Sree Chitra Art Gallery

Located in a park like complex with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery and Zoological Gardens, it was formerly known as 'Napier Museum', named after a former Madras Governor General, John Napier.

It is an absolute gem of architectural exuberance, combining traditional Kerala styles with good doses of Chinese and Mughal influences.It has an excellent collection of bronze images, historical ornaments, ivory carvings and temple-chariots. In the 19th century, an English architect, Chisholm threw in a few torches and ended up with a building that is guaranteed to leave you smiling at its electric charm.

The interior is every bit as intriguing as the exterior, with pink and blue stripes, alternating with stripes of yellow and cherry red, scalloped arches of a banana yellow, interpreting elaborately carved balconies, the whole linked together with red ad white lattice work and mock friezes.

The collections are a varied and electric as the building and one likes to spend a pleasant few hours browsing through them.

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