This museum was earlier a palace built by Vasudeva Raja, the last king of Kollengode dynasty as a gift for his daughter. This palace was taken over by the archaeological department in the year 1975. The palace which is located in the centre of Chembukkav, is more than a century old. Built in the year 1904, this beautiful palace is remarkable for its architecture and style. Though built in the traditional Kerala style of architecture, one can see the influence of European style too. This two-storey building has costly tiles exported from England. The windows are wide and panelled with glass. When the Department of Archaeology excavated many relics from the earlier years, they were displayed in this museum. But later most of them were removed to Sakthan Tamburan Palace. Now the Kollengode museum mainly has mural paintings from different part of the state. The Department of Archaeology also brought the Mural Art centre under this museum for students interested in Mural paintings. This museum now exhibits ancient and colourful paintings of Kerala temples, churches and palaces like the Mattanchery palace, the Vadakkumnatha Temple, Chemmanthitta temple, Puthukkad church, Kanjoor church and so on. The personal belongings of the royal family like Vasudeva Raja’s coat, his paduka, hats and photographs are exhibited here. The palace also has models of temples like Thrikkulasekharapuram, Thiruvegapura and Thiruvalla.
