort Kochi
Once upon a time, it was a simple fishing village, which later became the first European township in Indian. Fort Kochi has an eventful and colourful
history to tell about its reputation as a seafaring commercial town. An Italian traveler once remarked, 'if china is where one can make money, then surely Kochi is the place to spend it.' The Portuguese, Dutch, and British shaped the beautiful town; therefore we can see the remains of the Indo-European architecture even today in Fort Kochi
Indira Gandhi Boat Race
For tourist entertainment, Kerala Government organizes some special programs and one of them is the Indira Gandhi boat race, which is conducted during the last week of Dec. Several snake boats race each other to win the trophy and it is a great sight for the thousands of spectator who come to watch it.
Mulamkuzhi (Wild life)
This is a tiny village nearly 15kms from Malayattur.
The crystal clear medicated water of the River Mulamkuzhi and the waterfalls of Venanbravady near Malayattur is an enchanting sight. There is also a confluence of the rivers Periyar and
Perumthode.
Kodungalloor
Formerly known as Muziris, 32 kms away from the city, this was the premiere seaport of India's west coast in olden times. It is believed that St. Thomas had landed here in 52AD. There are many sight seeing places here like
Cheramanparambu, the place of the king of Kerala, the ancient Thiruvanchikulam temple, the Bhagavathi Temple, the Portuguese forty and an old mosque very similar in appearance to a Hindu temple. All these historic buildings attract foreigners who come here from different parts of the world.
Museum of Kerala History and its Makers (Museum)
8 kms from Ernakulam, is a beautiful museum, which depicts historical episodes from the neothilic to the modern era through life size figures. At the entrance of the museum is a statute of
Parasurama, mythological sage, who welcomes the visitors to the museum. There are also sound and light shows with commentaries in English and Malayalam.
Parikshith Thampuram Museum
This is an archaeological museum adjacent to the Shiva Temple on Durbar Hall Road, Ernakulam. It has a wonderful collection of the 19th century oil paintings, prehistoric monuments, and old coins in a numismatic gallery, sculptures in stone and plaster of Paris, copies of mural paintings etc and the collection from Cochin Royal family.
Pazhassiraja Museum and Art Gallery
This museum houses a collection of coins, bronze, copies of murals and stone megalithic remains of Kerala.
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