Welcome to the royal heritage...

destinations

• Bolghatty Island
  This long narrow palm-fringed island is easily accessible from the mainland and is where you’ll need to go to see the Bolghatty Palace .
  
  Bolghatty Palace 
  Situated on Bolghatty Island ,the Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744 and later became the seat of the British Resident. Today this has been converted into a hotel and is a popular place to stay.
  
  Cherai Beach
  A lovely beach bordering Vypeen island off Cochin , Cherai beach is ideal for swimming. Dolphins are occasionally seen here. A typical Kerala village with paddy fields and coconut groves nearby is an added attraction.It is a popular tourist destination especially among foreigners.
  
  Chennamangalam
  About 4km from Parur,this place houses the oldest synagogue in Kerala. There is also a Jesuit Church and ruins of a Jesuit College . One can also walk to the Hindu Temple overlooking river Periyar, a 16th-century mosque, as well as burial grounds.
  
  Chinese Fishing Nets
  The Chinese fishing nets that line the sea-front and exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish by local fishermen in Fort Kochi are said to have been brought from by traders of Kubalai Khans Court, many years ago and are still used today at high tide.
  
  Chottanikkara Temple
  Numerous stories attest to the early history of this 10th century temple, where tormented devotees found solace in the diety, Bhagavathi. Today it remains one of the most popular pilgrim sites in Kerala, devotees still flock here seeking liberation from torment. Sometimes they dance themselves into a frenzy in their battle between the demons and the deities. The Goddess at Chottanikkara is revered here in three forms; she is Saraswathi (goddess of learning) in the morning, Bhagavathi (divine mother) at noon and Durga (fierce and destructive) in the evening.
  
  Coonan Kurishu Shrine
  Located in the heart of the busy Mattancherry is the Coonan Kurishu Shrine which was the venue for about 25,000 Syrian Christians who, in 1653, assembled at the ancient cross in Mattancherry and tied long ropes to it. Pulling the ropes they took a solemn oath that they would never obey the Latin Archbishops or be under the Jesuits.
  
  Dutch Cemetery
  Located a short distance from St. Francis Church, near the entrance to the beach, this cemetry is supposedly maintained by the CSI, but is very badly kept. It is of historical importance, having many famous persons buried here. Most of the grave stones have been removed, but the few that are here are in fairly good condition.However because of the overgrowth of plants and shrubs, it takes a bit of real exploring to discover whose grave stone is whose.
  Hill Palace Museum
  The Hill Palace was the official residence of the royal family of Kochi and built in 1865. This palace is located on the Ernakulam-Chottanikkara route, about 10 km from Ernakulam. The palace complex consists of 49 buildings built in the traditional Hill Palace Museum, Ernakulam
  Kerala style of architecture and surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with a deer park and facilities for horse riding. A full-fledged Ethno-archaeological Museum and the Kerala’s first ever Heritage Museum are the main attraction of the palace. The Hill Palace museum is the largest museum of archaeological remain in Kerala. Rare coins, manuscripts, sculptures of stone and Plaster of Paris, oil paintings, 19th century paintings, murals and inscriptions of the royal Kochi family can be seen in this museum.
  
  Madhavan Nayar Foundation
  Madhavan nayar Foundation is only 8 km from Ernakulam, at Edappally. The Foundation houses the Museum of Kerala History and its Makers. The museum showcases the historical episodes from the neolithic to the modern era through life size figures. There is also a gallery of paintings and sculptures, that displays over 200 original works by contemporary Indian artists. The centre for visual arts has a collection of the authentic reproduction of selected world masters and larger than life mural reproductions of Indian art.

  Kaladi
  Kaladi is the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the great Advaita philosopher of the 8th century. The temples dedicated to Sri Shankaracharya, Sharada Devi, Sri Krishna and Sri Ramkrishna are also located here. A place called Crocodile Ghat is also situated here where Sri Shankaracharya took his vows of renunciation. According to the legend, a crocodile caught hold of him and refused to release him until Shri Shankaracharya's mother Aryamba permitted him to accept Sanyas (renunciation).
   
   Kodanad, Ernakulam
  geographical combination of three rivers, seven inlets, hillocks and vast expanses of green plains. The Paliam Palace, abode of the Paliath Achans, hereditary Prime Ministers to the erstwhile Maharajas of Kochi, represents the architectural splendour of Kerala. The Palace houses a collection of historic documents and relics. The hillocks at Kottayil Kovilakom presents the unusual sight of a temple, a church, a mosque and the remains of a Jewish synagogue, all situated next to each other.
  Malayatoor
  Malayatoor is famous for the Catholic Church built on the 609 m high Malayatoor hill. This hill is dedicated to St. Thomas. Thousands of devotees visit this shrine to participate in the annual festival of Malayatoor Perunnal, in the month of March. St. Thomas is believed to have prayed at this shrine.
  Bhoothathankettu
  Bhoothathankettu is a picturesque place situated in a vast virgin forest. This mythologically popular picnic spot lies close to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Thattekkadu. Two of the main irrigation projects of Ernakulam district - the Periyar Valley Irrigation Project and the Idamalayar Irrigation Project are also located nearby. Trekking to the old Bhoothathankettu provides excitement to adventure lovers.
  Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary
  The Thattekad Bird Sanctuary is nestled in the evergreen forests in the Devikulam Taluk district of Ernakulam. This sanctuary was discovered by the renowned ornithologist of India, Dr. Salim Ali and thus named after him. About 167 birds were identified by Dr. Salim Ali and 207 birds by his student, Dr. Sugathan. The Bombay Natural History Society has identified about 253 species of birds. The sanctuary is known for the various indigenous birds like the Malabar grey-hornbill, woodpecker, rose-ringed and blue-winged parakeet, Indian rollers, cuckoos, common snipes, crow pheasants, jungle nightjars, kites, grey drongos, Malabar trongs, large pied wagtails, baya sparrows, grey jungle fowls, Indian hill mynas, robins, jungle babblers, sunbirds and darters. etc. Rare birds like the Ceylon frog-moth, Rose-billed roller, Crimson-throated barbets, bee-eaters, shrikes, fairly bluebirds, grey-headed fishing eagles, black winged kites, night herons, grey hornbills and Malabar hornbills can also be seen here. Various migratory birds migrate here during winter.