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The Pazhassi Raja Museum, located at a distance of 5 kms from
Kozhikode at East Hill, houses a
veritable treasure trove for historians and connoisseurs of art.
The museum is under the surveillance of the Archaeological Deparment of
the State. The museum and the art gallery are named after the great
Pazhassiraja Kerala Varma of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the
Kottayam Royal Family.
The famous 'Pazhassi Revolt' (against the British East India Company
during the second half of the 1700s) was led by Pazhassiraja.
Nicknamed the 'Lion of Kerala', Pazhassiraja is also credited with
introducing guerilla warfare in the hills of Wayanad
to resist the increasingly intolerable British colonialism. This great
freedom fighter was shot dead in an encounter on 30 November 1805 AD.
The Displayed Antiques
On display in the museum are ancient murals, antique bronzes and coins,
megalithic relics such as diamond cysts, temple miniatures and umbrella
stones.
Adjacent to the museum is the Art Gallery, which exhibits an excellent
collection of paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma.