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Established | 1855 |
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Location | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
Coordinates | 8°30′31″N76°57′18″E / 8.5086°N 76.955°E |
Type | Art museum, Archaeology museum |
Founder | Marthanda Varma II ![]() |
Website | www |
The Napier Museum is an art and natural history museum situated in Thiruvananthapuram, India. [1]
The Museum is grounds to the Trivandrum Zoo, one of the oldest zoological gardens in India. The zoo was established in 1857 over 55 acres (220,000 m2) of land. [2] It also contains the Sree Chitra Art Gallery, a separate art gallery established in 1935.
The set of museums, along with the zoo, are managed by the Department of Museums and Zoos, a branch of the Department of Cultural Affairs of Kerala.
A building was constructed in 1857 during the reign of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, [3] and later demolished in 1874 to lay foundation for a new building, during the reign of Ayilyam Thirunal. [4]
The Governor of Madras in 1872 appointed Robert Chisholm, a consulting architect of the Madras Government to design a new museum. In 1880, construction finished and the museum opened to the public, bearing the namesake of its governor, Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier.
The Indo-Saracenic structure lacks an air conditioning system. Although it has never been an issue due to suitable natural ventilation, an annex built in 2016 was noted for various problems such as mold, insects and corrosion owing to the lack of windows and openings. Since 2017, the annexed museum depot has been under review and is being rebuilt. Furthermore, the Napier Museum itself is being renovated. [5]
Some of the building features include a gothic roof and minarets. The Napier Museum, a landmark of the city, is noted for its unique ornamentation and architectural style, which is influenced by Indian, Chinese, Kerala and Mughal Schools of Architecture. [6]
The museum has a bandstand with concealed speakers and special acoustics. In the old days,[ when? ] the band of the Travancore Nair Brigade would play there every Friday. Later,[ when? ] the police band would play on Saturdays. [7]
The museum owns a garden which has many varieties of flowers and trees. It also shelters the oldest living rubber tree in Kerala. It was brought there in 1876 from Ceylon and planted in the museum grounds by Visakham Thirunal. [8] [9]
The museum houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. The Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the inspiration for the museum's collection of Javanese shadow play leather puppets. [10]
Visiting Hours: Open 10.00 – 16.45 hrs. Closed on Mondays, Wednesday forenoons, 26 January, 15 August, Thiruvonam and Mahanavami. [11]
Thiruvananthapuram, commonly shortened to TVM or known by its former name Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 2,984,154 as of 2024. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major information technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.
The Kingdom of Travancore, also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor or later as Travancore State, was an Indian kingdom that lasted from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of the south of modern-day Kerala and the southernmost part of modern-day Tamil Nadu with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin. However Tangasseri area of Kollam city and Anchuthengu near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram were parts of British India.
Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of the Indian princely state of Travancore, in southern India until 1949 and later the Titular Maharajah of Travancore until 1991. His reign is known for several notable reforms that have indelible impact on the society and culture of Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present district was created in 1956 by separating the four southernmost Taluks of the erstwhile district to form Kanyakumari district. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is also known as the Information technology capital of the State, since it is home to the first and largest IT park in India, Technopark, established in 1990. The district is home to more than 9% of total population of the state.
The history of Thiruvananthapuram dates back to the 18th century AD. In 1795, the city became the capital of the princely state of Travancore. Several historic landmarks of the city, including the Kowdiar Palace, University of Kerala, and Napier Museum were built during that period. After independence, Thiruvananthapuram was made the capital of the state of Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation is the oldest and the largest city corporation in the state of Kerala in India. It is the municipal corporation that administrates the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala. The city corporation is spread over 214.86 km2 with 100 wards and a population of 9,57,730 inhabitants. It includes the Legislative Assembly constituencies of Thiruvananthapuram, Vattiyoorkavu, Nemom, Kazhakkoottam and 5 wards of the Kovalam constituency. The current mayor is Arya Rajendran of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); presently the youngest mayor in the country.
