Dutch Palace
The Dutch palace or Mattancherry palace was originally built
by the Portuguese and presented to the Raja of Cochin, Veera Kerala Varma in
1555. It was later taken over by the Dutch who improved it through extensions
and repairs in 1663.
History
Mattancherry Palace with its
medieval charm is situated at Palace Road, Mattancherry, Kochi. It was built by
the Portuguese and presented to Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), Raja of
Kochi, in 1555 AD. The Dutch carried out some extensions and renovations in the palace
in 1663, and thereafter it was popularly called Dutch Palace. The rajas also
made more improvements to it. Today, it is a portrait gallery of the Cochin
Rajas and notable for some of the best mythological murals in India, which are
in the best traditions of Hindu temple art. The palace was built to appease the
king after they plundered a temple nearby.
The landing of Vasco da Gama,
the Portuguese explorer at Kappad in 1498 was welcomed by the Kochi rulers. They were given
exclusive right to construct factories. The Portuguese repulsed the repeated
attacks of the Zamorins and the Cochin Rajas practically became vassals of the
Portuguese. The influence of the Portuguese were supplanted by the Dutch and
they took over Mattancherry in 1663.
Subsequently, the area was taken over by Hyder Ali
and still later by the British
East India Company
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