Napier Museum, Heritage museum in Thiruvananthapuram, India
Napier Museum is an art museum in Thiruvananthapuram that gathers bronze sculptures, jewelry, and religious items from different periods of South Indian culture. The red-painted building combines Mughal forms with elements from Kerala, creating rooms with high ceilings and carved wooden panels.
A first museum building went up in 1857 under Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma and was demolished in 1874, when Ayilyam Thirunal laid the foundation for a replacement. In 1872 the Madras Governor appointed Robert Chisholm, consulting architect of the Madras Government, to design it. Construction finished in 1880 and the museum opened, named after Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier, governor of Madras from 1866 to 1872.
Named after Lord Napier, the building displays objects from different regions of Kerala on several floors, including ritual garments and handcrafted items in wood and ivory. Visitors can follow techniques that have been used in South India for centuries and still matter for traditional celebrations today.
The museum is open from 10:00 to 16:45 and closed on Mondays, on Wednesday forenoons, and on 26 January, 15 August, Thiruvonam and Mahanavami. The building has no air conditioning; it relies on natural ventilation. The 2016 annex has been under review and rebuilding since 2017, and the museum itself is being renovated, so some areas may be affected.
In a separate hall the natural history section displays preserved specimens of animals from the region, including birds and mammals that are often overlooked beside the artworks. This section arose at the same time as the zoo next door, which has existed since 1857 and still houses species from across South India.
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