The Mattancherry Palace

 

In the middle of the Mattancherry island of Cochin stands a simple majestic palace which is now the most visited museum in Cochin. The beautiful Mattancherry Palace or Dutch Palace as it is commonly known has stood along the shores for over 5 centuries. The palace today is a museum which showcases history of the Cochin rulers & houses some of the most beautiful mural works of Kerala. 

The area of Mattanchery had been a center of trade for a long time & many merchants came to its shores in search of fortunes or asylum. The Jews settled in these areas & trade flourished for centuries. The arrival of Vasco Da Gama to the end of 15th century opened Kerala to the west and this made Portuguese traders come in large numbers. The Portuguese were not welcome in the Malabar region due to soured relations with the Zamorins & Arabs who had the monopoly of trade. The Portuguese needed better haven to expand their trade & the shores of Cochin became their choice. The Cochin Rajas welcomed the Portuguese as they found the newcomers a good ally to fight the Zamorins. The Portuguese understood the situation & played coy as they had an eye on the vast trade opportunities & helped the Cochin Rajas in return for better trade. The Portuguese wanted to build factories to support their trade & land was granted by the Cochin Rajas. By the middle of the 16th century, the Portuguese held important trading posts in and around Cochin & they grew much more powerful than the Cochin Rajas themselves. Over the years the tables turned & Cochin Kings had to succumb to the superiority of the Portuguese making Cochin a vassal of Portuguese rule in India.

The Portuguese in the 16th century were busy building factories & the people of Cochin viewed  their advances to be radical & made complaints to the Cochin Raja. The King himself, concerned with the growing power of the Portuguese, grew concerned. The Portuguese realised the importance of taking into confidence the local population & the best way according to them was to present the Cochin Raja with an elaborate palace & so the idea of construction of this palace came about. There is another tale regarding the plunder of the Portuguese, it is said that the soldiers as part of their orders to clear land for building fortress destroyed a temple which led to revolt from the locals. To make amends, the Portuguese decided to construct a  palace and give it to the King. This story may be true as inside the palace one can find the temple of the Royal family deity, Pazhayannur Bhagwathy. The stories & tales may be different but what is unique is that the palace was built in a grand manner & was one of the largest structures built by the Portuguese outside their mainland in Europe. The palace was constructed & presented to King Veera Kerala Varma in 1545. 

The palace is a double storeyed structure erected on a large quadrangular base & has four wings with a large courtyard in the center in the style of the traditional Nalukettu. The courtyard has the temple of Pazhayannur Bhagwathy. The Cochin Raja also later built two temples dedicated to Lord Shiva & Krishna outside the palace structure. The temple architecture is based on traditional Kerala style with terracotta tiles, wooden stairs, small windows, large wooden doors but the pillars & arches inside the palace have a typical European style. The floor of the palace is based on the typical Kerala style of black mirror glaze on it attained by mixing egg whites with lime & charcoal. The ceiling of the dining hall is done elaborately with wooden panels & carvings of highest craftsmanship. The palace was built by the Portuguese & later was redesigned by the  Cochin Kings to their needs. In the 17th century, the Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch which led to a new era of prosperity in Cochin as the Dutch became instrumental in creating new avenues of trade & administration. The Dutch also became a good ally of the Cochin Kings who are said to have asked the Dutch government to renovate the palace by adding new quarters & changing the interiors of the palace. The Dutch took over an extensive renovation work at the palace & they are the ones who designed the current structure. The British upon succeeding the Dutch continued to keep the Dutch name on it. The palace was taken over by the Mysore King Hyder Ali after he defeated the Dutch which was later conquered by the British. The Cochin Kings over 3 centuries continued to use the palace as their official residence by having coronation ceremonies within the Durbar hall. It was only in 1951 after Independence that the palace was taken over by the Archeological department for upkeep.

The architecture of the palace is a great example of imperial rule in Kerala but what is much talked about the palace are the murals inside & the artefacts that are housed in the palace for the local public to see. The beautiful mural paintings were drawn in the 17th & 18th century which covers over 100 sq meters of the palace adorning the walls depicting Hindu Gods & Goddess narrating stories from the epics of Mahabharata & Ramayana. The most intricate mural is the depiction of the highly revered poem Kumarasambhavam written by the most celebrated poet Kalidasa. Another important painting one can find in the upper floor is the Ananthasayanam of Lord Vishnu, Ardhanariswara showing Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvathy. The most important room in the palace is the Coronation hall which  displays portraits of Kochi Kings who adorned the throne from 1864. Some of the other important items displayed inside the palace are the household articles used by the family, gifts received over centuries, the royal Palanquins, gowns, umbrellas & furniture. The other important items are the weapons used & collected over the years which include the daggers, swords, spears & shields. 

The Mattancherry Palace today is a protected structure & visitors have to purchase entry tickets to visit. The palace architecture & museum exhibits under one roof provides all visitors a view back to the bygone era of the royals and is a must visit.