Kerala Folklore Museum

The basics

The Kerala Folklore Museum preserves and promotes South India’s rich and varied cultural heritage. The wood-and-clay building is modeled on traditional Malabar design and took seven years and 60 craftsmen to complete. Inside, the sprawling private collection spans millennia, with Stone Age-era utensils, intricate Mysore paintings, and vibrant Theyyam masks.

There’s minimal signage to explain many of the artifacts on display. To understand the context of South India’s traditional folk arts, visit the museum with a guide or as part of a half- or full-day tour, which often also cover the giant Chinese Fishing Nets that droop over the waters surrounding Fort Kochi, and tend to include hotel pickup and drop-off.

Things to know before you go

• Footwear isn’t allowed inside the museum, so you’ll need to remove your shoes and store them at the entrance. Be sure to bring socks with you, otherwise you’ll be barefoot.

• Like many museums in India, there are separate prices for Indian nationals and foreigners. Students are offered discounted admission.

• If you’re planning on taking photographs (even just with your mobile phone), you’ll have to pay an additional camera fee. However, it’s one fee per group, not for each individual.

• The museum’s coffee shop serves herbal drinks, tea and coffee, homemade goodies, and a display of traditional Kerala kitchen utensils and pottery.

• The museum shop sells home textiles, clothing, antiques, and artisanal craft objects. Prices might be higher than in the city’s markets, but the shop provides certificates of authenticity for antiques.

How to get there

The Kerala Folklore Museum is in the Thevara neighborhood of central Ernakulam in Kochi, right next to the Ferry Junction. This is a commercial district with little in the way of other attractions, so many visitors arrive by taxi or rideshare. Count on about a 20-minute drive from Fort Kochi, where most hotels are.

When to get there

The museum is open from morning until early evening, but don’t head home at closing time. Stick around for a short while and you can catch a special cultural show in the ornate theater—there’s usually one every day. Performances range from Kathakali or Mohiniyattam classical and folk dance to Keralan martial arts, known as Kalaripayattu. Some guided tours also include admission tickets to the evening show.

See performers prepare at the Kerala Kathakali Centre

The Kerala Kathakali Centre in Fort Kochi typically stages a different show every evening at 6pm. Be sure to get there an hour early, because at 5pm you can watch the dancers’ backstage preparations. The application of their colorful makeup—made from rice paste and vegetable dyes, and each hue embedded with a different meaning—is an art form in itself. The actors also explain the basics of Kathakali theater before the performance, making this an excellent option for first-timers.