Sakthan Thampuran Palace in Thrissur
Sakthan Thampuran was the ruler of Kochi two hundred years ago. His real name was Raja Rama Varma. He was well known for his able and firm administration. Sakthan Thampuran is also known as the architect of the city of Thrissur. Infact, currently, Thrissur is known as the cultural capital of Kerala. He is the person who is responsible in making Thrissur a commercial city by inviting Syrian Christians and Brahmins to start their businesses in Thrissur.
Sakthan Thampuran Palace
The palace in which Sakthan Thampuran resided during his lifetime is popularly known as Sakthan Thampuran Palace. It is located in Thrissur close to the Vadakkunathan temple and was known as Vadakkechira Kovilakam during the king’s reign. The palace, which spans over a large area of almost six acres, has been changed into a historical museum and is extremely important as a cultural place of tourism. The structure and architecture of the palace is an interesting mixture of olden Kerala style and Dutch style. In the premises of the palace, one can find the tomb of Sakthan Thampuran and also a very old Sarpakkavu (sacred snake’s grove). There is a Heritage Garden towards the southern area of the palace which preserves rare medicinal plants of Kerala. Other than this, one can also find an archeological garden within the palace grounds which displays collections from the stone age. There are many galleries inside the museum including Numismatics gallery (displays ancient coins), Megalithic gallery (displays remains from the stone age), a gallery for display of household utensils made of bronze and copper, Sculpture gallery (displays granite statues of olden times), Epigraphy gallery (displays the evolution of olden days writing) and Bronze gallery (displays bronze statues of ancient times).
The palace is very famous nowadays as a tourist attraction especially for those who love to learn about historical happenings and kingdoms. Inside the palace, one can learn about many things connected to the ancient rulers of Kochi. The main part of Sakthan Thampuran palace consists of a two-storied building and a traditional Kerala Naalukettu. The roofs of the palace are very high and the walls are made more thick than normal. Each room of the palace is very spacious with Italian marble flooring.
