Kerala Folklore Museum

The Kerala Folklore Museum in Kochi, India, displays over 4,000 artifacts, including sculptures, paintings, and traditional costumes, reflecting Kerala’s rich cultural heritage.

Planning your visit

The Kerala Folklore Museum was built by an antiques dealer over decades, and both the collection and the building reflect that: the three-storey structure was assembled from architectural elements — carved pillars, ceilings, doorframes, beams — salvaged from dismantled traditional houses and temples across Kerala, so the museum is itself a composite artefact.

Its three floors follow the state's three regional architectural styles: Malabar, Kochi and Travancore. Over 4,000 objects fill them, covering Kerala's performing arts in depth — Kathakali costumes and headgear, Theyyam masks and ritual dress, Mohiniyattam material — alongside bronzes, stone sculpture, oil lamps, terracotta, tribal artefacts and manuscripts, some dating back several centuries.

The top-floor theatre, with a painted wooden ceiling, stages evening Kathakali performances, which is the recommended way to use the visit: the costumes make far more sense after seeing them in motion.

It sits in Thevara, a short distance from Fort Kochi. Allow ninety minutes. Bookable options include tours with hotel transfer. Current availability is shown below.