Napier Museum

Price Range

20.00

Reviews

4.4

Overview

This magnificent historical museum was established in 1857. This beautiful architectural wonder was designed by Mr Robert Chisholm, the Architect of the Government. This structure was established by Maharaja, Uthram Thirunal around 135 years ago. It is one of the oldest buildings of India and a very important landmark of the city. The architectural style of the museum is Gothic and minarets. The old building was not strong enough to display many objects. It was torn down and the current, Napier museum, was built and opened to the public in 1880. This Napier museum is named after Lord Napier. He was the former Governor-General of Madras. The museum is situated in the heart of the Thiruvananthapuram city.

Sculptures and Images Inside The Napier Museum

Bronze Images

In Kerala, image-making is very popular since ancient times. The art has drawn inspiration from the religious faith of the people. Shiva, Vishnu, Parvathy and Lakshmi in several forms have been given shape in the beautiful image of bronze and copper whose details are modelled on rules laid in the ‘Silpashastras’. This art in Kerala dates back to 9th Century.

Wood carving

Kerela is also very popular for wood carvings and stone sculptures. Most of the wood carvings are seen on ‘Namaskara Mandapas’. The name of the wood used for making wood carving is ‘Kumble’ which is very soft and very easy to carve. The main attraction of wood carving in this gallery is the royal dressing table, a multi-chambered jewellery box and a lot more.

Ivory carving

The art of Ivory carving has been practised in India since medieval times. The ivory carving is purely a manual work and is practised in India with the simplest of tools like knife and chisels. The Ivory carvers created new designs of exquisite beauty and delicacy from excellent structures of Gods of the Hindu pantheon to simple utility items.

Stone Sculptures

The museum’s collection includes 2nd century ‘Gandhara’ sculpture to 18th century Kerala sculptures. The temples of Kerala exhibit diverse influences that are the storehouse of exquisite stone sculptures. The sculptures of god are among the typical specimens of temple figures. The earliest stone sculptures of Kerala date back to the 8th Century AD. Stone was the most used materials for the work of artistic brilliance due to its nature of preserving.

Coins

Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram has an exquisite collection of ancient, medieval and modern South Indian coins, of which Satavahana coins (100 BC-249 AD), Chera coins, Vijayanagara coins and Sivaganga coins are the utmost importance. Apart from these coins, there is a collection of foreign coinage which include Roman, Dutch, Persian, Chinese and Turkey coins.

Restaurants Near Napier Museum

Indian Coffee House
Mothers Veg Plaza
Khaki Taste Buds Restaurant
Mascot Hotel Sayahna Garden Restaurant(KTDC)
Le Arabia Restaurant
Garden Grille & Bar Restaurant

Timings

Timings are subject to change. You will be automatically booked into a time slot as part of the check out process. Please visit the official website to confirm the time slot before your visit.

How to Reach

By Train : Thiruvananthapuram Central, about 2 km. You can opt for auto or book a private cab and reach the museum in about 10-15 minutes.
By Flight : Trivandrum International Airport, about 6 km. The cab is the best option at the airport. It will take around 20-30 minutes and you will reach the museum all hassle-free.

Ticket Pricing

For Everyone : Rs 20

Other Attractions Near Napier Museum

Kovalam Beach
Neyyar Dam
Varkala Beach
Poovar
Vizhinjam Lighthouse
Kuthiramalika Palace Museum

Address

Napier Museum, LMS Vellayambalam Road, near Museum Junction, Kanaka Nagar, Nanthancodu, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Rating & Reviews

4.4/5

Excellent

Based on 15517 reviews

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GAURAV SHARMA

08/12/2020 11:22

It is also a must visit place whenever you visit to Trivandrum. The Zoo is also situated adjacent to this museum. Thus visiting this place means a lot, you can visit so many places nearby parking your vehicle outside gate on roadside. This museum has historical artefacts and idols and so many other miscellaneous things which have relevance in history.

sarin mk

06/07/2020 02:18

I was so impressed with this museum, not only for the art effects collection they have but also the technology they used to display that. So they have an that you download on your phone, and each art effect has a sensor next to it. You place your in front of the art effect, the app detects it and give you the story behind it, LIVE Guide. It worked perfectly and accurately.

S Sooraj

07/11/2020 00:00

Best place for learning about ancient art and culture...very beautiful painting of kings and emperors who ruled travancore are displayed and many more paintings....pleasant atmosphere with so much greenery.. overall an excellent museum..

nikhil j

03/04/2020 00:25

Loved this place... It's one the best garden to spend with family at any time... The museum is at the center which is surrounded by gardens,zoo etc.. The museum is a old structure design which was build Early 180s.. The Museum grounds also hold the famous Trivandrum Zoo, which is one of the oldest zoological gardens in India. This Zoo was established in 1857 and is spread over 55 acres (220,000 m2) of land. All people can enter the garden without paying...lots of tress , variety of plants birds ... To enter the museum it's only about RS 30...

Rosanne Fernandes

07/11/2020 13:00

There is a lot to see inside the museum if u r into history..... From small to huge artifacts, one gets to c them all. One can't click picture of them sadly to keep as remembrance.... The entry price is reasonable.... The surrounding of teh museum is very gud if u r in search of a good spot for photography with an amazing view.... The museums exterior is simple wow.... Overall yeah I'd say it's a place to visit and if u aren't a fan of history please do not skip this place even if it reeks of history the history is worth knowing.

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FAQs

What is the best season to visit the Napier Museum?

The best season to visit Kerala, in general, is October to February. The beautiful weather is so relaxing and cool. The weather during these months is not at all humid and sweaty hot and you can enjoy a lot at this time.

Does the museum provide a good ambience to just sit and read or study?

Yes the ambience of the museum is just perfect for just relaxing. Away from the noises of the city, this place has extreme calmness which is very comforting. You can spend a lot of time in the garden outside the museum and relax.

How much time will it take to visit the museum?

And Going through the entire museum will take approximately 2-3 hours. Bronze Images, wooden carvings, ivory carvings, Stone Sculptures there are a lot of things to explore at the museum.

Is the museum worth the visit?

Yes, definitely the museum is worth visiting. You will get to know about the history of Kerala in a very interesting manner. Medieval periods, wooden carvings there are a lot more to explore there.

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