KOCHI: Hill Palace, situated fascinatingly and majestically on a panoramic hill top , was once the headquarters of the illustrious Cochin Royal Family. This renowned and magnificent hill attracts a large number of tourists from different parts of the world. The complex contains an archeological museum, a heritage museum ,a deer park, a pre-historic park and a children's park as well.The Hill Palace provides a visual treat in every sense. It's architectural grandeur, the stately and elegant appeal of the place, the lush greenery of the parks all make it one of the city's key monuments.''The northern part of this elegant royal residence was built during the reign of Ravi Varma Raja in 1855 and work of the whole palace was completed in 1860. There were a total of 49 buildings in the palace. After the demise of Pareekshit Thampuran, the last of the Cochin dynasty in 1964,Hill Palace fell into bad days. Then the palaces and the premises came under the supervision of Valiyammathampuran Kovilakam Estate. Slowly, the palace premises began to lose their past glory and splendour. Since 1972, the university of Cochin began lease holding the palace. In 1981, the state Archeology department took charge of the Palace Complex in November 28, 1983.'' says Vijaya TP , the information officer on its history.The main attraction and pride of the hill palace is the royal crown of Cochin dynasty, that was presented by King Immanuel of Portugal through Portuguese captain, Vasco da Gama. It is decorated with 245 rubies, 95 diamonds and 70 emeralds.The Elephant Anterior with its tusks in original ivory and the head and trunk sculpted in rose wood welcomes visitors to the world of the Royal galleries. Its artistic features reveal the craftsmanship of the local traditional carpenters of Cochin.Next we enter the cabinet hall at the central block of the palace, which had witnessed the decision on the integration of Cochin to Indian Union.The royal throne, with the emblem of the Cochin family and the royal chairs are displayed in its original form in this hall. The decorative chandeliers and doom lights which once pleasingly shed light in the Royal chambers of this prestigious palace are also displayed here.The palace also has a painting gallery, which houses portraits of artists like Theodore Jenson, Sekhara Varrier and Rama Varrier, who were contemporaries of the celebrated Raja Ravi Varma. The gallery of wood carvings is another attraction at the Hill palace. It comprises several items that were collected from the dilapidated temple at Enadimangalam in Pathanamthitta.The Mannadiar Gallery has porcelains exhibits and gifts from Europe and far Eastern countries. The most appealing collections include the chinese dishes and imperial trays. The jewellery gallery consists of ornaments used by Cohin's royal family, the crown,and the silver tree. Entry to the deer park is prohibited, but we learn that two species of deer namely, spotted deer and sambar deer are being looked after at the rear side of the palace, which adds to its woody charm. The royal garden gifts us with a feeling of calm and serenity. There's a gorgeous lotus pond, and in the rains especially, the site is a picture of loveliness.The hill palace is very interesting, well preserved, full of precious affairs, provides a peace atmosphere, says Caroline , one of the tourist visiting the palace.Presently the palace has been converted into a museum and is open to public all days except Mondays from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.
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