The Portuguese built Mattancherry Palace around 1545 and gave it to the king of Cochin. The article says it was meant to appease the king after the Portuguese plundered a nearby temple. The architect is not named.
It is a quadrangular structure in the traditional Kerala Nalukettu style, built around a central courtyard. Its arches and the proportions of its chambers show European influence. Inside are murals in Hindu temple art traditions, painted in tempera with warm colors. The Coronation Hall has portraits of the Rajas of Cochin from 1864 onward and a ceiling with woodcraft floral designs.
The palace was restored and declared a protected monument by the central government in 1951. The Archaeological Survey of India carried out a second restoration from 2007 to 2009.
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