I chanced upon this when I visited Cochin a couple of months ago. This former Dutch Palace is well worth a visit - if you are interested in a bit of history. Cochin is not short of them as it was part of the first fledgling European Empire in India started by Afonso de Albuquerque in early 1500.

The palace is probably an architectural feat as it blends typical ancient Kerala style with Colonial overtones. It is 2 tiered quadrangular building with cavernous halls - containing paintings, artifacts, carriages used by the Cochin Royals, armory of that time and Royal jewelry in a secured vault. On the sprawling garden outside, they even put Kerala style cultural show - Kathakali dance when I was there.

The flooring is special inside the palace. What may appear as polished black marble stones are made out of a mixture of burnt coconut shells, charcoal, plant juices and egg whites as the binder.

I made it a point to look at a website to gather information on Heritage sites in India here: www.come2india.org

It claims to be free from commercial interest and for me - it contained enough information to plan my trips.