The Mattancherry Palace, also known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala features Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi. Mattancherry is the western part of Kochi corporation in Ernakulam district of Kerala, south India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country India is a union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; Kerala mural paintings are the Frescos depicting Mythology and legends which are drawn on the walls of temples and churches in South India, principally A Hindu temple or Mandir ( Sanskrit: मंदिर is a house of worship for Hindus followers of Hinduism. The Kingdom of Cochin or Kochi (also known as Perumpadappu Swaroopam, Madarajyam, Gosree Rajyam, or Kuru Swaroopam;
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History
Mattancherry Palace with its medieval charm is situated at Palace Road, Mattancherry, Kochi. It was built by the Portuguese and presented to Veera Kerala Varma (1537-65), Raja of Kochi, in 1555 AD. Portuguese India (Índia Portuguesa or Estado da Índia) was the aggregate of Portugal 's colonial holdings in India. The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace in 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called Dutch Palace. The Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch, literally "United East Indian The rajas also made more improvements to it. Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Cochin Rajas and notable for some of the best mythological murals in India, which are in the best traditions of Hindu temple art. The palace was built to appease the king after they plundered a temple nearby. [1][2]
The landing of Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer at Kappkadavu in 1498 was welcomed by the Kochi rulers. Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira ('vaʃku dɐ 'gɐmɐ ( Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Portugal, ca Kappkadavu (Kappad is a small coastal village in the Kozhikode district of Kerala state South India. They were given exclusive right to construct factories. The Portuguese repulsed the repeated attacks of the Zamorins and the Cochin Rajas practically became vassals of the Portuguese. Saamoothirippādu or Saamoothiri, anglicised Zamorin, is the used by the Nair rulers of the erstwhile state of Kozhikode (anglicised The influence of the Portuguese were supplanted by the Dutch and they took over Mattancherry in 1663. [1] Subsequently, the area was taken over by Hyder Ali and still later by the British East India Company
The Palace
The palace is a quadrangular structure built in Nālukettu style, the traditional Kerala style of architecture, with a courtyard in the middle. Hyder Ali or Haidar 'Ali (c 1722 - 1782 was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or Nālukettu is the traditional homestead of old Tharavadu where many generations of a matrilineal family lived In the courtyard there stands a small temple dedicated to 'Pazhayannur Bhagavati', the protective goddess of the Kochi royal family. Cochin Royal Family were rulers of Cochin or Kochi They were also known as Perumpadapu Swaroopam, Kuru Swaroopam History There is no historically There are two more temples on either side of the Palace, one dedicated to Lord Krishna and the other to Lord Siva. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Certain elements of architecture, as for example the nature of its arches and the proportion of its chambers are indicative of European influence in basic Nāluketttu style. [1][2]
The Dining Hall has carved wooden ornate ceiling decorated with a series of brass cups. The palace also contains rare examples of traditional Kerala flooring, which looks like polished black marble but is actually a mixture of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices and egg whites. [2]
Murals
The glory of the palace rests on the large number of murals, executed in the best traditions of Hindu temple art, which are religious, decorative and stylised. The murals have been painted in rich warm colours in tempera technique. [1]
The king's bedchamber or Palliyara, to the left of the entrance and occupying the southwest corner of the Palace, is noteworthy with its low wooden ceiling and 300 sq feet of wall surface covered with about 48 paintings. These illustrate the Ramayana, from the beginning of the sacrifice of Dasaratha to Sita's return from captivity in Lanka. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki Dasharatha ( Sanskrit: दशरथ IAST Daśaratha, Malay: Dasarata, Thai: Thotsarot) is the father of SITA is a multinational Information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the Aviation industry Lanka ( Sanskrit: लंका lankā means "island" is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the The paintings in this section are the earliest in the palace, dating back to the 16th century. The last five scenes are from the 'Krishna Lila' where in a cheerful God Krishna using his six hands and two feet to engage in foreplay with eight happy milkmaids. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Lila (Sanskrit लीला or Leela is a concept within Hinduism literally meaning "pastime" "sport" or "play" [2] The paintings are attributed to the artistic bent of mind of Veera Kerala Verma. [1]
The upper staircase rooms, notably that of the coronation hall that was extended under Dutch patronage, contain some murals. The notable compositions in this section are - Lakshmi seated on the lotus, sleeping Vishnu (Ananthasayanamurti), Shiva and Parvati seated with Ardhanariswara and other goddesses, the coronation of Rama, and Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana. Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Parvati ( Sanskrit: Pārvatī sa [[wiktपार्वती पार्वती]] sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hindu In Hinduism, Ardhanari ( Devanāgarī sa अर्धनारी IAST Ardhanārī or Ardhanarishvara (sa अर्धनारीश्वर Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Govardhan (गोवर्धन is a hill located near the town of Vrindavan in India, considered as Sacred by a number of traditions within Hinduism [2].
On the opposite side of the coronation hall is the staircase room or Kovinithalam (Room No II) , with a descent to the lower storey, there are four paintings of Shiva, Vishnu and Devi, and one incomplete. Room No. IV depict scenes from Kumarasambhava and other works of the great Sanskrit poet Kālidāsa. Kumarasambhava or Kumaarasambhavam is an epic poem written by the Hindu poet Kalidas. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical "Kalidasa" redirects here For the true bug Genus, see Kalidasa (insect. [2]The latter set of paintings belong to the eighteenth century. [1]
Other exhibits
Portraits of the Rajas of Cochin, from 1864 onwards, are displayed in what was once the Coronation Hall. These were painted by local artists in western style. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with floral designs in wood craft.
Amongst the other exhibits in the palace are an ivory palanquin, a howdah, royal umbrellas, ceremonial dress used by the royalty, coins, stamps and drawings. howdah, or houdah, is a Carriage which is positioned on the back of an Elephant, or occasionally some other animal used most often in the past to carry . [1]
Restoration
In 1951, Mattancherry Palace was restored and declared a centrally protected monument. The palace is already undergoing a second restoration by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency in the Department of Culture that is responsible for archaeological studies and the preservation of The restoration will raise the historical structure to a building and a museum of an international standard, preserving its originality, yet highlighting the important facets, The palace is an architectural masterpiece showcasing the blend between colonial and Kerala architecture. The restoration aims at showcasing its true grandeur. The work which started in 2007 is scheduled to be completed by 2009. [3]
Nearby
Nearby is the Paradesi Synagogue built in 1568, when Kochi was under Dutch influence. Kochi Jewish Synagogue Cjpg|thumb|right|200px|Inside Jewish Synagogue]]The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest Synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Alongside are the antique shops in the meandering alleys of Jew Town, most of whose inhabitants have since migrated to Israel. The Mattancherry jetty and bus stand are behind the Palace. The area is full of shops attracting tourists hunting for mementoes to carry back home. [4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Archaeological Museum, Cochin, published by Archaeological Survey of India
- ^ a b c d e f Mattancherry Palace. webindia. 123. Retrieved on 2008-01-20. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome.
- ^ Abraham, Tanya. Back to the Dutch Palace again. Metro Plus Kochi. The Hindu, 17 September 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-20. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome.
- ^ Ayub, Akber (ed), Kerala: Maps & More, Fort Kochi & Mattancherry, 2006 edition 2007 reprint, pp. 24-25, Stark World Publishing, Bangalore, ISBN 81-902505-2-3
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