The city of Thiruvananthapuram has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala (India) from the time it was made capital of Travancore in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo were started during the reign of Swathi Thirunal (1813–1847) and are one of the oldest of their kind in India. The city's libraries include the Trivandrum Public library, which was started in 1829. The Swathi Thirunal College of Music and 'College of fine arts' are the leading institutions related to music and arts.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the country's oldest state-run public bus transport services. The corporation is divided into three zones, and its headquarters is in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Daily scheduled service has increased from 1,200,000 kilometres (750,000 mi) to 1,422,546 kilometres (883,929 mi), using 6,241 buses on 6,389 routes. The corporation transports an average of 3.145 million commuters per day.
Kulathupuzha is a town in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is one of the important pilgrim spots linked with the legend of Sabarimala. It is the birthplace of the Malayalam music composer Raveendran. Kulathupuzha is the source of the Kallada river, Thenmala Dam (KIP) is located on this river. As declared by the Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Kulathupuzha panchayat is the first in India to have achieved Constitution-literacy.
The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It occupies 55 acres (22 ha) of woodland, lakes, and lawns.
Sri Padmanabha DasaSir Sri Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma VFRAS, also known as Rama Varma the Learned, was the Maharaja of Travancore from 1880 to 1885 AD, succeeding his elder brother Ayilyam Thirunal on the musnud, or throne. He was a noted scholar of Sanskrit and literary composer in Malayalam, who reversed his brother's policy, liberally patronizing poet Kerala Varma, while hostile to painter Raja Ravi Varma.
Pattom is a dense commercial region of Thiruvananthapuram city in Kerala, India. It is located approximately 4 kilometres north of centre of Thampanoor. Pattom is largely a residential area, also housing few important administration offices of Kerala State and a few shopping complexes. It has offices of Kerala Public Service Commission, Kerala State Planning Board, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Office, LIC Housing Finance Limited, State Resource Centre, District Panjayat Headquarters, Fire and Rescue Department Headquarters, Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma), Employees Provident Fund Regional Office and Kerala State Electricity Board. The Traffic Police and Telecommunication department, and the Kerala Science, Technology and Environment Head Office are also located in Pattom.
Vettikkavala is a village located in the Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. The village is famous for Shiva-Vishnu temples which hosts a special deity called Vathukkal Njaali Kunju. An annual celebration of Pongala is held at the temple. The village is also well known for temple arts and a palace constructed by Sree Moolam Thirunal.
Lt. Col. P. R. Godavarma Raja, often referred to as G. V. Raja, was an Indian sports and tourism promoter and administrator, pilot, sportsman and Sanskrit scholar. He took special care in inspiring the youth into sports and was instrumental in founding the Kerala Sports Council in 1953. G. V. Raja occupied the post of Council President till he was killed in a flight mishap in 1971. G. V. Raja also played a key role in establishing the Trivandrum Tennis Club, Flying Club, and the development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. As the spouse of Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, he became the prince consort of Travancore.
Kanakakkunnu Palace is situated in Thiruvananthapuram near the Napier museum, India. It served as an official residence for Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer during his dewanship, in addition to Bhakti Vilas and Padma Vilas.
Sree Chitra Art Gallery is an art gallery in Thiruvananthapuram, India, established in 1935. It is located in the northern grounds of the Napier Museum. It was inaugurated by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. The gallery features a unique collection of traditional and contemporary paintings, including the works of Raja Ravi Varma, Nicholas Roerich, Svetoslav Roerich, Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, V. S. Valiathan, C. Raja Raja Varma, and K. C. S. Paniker. There are approximately 1100 paintings at the gallery.
Trivandrum Rubber Works is a public sector manufacturing industry in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Its manufactured products include, retreaded metals, bonding gum and unvulcanised sheets. It was promoted by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC).
Tiruvalla railway station is an NSG–4 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is one of the busiest railway station in Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kollam-Kottayam-Ernakulam route, located at Thiruvalla town in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. Tiruvalla is the only railway station in the Pathanamthitta District. The station is under Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway. It is an NSG 4 category station and has daily trains to cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Pune, Bhopal, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Parassala B. Ponnammal was an Indian Carnatic musician from the south Indian state of Kerala. She was a classical carnatic vocalist in the lineage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and Papanasam Sivan. She was the first woman to perform at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram as a part of the Navaratri Celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.