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Due to the fact that teak has always been the building material
of choice in Kerala, the historic monuments so prevalent elsewhere
in India are rather lacking here and, furthermore, those that
do exist are often closed to non-Hindus. Nevertheless, there
are a few buildings which we feel are well worth visiting and
these are described below. If architecture is not really your
thing but you would still like a taste of cultural Kerala, there
is still plenty for you to feast your eyes and ears on, whether
it be art exhibitions, music recitals, or performances of theatre
and dance.
Mattancherry Palace, Kochi.
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Having been built by the Portuguese and with subsequent
additions from the Dutch, this two-story Palace makes
an interesting amalgam of European architecture. While
the outside of this palace is not particularly striking,
the interior is quite the opposite, its walls adorned
with murals, the quality of which makes them the best
kept secret in India. Along with the sixteenth-century
friezes illustrating stories from the Ramayana, these
are fine examples of the Keralan School of art. Other
objects of interest include a collection of Dutch maps,
coronation robes, weapons of war and household furniture. |
Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thiruvananthapuram.
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63 km south of Thiruvananthapuram, set amongst the pretty
paddy fields and climbing hills surrounding the former
capital of Travancore, the Padmanabhapuram Palace is the
absolute embodiment of Keralan architecture. A well-maintained
and divinely proportioned façade draws you into
an entrance hall with ornamental wall hangings and an
intricately carved ceiling made of teak, mahogany and
rosewood. Directly above is the Mantrasala, a beautifully
floored, herb-scented council chamber which is softly
lit through window panes of coloured mica. Even though
the meditation room, containing the fabulous murals for
which the Palace is famous, is now sadly closed for maintenance
purposes, there is enough on display to hold your attention
for hours. Whether in terms of structure or content, every
room evidences careful craftsmanship such as the four-poster
bed in the raja’s bedroom, which is made up of sixteen
kinds of medicinal wood, carved with intricate images
of humans, plants and animals each with their own particular
symbolic significance. |
Koikkal Kottaram, Thiruvananthapuram.
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Situated on the outskirts of the lively market town of
Nedumangad 20km northeast of Thiruvananthapuram, this
beautiful palace is another fine example of Keralan architecture
(exterior photgraph top right of page). Surrounded by
lovingly tended gardens, this intelligently constructed
building contains a number of interesting features, such
as secret passages, natural air-conditioning, cool floors,
elaborate carvings, each of which has its own story. Downstairs
there is an imaginatively displayed coin collection which
charts the development of international trade along the
Malabar coastline. Elsewhere there are eighteenth and
nineteenth century household and farming implements, as
well as costumes and musical instruments used for the
performance of traditional dances such as the famous Kathakali. |
St. Francis Church, Kochi
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On the corner of a typically English village green, not
far from the elegant Chinese Fishing Nets that line northern
shore of Fort Cochin, stands the church of St Francis,
the oldest European church in India. Although nobody knows
exactly when it was found, historians have suggested that
its stone structure, which became the model for most of
the subsequent Indo-Christian churches, is likely to date
from the early sixteenth-century. Having been made Protestant
under the Dutch in 1663, then Anglican under British rule
in 1795 and finally attached to the church of South India
since 1949, it contains artifacts and engravings which
document each phase in its turbulent history. South of
the church, is the late twentieth-century Santa Cruz Cathedral,
displaying a number of startling examples of the Indian
Romano-Rococo school of decoration. |
Kathakali in Kochi
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A live performance of Kathakali is an eye-opening experience
for any newcomer to Kerala, and the likeliest place to
catch one is in Kochi, popularly known as Cochin. Traditional
performances take place on the ground outside a temple,
beginning at 10 and lasting until dawn, where elaborately
dressed actors with extraordinary make-up play out otherworldly
plots on a lamplight stage. Combining facets of ballet,
opera, masque and pantomime, this is a highly technical
skill and performers will have undertaken years of rigorous
training in order to qualify for the task. Of all the
possible venues for seeing a performance, there are a
few that we particularly recommend. The Kerala Kathakali
Centre on River Road, takes performers from the highly-regarded
Kalamandan Academy who give quite a raw but energetic
performance, while Dr Devan’s Kathakali at the See
India Foundation puts on a slightly more refined version
with a pre-performance lecture included. Please ask a
RedDot specialist for advice. |
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