Kerala Folklore Museum

Kochi (Cochin)


Created in Kerala style from ancient temples and beautiful old houses collected by its owner, an antique dealer, the family-run folklore museum houses a priceless collection of over 5000 artefacts and covers three architectural styles: Malabar on the ground floor; Kochi/Portuguese on the 1st; and Travancore on the 2nd (top). The fine top-floor theatre has an 18th-century wood-carved ceiling depicting Hindu gods, as well as colourful Ramayana and Mahabharata murals. It's 4.5km south of Ernakulam Junction.

Uber and Ola taxis from Fort Cochin charge ₹270, or you can take any bus (including the Fort Cochin–Vytilla–Airport bus) to Thevara, from where it’s a short walk or rickshaw ride.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kochi (Cochin) attractions

1. Pardesi Synagogue

3.18 MILES

Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…

2. Mattancherry Palace

3.18 MILES

Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…

3. Jewish Cemetery

3.19 MILES

Just southwest of Mattancherry's synagogue, the undisturbed Jewish Cemetery contains ancient tombstones marked with Hebrew script.

5. Santa Cruz Basilica

4.42 MILES

Built on the site of an early-16th-century Portuguese church (demolished during the British Raj), Fort Cochin's imposing neoclassical Catholic basilica…

6. Indian Naval Maritime Museum

4.45 MILES

In a pair of former bomb shelters, this museum traces the history of the Indian navy, as well as maritime trade dating back to the Portuguese and Dutch…

7. Kashi Art Gallery

4.47 MILES

The pioneer of Fort Cochin’s art revival, Kashi displays changing exhibitions of local artists in a creatively restored Dutch heritage house, attached to…

8. Indo-Portuguese Museum

4.51 MILES

The heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities – including vestments, silver processional crosses, altarpieces from the Kochi diocese and…