Mattancherry Palace sits in the old spice-trading quarter of Mattancherry, a short walk from the Paradesi Synagogue. The building itself is modest — a rectangular courtyard structure — but the interior walls of the bedrooms and the ceremonial hall are covered floor-to-ceiling with some of the finest examples of Kerala mural painting anywhere. The scenes, painted in the 16th and 17th centuries, depict episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in extraordinary detail and vivid natural pigments.
The coronation hall has a particularly elaborate ceiling painting. The collection of royal paraphernalia — costumes, palanquins, and weapons — fills the surrounding rooms. Photography is not permitted inside. The museum is closed on Fridays and national holidays.