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Mattancherry Palace stands on the left side of the road a short walk from the Mattancherry Jetty in the opposite direction to Jew Town. The gateway on the road is, in fact, its back entrance and it remains inexplicably locked. In the walled grounds behind the gate stands a circular, tiled Krishna temple (closed to non-Hindus). Mattancherry Palace: daily except Fri 10am-5pm. Although known locally as the Dutch Palace,the two-storey palace was built by the Portuguese as a gift to the Cochin raja, Vira Keralavarma (1537-61), and the Dutch were responsible for subsequent additions. While its appearance is not particularly striking, squat with whitewashed walls and tiled roof, the interior is captivating. The murals that adorn some of its rooms are among the finest examples of Kerala's much underrated school of painting; friezes illustrating stories from the Ramayana,on the first floor, date from the sixteenth century. Packed with detail and gloriously rich color, the style is never strictly naturalistic; the treatment of facial features is pared down to the simplest of lines for the mouths, and characteristically aquiline noses. Downstairs, the women's bedchamber holds several less complex paintings, possibly dating from the 1700s. One shows Shiva dallying with Vishnu, who has assumed a female form as the enchantress Mohini; a second portrays Krishna holding aloft Mount Govardhana; another features a reclining Krishna surrounded by gopis,or cowgirls. His languid pose belies the activity of his six hands and two feet, intimately caressing adoring admirers. |
While the paintings are undoubtedly the highlight of the palace, the collection also includes interesting Dutch maps of old Cochin, coronation robes belonging to past maharajas, royal palanquins, weapons and furniture. Without permission from the Archaeological Survey of India, photography is strictly prohibited.
Mattancherry
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