<< Kerala Monuments 

Thrissur district is the cultural capital of Kerala which is noted for its historical heritage. The historic Kottayil Kovilakom palace was built by the Dutch, as a gesture of goodwill to the Paliyathachans.It is about 39 kms from Ernakulam and 14 kms from Cherai enroute to Kodungalloor. A palace was built exclusively for the women within the historic fort, which gave it the name Kottayil Kovilakom. Thrissur is also a centre for religious integration as a Sri Krishna Temple, an old Syrian Catholic Church, a Mosque and a Jewish Synagogue are located very close to each other, bearing testimony to the enviable cultural harmony of Kerala.

Yet another centre of historical significance, the Portuguese built the Kottappuram fort or Cranganoor Fort in 1523 AD near Thrissur. The Dutch took possession of it in 1661. The Dutch recaptured it two years later, and, having ceded it to Tipu Sultan in 1784, sold it to the Travancore Raja, and again in 1789 to Tipu, who destroyed it in the following year. The remains show that the original fort wall was 18 feet in thickness. The ruin is also known as Tipu’s fort. This historic fort is at a distance of 2 km from Kodungalloor town.Sakthan Thampuran palace is another well-preserved fine monument in memory of the famous ruler of the erstwhile Cochin royal family,located in the heart of Thrissur.

Places of worship

Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva Temple is one of the oldest Siva temples in Thrissur district where Lord Siva is said to live along with his whole family. The temple lies at Methala village, south of Kodungalloor, 30 kms from Thrissur town and is a major historic site. There is a namaskara mandapam in front of the sri kovil with 16 pillars where it is depicted that the temple was renovated in 1801. In this temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Uma Maheswara, in contrast to other temples where the Lords consort has a separate sanctum. This historic temple in Thrissur has another rare event called "Anayottam" (Elephant race) which is part of the annual festival. Shivaratri is also celebrated in a grand way. The western entrance of the temple is on the Kodungalloor – Ernakulam highway.(NH 17).

Edavilangu Sivakrishnapuram Temple is one of the oldest temples of Kondungalloor near Thrissur, looked after by the devotees of Edavilangu.The temple was previously under the Cochin Devaswom Board. Here Lord Shiva and Krishna are the main idols.

For more tourist information on the cultural capital of Kerala, log on to thrissur.com

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