| Archaeological Museum, Thrissur | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1938 |
| Location | Kollangode House, Chembukavu, Thrissur, Kerala, India |
| Curator | Bala Mohan |
| Website | http://www.kerala.gov.in/dept_archaeology/index.htm |
Archaeological Museum, Thrissur, is situated in Thrissur city of Kerala state, India. Both archaeological and art museums are located in the Thrissur Zoo compound. The archaeological museum is well known all over the region for its collection of murals and relics from nearly all over the state of Kerala.[1] The museum also has big life-size statues of famous and eminent personalities of the past. There are many models of ancient temples, monuments, etc. One of the main attraction of the museum are manuscripts written on dry palm leaves which are known as the "olagrandhangal". These delicate manuscripts have been preserved by the museum with lot of care. A large number of the artifacts that are displayed in the museum were actually found from the forests of Thrissur and Wayanad district.
Flaunting a spectrum of copied mural paintings by consummated artists like TR Madhava Warrior, VS Unni Nair and NO Antony, the archeological museum originally started as Sree Mulam Chithrasala in 1938. Earlier situated in the Town Hall premises, the art gallery was attached to an Archaeological Gallery in 1948. Finally in 1975 the Archaeological and Picture Gallery were shifted to the new building at Chembukavu and renamed as the Archeological Museum.[2]
One of the most interesting possessions of the Archeological Museum is a rare assortment of Veerakallu or stone engravings and carvings of figures and weapons used by the valiant warriors of this area found in the forests of Wayanad and Thrissur. Other display items like temple models cast in plaster of Paris a wide range of megalith collection consisting of earthen pots, Urn burials (nannangadi) black and red wares, black wares russet coated wares, stoneage tools, excavated materials from Indus Valley Civilization and Harappa, excavated materials from megalithic sites like beads,iron implements, excavated materials from Cheraman Parambu (Kodungallur) stone sculptures ranging from 10th century to 7th century, bronze sculptures ranging from 12h century to 18h century.[3]
The archaeological museum is housed in the building constructed in 1904 by the then Raja of Kollangode for his daughter. The building is constructed in a mixed style, blending traditional and western architecture. The exhibits in the museum stoneage tools, mieroliths, excavated materials from Indus Valley and Harappa, excavated Materials from megalithic sites like Urn burials (nannangadi) black and red wares, black wares russet coated wares, beads,iron implements, excavated materials from Cheraman Parambu (Kodungallur) stone sculptures ranging from 10th century to 7th century,Bronze sculptures ranging from 12h century to 18h century, copies of mural paintings, temple models etc. The Museum has the largest collection of excavated materials from Megalithic sites in Kerala. Excavated materials from Nenmeni Village, near Kollengode also are exhibited in this museum.[4]
(Open 1000 - 1700 hrs on all days except Mondays and national holidays).
The archaeological museum was started as Sree Mulam Chithrasala (Picture Gallery) in 1938 under the auspices of the Government of Cochin. The collections of pictures in the gallery was the result of a number of year’s work in making exact copies of a selection out of the many old Mural paintings found in the Mattancherry Palace and certain temples in the former Cochin State. The copying work was done with the utmost fidelity and skill by T.R.Madhava Warrior, V.S. Unni Nair and NO Antony. They were guided by Jatyanti Lal, T. Prakaskh of Bombay, under the superintendence of VR Chithra of the Madras school of Arts. The Gallery was started in the balcony of Town Hall, Thrissur.
Located in the zoo compound, the art museum displays collections of the wood carvings, metal sculptures and ancient jewellery. Museum showcases a rare collection of paintings and artifacts to create awareness about the architectural heritage of the state among the public as well as the students of archeology. Bearing a distinct mark of traditional and western influence in its construction, the stately Archeological Museum, Thrissur, Kerala boasts of a rare collection of exhibits well preserved for posterity.
An archaeological gallery was attached to the Picture Gallery in 1948 to exhibit the archaeological findings and excavated materials of the Department of Archaeology of the then State of Cochin. In 1975, the Department of Archaeology purchased a building at Chembukavu. The Archaeological and Picture Gallery were shifted to the new building in 1975 and named it as Archaeological Museum, Thrissur.