One day, I was about to visit this Palace when my father said he would give me a company. It took me by surprise for until then, neither had he shown any kind of inclination towards travel nor had he encouraged it. Besides, the palace was just stone’s throw away from my house.
Though I was happy to accept his offer, I was a bit apprehensive for he was a conventional and protective father. I was not really sure whether he could accommodate the mindset of a traveller in me. At the same time, I was happy that he offered to come with me. Hence, I kept all those thoughts for a while and set off with him to visit the place.
We reached by around 2 pm and in no time, I could see that he was enjoying every moment. It would not take more than an hour to see the palace, but the ambience and the company were too good that we ended up spending around three hours.
My Dad was too happy that he said “ I love travelling alone. I could not do that due to several commitments in my life.”
That got me thinking “ If such a small place can do such wonders what would a long travel can accomplish.” These thoughts just increased my yearning to travel.
Situated at Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, the palace was built by Raja Ramavarma Shakthan Thampuran ( 1790 – 1805) and is now maintained by the Archaeological department.
Built in the Dutch and Kerala style, it was previously known as ‘Vadakkechira Kovilakam’ and was renovated by Shakthan Thampuran. Spotting this place is easy once you are in Thrissur as it’s in the North Bus Stand.
It wouldn’t take more than an hour to see the palace. But, it’s the well-maintained garden that would attract your attention. It was full of greenery.
There are several sections inside the Heritage garden and what interested me the most was the ‘ Butterfly Garden’. Surprisingly, as the name indicates, there were butterflies all around.
Butterfly Garden
So, what is a ‘ Sarpa Kavu’ or Serpent Grove?
The popular belief is that it’s where the Snake Gods lives. The Hindus worship Snake Gods by placing idols of snake gods inside a dense forest mostly, man made with all kinds of trees and plants. They lit small lamps as part of their worship.‘ Nagaradhana’ or snake worship is being practiced by Keralite Hindus for the past many centuries.
The Pond called ‘ Vadakkechira’ is a part of the palace and is under the Cochin Devaswom Board.
Finally, the tomb of Shakthan Thampuran
The tomb of Shakthan Thampuran
It’s certainly not a grand and huge palace but not devoid of charm. Hence, when you are in Thrissur, do not miss this palace by Shakthan Thampuran whose rule had been called the ‘ Golden Era’ of the erstwhile Kochi Dynasty.
To enter the palace, you need to pay a nominal fee.
- Camera is not allowed inside the palace.
From Cochin Airport, it is around two and a half hours away and from Thrissur railway station, it is just 2.6 kilometers away.
” Have you ever been to Thrissur and visited this Palace? ”
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