Pazhassi Raja Museum - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Pazhassi tomb and museum, the memorial of Pazhassi Raja is situated at Mananthavady. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, also called  the lion of Kerala organised guerrilla wars against the spread and dominance of the British India Company in the region.

About Pazhassi Raja and his raids on British

Pazhassi was a prince belonging to the Kottayam royal family who garnered tremendous support from the tribal people called Kurichias for his wars against the British. After the Mysore King Tipu Sultan, Pazhassi Raja was the last ruler to rebel against the British in Kerala.

He met his death in 1805, betrayed by someone from his inner circle. The British came to know of the prince's whereabouts through the betrayer and attacked and killed him. There are two different versions of the story of his death. One says that he poisoned himself to prevent capture but the other indicates he was killed in combat. His body was taken to Mananthavady and his rival, Malabar sub-collector Mr. Babar cremated the body with respect. The current monument stands at the place where the Pazhassi Raja was cremated.

The tomb and the museum

In addition to the tomb of the prince, there is a small underground museum here. It has limited collections of local artefacts and weapons such as swords and arrows used in Pazhassi's time. Some of his possessions such as mural paintings, ancient coins, models of temples, and umbrella stones are also housed in this museum.

Getting to the Museum

The tomb is 1 KM from Mananthavady town of Wayanad district in Kerala State of Southern India. Mananthawady is well connected with buses to other cities of Kerala. The nearest train station is in Kozhikode, there are no railway stations in the entire district of Wayanad.