Mattancherry Palace Kochi (Entry Fee, Timings, History, Built by, Images & Location)

Mattancherry Palace is one of the glorious monuments in the beautiful city Kochi. The palace stands as a replica of the majestic pre-colonial and colonial era of Kochi and Kerala. In spite of being constructed by the Portuguese rulers, Mattancherry Palace is also known as the Dutch Palace, owing to the renovations done by Dutch rulers after they took over the kingdom. The Dutch Palace exhibits the art and culture of the Kingdom of Kochi in the form of mural paintings. Tourists from all over the world visit the Dutch Palace to experience the grandeur of bygone years.

Mattancherry Palace History

The Mattancherry Palace was constructed in the year 1555 by the Portuguese rulers as a compensatory gift for destroying temple to the Cochin Kingdom. The Kochi Rajas changed the interior of the palace with Hindu Temple art, popularly known as mural painting. These mural paintings are considered to be among the best in the country. There is also a portrait gallery of the Cochin Kings.

The Dutch rulers took over the Kingdom from the Portuguese and renovated the palace during the year 1663. Since then the palace is also known as the Dutch Palace. The Sultan of Mysore Hyder Ali took over the city from the Dutch rulers. Later it came under the rule of the British East India Company.

Dutch Palace/Mattancherry Palace Architecture

The palace is a two floored building constructed in the form of traditional Kerala architecture. The ‘Nalukettu’ style, with a huge courtyard in the middle, is a spectacular form of construction. A small temple is constructed in the courtyard for Goddess “Pazayannur Bhagavathy”, the family deity of the Kochi Kingdom. Two more temples can be seen on both sides of the palace, devoted to Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva.

The peculiarity of the construction of this palace is that a resemblance of European architecture is also visible in various parts of the building. If you have seen the images of Mattancherry Palace, you could witness another significance of the palace construction which is the flooring of the building. The polished black marble look of the flooring is created by the amazing combination of charcoal, lime, burnt coconut shells, plant juices and egg whites.

The paintings inside the palace

The grandeur of the palace is depicted through the murals painted on the walls and roof of the palace. The Hindu Temple Art is in its best form inside the Mattancherry Palace. Most of the illustrations are focused on the epic ‘Ramayana’ and a few portions on the ‘Krishna Lila’.

The upper floor of the palace is the coronation hall, which also depicts spectacular mural paintings. The main attraction here is the murals of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu (Ananthasayanamurthy) and the ‘Ardhanareeshwara’ painting of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Mattancherry Palace Entry fee and Timings

The Mattancherry Palace timings are 9:45 am to 1.00 pm and 2 pm to 4:45 pm on every open day. It is open to public on all days except Fridays and Saturdays.

The Mattancherry palace entrance fees are just 2 rupees for adults. There is no entrance fee for children below the age of 15 years.

How to reach Mattancherry Palace

Mattancherry Palace is just 8 kilometers away from the Ernakulam city. Travellers can either take private cars, ferries, or auto-rickshaws to reach the palace.

Nearby Mattancherry Tourist Places

Since Mattancherry Palace is located in the heart of the city, reaching other tourist places in Mattancherry is quite easy. Tourists could visit ‘Paradesi Synagogue’, Jews Town, Pazayannur Bhavathy Temple and so on and make their travel even more fruitful.

If you are planning a trip to Kerala, then Mattancherry Palace should be in your bucket-list of places to see in Kochi. The jaw-dropping beauty of the palace and its surroundings are absolutely worth a visit.

Image Gallery of Mattancherry Palace Kochi

Location Map for Mattancherry Palace Kochi