Palm-Leaf Manuscripts Museum — Attraction in Kerala

This is the first and only museum of its kind, and honestly, the guides here are some of the best I’ve ever met. The palm leaf manuscripts on display are mind-blowing and incredibly rare. Not many people know about this place, but I truly believe everyone should visit it at least once in their lifetime. I was amazed to learn about the techniques used for writing on palm leaves and how they were made and preserved.

Surprisingly, most people who visit the Padmanabhaswamy Temple don’t even know this museum exists nearby — it’s located close to the Taluk Hospital, near the Vadakke Nada of the temple.

What makes this place even more special is that you can actually ask the guides anything about Kerala’s history — they’re kind, knowledgeable, and never judge anyone for asking questions.

I gave this place five stars because it deserves more attention. There are over 1 crore (10 million) palm leaf manuscripts in the collection, although only a few hundred are on public display. The rest are extremely delicate and stored in special archives, as even the warmth of a human hand could damage them.

If you’re even slightly interested in history or culture, don’t miss...

Absolutely amazing how the manuscripts have been reclaimed, classified and presented in the museum . The effort taken in making this happen is so evident and praiseworthy. As a result, the museum is today a treasurehouse of neatly arranged palm leaf manuscripts from Travancore, Kochi and Kozhikkode dynasties.

It must have been a herculean task of diligently reading through 1.5 crore palmleaf manuscripts - written in Vattezhuthth, Kolezhuthth, Malayanma, old Malayalam and old Tamil scripts - organizing them into different sections, and preserving them for posterity. Commendable job by the curators there! The museum is definitely worth a visit. Perhaps it needs more publicity so that more and more people gets to know about it .

Only sad that that I couldn't spend more time at this amazing place. Will have to visit again sometime soon. Couldn't have enough of this place, and...

An extraordinary exhibition of ancient manuscripts—meticulously preserved, yet curiously absent from the common historical narrative. For those with even a passing interest in the medieval and late medieval history of Kerala, what lies on display is nothing short of revelatory. One is struck not only by the substance of what has survived the centuries, but also by how much has been conveniently omitted from mainstream accounts.

The presentation is admirably contemporary—crisp glass showcases, minimal distractions, and a merciful absence of the usual sentimental clutter. The guides, to their credit, are informed and articulate, avoiding both the dull recitation of dates and the tiresome nationalism that so often mars such institutions. Even the building itself, stoic and timeworn, seems to murmur its own testimony, if one has...