Museum of Kerala History, Edapally
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the Museum of Kerala History at Edapally, near Kalamassery, is a huge statue of Sage Parasurama, who is believed to have created Kerala by reclaiming land from the seas. The museum is full of statues, paintings, and sculptures that unravel for you the history of Kerala - from the Neolithic period to the modern age.
Light and sound showAt the museum, there are nearly 90 life-like statues of people who made history in Kerala. A one-hour light and sound show with accompanying music and narration takes you to the past to witness Kerala’s journey over the last 2000 years. The inclusion of socio-cultural aspects of the various periods contributes greatly to the show.
On displayRelics and artefacts of royalty, and those that were once part of ordinary households are on display.
Mural paintingA mural, about 25 ft long and 5 ft wide, depicting a scene from the Sanskrit drama Shakunthalam by Kalidasa is on display. With its meticulous use of colours and attention to detail, it is an amazing piece of art.
Art GalleryThe Gallery of Arts and Sculptures at the museum has many original pieces of work by illustrious, contemporary artists. The exhibits also provide a glimpse into the various phases of Indian art.
The artistes featured include acclaimed mural painter Mammiyoor Krishnan Kutty Nair, M F Hussain, the best-known painter in the country, Raja Ravi Varma, the painter-king, Jamini Roy, Manu Parekh, Ram Kumar, Ganesh Haloi, Ganesh Pyne, Shyama Datta Roy, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Paresh Maithy, Sunil Das, B Sanyal, Bimal Das, Madhava Menon and so on. Paintings belonging to various states or regions, like Orissa and Bengal, and schools like the Thanjavoor school are also on display.
Reproduction of masterpiecesThe slide projection studio at the Centre for Visual Arts inside the museum displays reproductions of classics including works of Michael Angelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh. Different schools of art such as the Renaissance school, Cubism, Classicism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism are well represented here.
SculpturesAbout 50 sculptures created by various artists like D. P Roy Chaudhary, Bajaj, and Sarbari Chaudhary are also kept on display on various floors of the museum.
Gallery of MiniaturesThe museum also houses miniatures belonging to various schools of art such as the Mughal, the Rajastani, the Pahari, the Deccan and so on. The complexity and precision of Indian miniature art is evidenced in the paintings.
Dolls museumA dolls museum was set up here in 2000. There are more than 100 dolls on display, mostly from India and a few from other countries.
The beautifully hand-crafted Indian dolls represent people from various states of India such as the Gujaratis, the Nagas, the Kashmiris and the South Indians. Apart from dolls in traditional costumes, there are dolls dressed as peasants, brides and grooms and so on and others dressed as members of different castes engaged in various activities.
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