The Hill Palace is Kerala’s first heritage museum located at Thripunithura in Ernakulam district. It has a huge collection of the former Maharaja of Kochi. At present, this official residence of the royal family has become one of the state’s largest archaeological museums. Built in the year 1865, there are 49 buildings in the complex which are designed in the Kerala’s architectural style. Spread over 52 acres of land, the complex is beautifully landscaped and houses a deer park and horse riding facilities. The complex of museum is a home to various rare species of medical plants. At present, this museum is protected by the Kerala State Archaeology Department.Hill Palace is the largest archeological museum in Kerala, located at Tripunithura, Kochi. It was the imperial administrative office and official residence of Cochin Maharaja. Built in 1865, the palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style, spreading across 54 acres (220,000 m2). The complex has an archaeological museum, a heritage museum, a deer park, a pre-historic park and a children’s park.
The campus of the museum is home to several rare species of medicinal plants. Presently the palace has been converted into a museum by The Kerala State Archaeology Department and is open to public. The palace is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the city centre and is approachable by road and rail.The Centre for Heritage Studies (CHS), an autonomous research and training institute set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala also functions at the site. CHS is designated as the ‘Manuscript Conservation Centre’ (MCC) and Manuscript Resource Centre (MRC) by the National Mission for Manuscripts.
The museum displays 14 categories of exhibits including Crown and ornaments of erst while Cochin royal family, paintings, sculptures in stone and marble, weapons, inscriptions, coins etc. The major share of attractions in this museum are contributed by the Cochin Royal Family with some exhibits from the Paliam Devaswom and the department of Archaeology. It has a gold crown embedded with precious stones and many valuable coins, ornaments, majestic beds and samples of epigraphy. The famous Malayalam movie Manichitrathazhu was shot here.