Kerala State Archaeology Department

The Kerala State Department of Archaeology is working under the state's Department of Cultural Affairs. It had its origins in the Travancore Archaeology Department which was established in December 1891. The Kerala State Archaeology Department was formed in 1962, integrating the Travancore Archaeology Department and the Archaeological Research Centre of the erstwhile Kochi. The activities of department include publishing volumes on stone inscriptions discovered from several locations of the state, copying writings on copper plates, conducting explorations and excavations, and taking actions to guard ancient historical monuments from 200 BC onwards that scattered throughout different parts of Kerala. Many museums in Kerala are under the Department of Archaeology, including the Padmanabhapuam Palace in Thakkala, Tamil Nadu. Among them, the following are important museums.

• Pazhassi Tomb Museum, Mananthavady, Wayanad

• Kunhali Marakkar Memorial Museum, Kottakal, Vadakara.

• Pazhassi Raja Museum, East Hill, Kozhikode

• Gandhi Smriti Museum, Payyannur, Kannur

• Regional History Museum, Kandonthar, Kannur.

• Palakkad District Heritage Museum, Kalpathi, Palakkad

• Thrissur District Heritage Museum, Thrissur.

• Archaeological Museum, Shaktan Tampuran Palace, Thrissur.

• Ernakulam District Heritage Museum, Bastion Bungalow, Fort Kochi.

• Hill Palace Archaeological Museum, Tripunithura, Ernakulam

• Idukki District Heritage Museum, Painav, Idukki.

• Archaeological Museum, Krishnapuram Palace, Kayamkulam.

• Kottarakkara Thampuran Memorial Classical Arts Museum, Kottarakkara, Kollam

• Veluthampi Dalawa Memorial Museum, Mannadi, Pathanamthitta

• Koyikkal Palace Museum, Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram

• Padmanabhapuram Palace Museum, Thakala, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu