Cochin Royal Heritage Trail

Overview

The Cochin Royal Heritage Trail opens up the narrative of the history of Kochi/Kerala from the perspective of the Cochin royal family. Through a series of anecdotes, you will learn about the origins of the Cochin royals and their many contributions in enriching the social, cultural and economic heritage of Kerala; you will also discover interesting facts about the rise and fall in their fortunes under the Europeans before their eventual merger with the Indian Union. Also, if you ever have wondered why Kerala tops the Human Development Index scores in India this tour will give you lots of answers.

Why you will love it

• Interaction with members of the Royal Family
• Hill Palace Museum visit
• Walkthrough the residential quarters
• Traditional Kerala snacks served as part of high tea

What you will experience

Starting from the Hill Palace, the last seat of power of Cochin’s royal family, we move on to the residential quarters; the residential quarters of the family reveals many historic structures, which showcases the best in traditional and colonial architecture. The guided tour of the Hill Palace Museum, filled with many artefacts, presents us with interesting reminders of Kochi’s yesteryears. The storyteller accompanying you on the tour will further enrich your holiday with her/his experiences.

The trail ends with high tea with the present-day members of the royals at their residence. In a very informal session, you will learn many interesting things about the history and heritage of the family and Kochi of yore. The royal family is today very much a part of mainstream society. You will also note that the residence of the royal family is a modest structure in keeping with traditional Kerala architecture unlike the palatial homes of some of their other royal counterparts in other parts of India.