Kerala Folklore Museum, Thevara: What to See and What It Costs

Thevara's Kerala Folklore Museum is a privately built, three-storey museum in traditional Kerala styles holding thousands of objects from Kerala's past, and it has been open to the public since New Year's Day 2009. Published timings put opening at 9 or 9:30 am, and Outlook reported in 2018 that it is open every day of the year except Good Friday. Ticket prices quoted online vary widely, from Rs 100 to Rs 400 for an adult depending on the listing, so call the museum on 0484 2665452 before you go.

• The museum at a glance
• Who built the Kerala Folklore Museum?
• What is on each floor?
• What is the theatre on the top floor?
• Is the Kerala Folklore Museum worth it?

The museum at a glance

Detail	What the sources say
Where	Thevara, Kochi, beside a creek
Opened	1 January 2009
Open	Every day except Good Friday (Outlook, 2018)
Hours	9:30 am to 7 pm (Kerala Tourism); 9 am to 6 pm (backpackersunited)
Tickets	Rs 100 to Rs 400 for adults depending on the listing; confirm by phone
Collection	Around 5,000 objects spanning more than 1,000 years, per Outlook (another listing says more than 4,000)

The mismatch on prices is worth flagging plainly: Kerala Tourism's older page lists Rs 100 for adults and Rs 50 for students, while the travel site backpackersunited quotes Rs 400. Rather than guess, ring ahead. The number above is the one Kerala Tourism publishes for the museum.

Who built the Kerala Folklore Museum?

George J. Thaliath, an art dealer from Varapuzha, and his wife Annie George. Kerala Tourism describes the museum as the outcome of 25 years of effort by the couple, and Outlook reported in 2018 that the family, including their children, runs it. That matters for how you read the place: this is a non-profit built from one family's collection, not a government institution.

The building itself is part of the exhibit. Kerala Tourism notes that it blends the architectural styles of Malabar, Cochin and Travancore, and that the entrance incorporates remnants of a 16th-century temple from Tamil Nadu along with wooden carvings gathered from across Kerala.

What is on each floor?

According to Outlook, each floor is given to one of Kerala's three pre-Independence regions:

• Ground floor: Malabar.
• First floor: Kochi, which Kerala Tourism describes as the "kalithattu", or floor for play, with traditional dance costumes.
• Second floor: Travancore, including murals and, per Kerala Tourism, a carved wooden ceiling made of 60 frames.
• Top floor: the Koothambalam, a traditional theatre hall.

Across the floors, Kerala Tourism lists masks, sculptures in wood, stone and bronze, costumes, musical instruments, jewellery, and rare medicinal and astrological manuscripts. Outlook's list adds everyday things: vessels, lamps, ornament boxes and furniture. To us, those everyday domestic objects are the most relatable part of the collection.

What is the theatre on the top floor?

The Koothambalam is the showpiece. Outlook described it as an 18th-century wooden structure weighing about 64 tonnes, carrying 253 mural paintings of scenes from the Hindu epics. The museum has staged evening performances of traditional art forms there; Kerala Tourism's page lists a daily 6:30 pm show, but that article is old, so check before planning around it. If a performance is what you are after, our guide to Kathakali shows in Fort Kochi covers the regular options.

Is the Kerala Folklore Museum worth it?

Yes, in our view, and it makes a good break from the Fort Kochi heritage circuit. It also makes one of the better answers to the monsoon question of where to take visitors when it is pouring, which is why it sits on our list of rainy-day things to do in Kochi. The one honest caveat is the ticket: if the higher figure quoted online is right, it is steep for a family, so confirm the price before you bring four people.

Pair it with a look around the neighbourhood using our Thevara guide, or, for another heritage collection, Hill Palace in Thripunithura. More ideas live in Things To Do.