Napier Museum

The Napier Museum stands in green grounds at Nanthancodu in Thiruvananthapuram. A first museum was set up in 1855 under Uthram Thirunal of Travancore and named after Lord Napier, then Governor of Madras, to show natural history, art and industry. It proved too small for its collection and was pulled down under Ayilyam Thirunal, and the current building opened in 1880.

Its architect, Robert Fellowes Chisholm, combined Kerala building traditions with Indo-Saracenic, Gothic, Mughal, Italian and Chinese touches. The exterior has patterned brickwork, stained glass windows and four towers. Inside, three halls linked by corridors have painted arches and wooden beams on corbels shaped like mythical creatures, and double walls keep the rooms cool. Exhibits include archaeological finds, royal edicts and frescoes.